EFT Tapping & its Life-Changing Importance For Your Emotional Health

How's your emotional health, really?

How's your emotional health on a day to day basis? Do you tend to get overwhelmed easily? Do you often feel stressed before big meetings and events or time with certain people? Or if you want to go a bit deeper, do you struggle with self-doubt, comparison, situations from your past that stop you from being confident today? 

What if I told you there's a funny looking technique that can help you manage your emotional and mental health by using two fingers to tap on acupuncture points on your face? If you're already confused, don't worry, not many people have heard of this technique even though it's been around a few decades. In recent years, due to overwhelming evidence as well as support from mental health specialists, EFT tapping is emerging in popularity due to its ability to address all sorts of emotional issues.

So have you heard about EFT tapping? These days, you might have seen it on Oprah, Megyn Kelly Show, Jane the Virgin, Ireland AM TV but maybe you're not really sure how something that looks kinda funny can actually help soothe your emotional responses to situations. I know, that's what I thought too. Until I was in the middle of finals during my master degree and was so anxious and stressed out I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I was an emotional mess pacing around the room at home. I can't remember where I heard of EFT actually, but I remembered hearing that it helped for panic attacks and fear of flying, so I YouTube'd it and found Brad Yates. I felt kind of weird but after trying to meditate and failing miserably because I was just too overwhelmed, I figured, well NOTHING else is working so why do I have to lose? I did round after round for about 20 minutes and during the last exhale, I checked in with myself, and realized that my panic and fear had substantially diminished! I couldn't even believe it. Since then, I'm a believer. And since being certified, I've been overjoyed to help many clients with a wide variety of issues with EFT tapping.

EFT stands for “Emotional Freedom Technique,” a protocol developed by Gary Craig that combines elements of Eastern medicine with Western psychology.

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Do you want to see if EFT Tapping can help you? Book a 15 min discovery call with me to discuss how it could help your emotional issues.

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EFT tapping is applied to energy meridian points on one’s body following a specific sequence while a person focuses his thoughts and emotions on the issue he or she wants to address. If that sounds like something you want to learn about, then read on.........

How Does EFT Tapping ActuallyWork?

EFT tapping can improves your emotional health as a helpful tool to manage and self-regulate by focussing on emotional and mental health by reducing stress and negative emotions as well as enhancing your self-esteem. Simply put, it makes you feel good to manage your emotions and EFT helps do that.

I know, we all have the tendency to do crazy things like overreact at people when we’re upset. But that isn’t really acceptable social behavior and as adults we have to be able to regulate our emotions better. That’s how EFT came about. It’s a means being able to calm your emotions in a variety of ways to bring positive change to your life.

Over time, several studies have shown how effective the alternative acupressure treatment is in addressing emotions, including psychological and physiological disorders like phobias and even PTSD.

According to scientists, EFT tapping, like acupuncture, releases energy to activate a person’s central nervous system and turn off the fight or flight response within the brain. Unlike acupuncture, however, EFT tapping doesn’t require needles, only pressure using the fingers to lightly tap on the points. Check out this video here by Dr. Dawson Church to and this video here by Dr. Peta Stapleton to learn more about the neuro-science behind EFT Tapping.

One such research paper by psychologist John Diamond revealed how EFT tapping can even be used with cognitive behavior therapy to address depression and anxiety disorders.

***Disclosure: I do not personally address severe trauma, phobias, or mental issues better managed by a therapist or psychologist. If you're currently undergoing therapy, please check with your specialist to see if EFT is helpful for you**

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What Are the Benefits of EFT Tapping?

EFT tapping is a practical means to clear a patient’s mind of negative thoughts and release negative emotions, the leading cause of stress and anxiety. It can be used for a wide range of issues. Even though it looks a bit funny at first the benefits are usually noticeable right away, which is why it's gaining traction in the medical community and also in some therapists and psychology circles.

Below are some of its benefits:

EFT Has No Unwanted Side Effects

One of the main concerns most people have when trying anything new for emotional health is wondering if there are any downsides or side effects. It's important here to note that EFT tapping is not meant to be a substitute for your therapy or drugs to regulate your mental state, but rather as a compliment to address emotions that can arise as a result of your emotional health. It's an approach to regulate the emotions in your body and is recommended by Healthline, who say:

"If you’re looking for a self-help technique to help you reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, we highly recommend EFT tapping" - Healthline.

