EFT Tapping has become more mainstream since its birth in the 1980’s, even appearing on popular TV shows such as Jane the Virgin on Netflix, but what exactly is tapping and how can it help you to be happier and healthier?
EFT stands for “Emotional Freedom Technique” and is also known as EFT Tapping or Meridian Tapping. It is an extremely effective self-help method that is used by millions of people all over the world. Emotional Freedom Technique is beneficial for releasing negative thoughts and behaviours which have become stored in our bodies on a cellular level.
Restoring Harmony
Psychological acupressure delivered with EFT is an excellent way to overcome emotional barriers that can make you feel stuck in certain aspects of your life. Many people describe feeling physical and emotional blocks, often manifesting as repeated patterns of negative behaviours or pain/discomfort in the body. EFT Tapping is often referred to as “emotional acupuncture’; rather than needles, you tap gently on specified meridian points, releasing blocks and restoring harmony.
Who Invented EFT?
Dr. George Goodheart is considered one of the forefathers of developing the first tapping methods in the 1960’s; he was a renowned chiropractor who invented tapping and applied kinesiology. Dr. Goodheart founded a branch of chiropractic in the