EFT tapping gives patients a chance to alleviate symptoms and address their conditions without negative side effects.‍

EFT Tapping is Painless

Noninvasive and painless techniques are always a refreshing change for anyone. EFT tapping offers a helpful, safe, and painless way to manage emotional health. Most clients have a lightness immediately afterward and feel calmer, refreshed, and more balanced.

EFT Tapping is Inexpensive

Unlike many techniques, you can engage in DIY EFT tapping using your own scripts if you're familiar with the technique. If you can create scripts that fit your situation, it's possible to do it yourself in a stressful situation (before a presentation, after an argument with a partner, when you're feeling upset about something that happened).

Don’t get me wrong, though. EFT tapping isn’t meant to be a substitute for help from a mental health professional. I’m merely suggesting it as an alternative way to manage noncritical bouts of stress and anxiety as a mindfulness technique when you're doing it alone.

Try this video I created for expats to calm down in the middle of a stressful day.

EFT Tapping Works Anytime and Anywhere

These days, we are all constantly on the go. Imagine what happens if you’re traveling to Asia and suddenly feel completely overwhelmed about flying or travel stress. This is when EFT can be extremely useful and immediately relieving to help you find emotional balance again. You can even discretely use the points on your fingers if you're in public (like on a bus or in a meeting) so that no one can see.

EFT Tapping is Easy to Learn

You don’t need to be an expert to perform EFT tapping on yourself if you have a script. Tapping imperfectly on wrong point won’t actually do anything bad it just won't do much.

Learning DIY EFT tapping doesn’t require years, either. All you need, in fact, is a step-by-step guide and common sense and you’re all set.

EFT Tapping is Not Time-Consuming

Apart from being able to do EFT tapping anywhere, it doesn’t take up much time as well. A typical five-step round lasts about 5-10 minutes to complete. Low-intensity stress or anxiety levels require maybe 2 or 3 rounds while high-intensity situations can take between 10 and 12 rounds to address. Regardless, each EFT tapping session only takes 10 minutes up to half an hour to get desired results.

Guided EFT Tapping with a Certified Practitioner

Despite the fact that DIY EFT tapping is possible for managing stressful situations, emotional issues that come from beliefs or past experiences should be addressed with a certified professional EFT practitioner. Healing and reframing the negative mindset components that cause some emotional health issues are often in layers from the past. Do you struggle with self-confidence or even self-sabotage? Are there certain situations where you feel stuck, anxious, worried about? Do you have limiting beliefs like: I'm not good enough, I'm too X (old, young, not professional enough, not perfect, etc)?

Customized and guided sessions with an EFT practitioner allow you to zoom in on the root cause of the problem. Professionals know what questions to ask and how to apply the right EFT tapping technique and sequence create for your personal issues.

In many ways, the exact words coming from trained EFT coaches greatly affect the way a session works and its successful outcome. A trained EFT professional can help you stay focused and remove barriers that may be hindering your healing.

EFT tapping experts also know the meanings of each pressure point on the human body. Matching a pressure point to an underlying issue correctly can also become confusing for someone untrained at home.

You should also know that each session’s length varies, depending on a patient’s level of discomfort or how emotionally 'charged' they are. Understanding how many rounds of EFT tapping a specific issue requires and which exact technique requires practice and skill that should be guided by a professional.

Final Thoughts

EFT tapping is a simple method of tapping pressure points to address specific mental and emotional problems. It is an effective, inexpensive, and easy-to-perform self-help treatment that teaches people to trust their intuition and let go of limiting beliefs to alleviate stress and anxiety.

While not a recommended substitute for psychiatric help, EFT tapping can greatly help you manage your emotions in an effective way and definitely lead you to live a healthier and happier life.

Do you want to see if EFT Tapping can help you? Book a 15 min discovery call with me to discuss how it could help your emotional issues.

ABOUT ME: 

ANDREA HUNT - Online Transformational Life Coach & EFT Tapping Practitioner based in Munich, Germany

I'm an accredited transformational life coach from Animas Centre for Coaching UK  and a member of the International Coaching Federation. I'm also a Level 2 practitioner in EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) and a member of AEFTP (Association of Emotional Freedom Technique Professionals).

If you're not sure where to start transforming your life, you can download my free ebook on How to Start Your Personal Growth Journey.

Are you ready to change your life, let go of old beliefs, empower yourself for a mindset shift to move forward? Mark Batterson says: You're always one decision away from a totally different life.

If you're interested in booking a free 15 minute discovery call for transformational life coaching, EFT Tapping or checking out my services page click here.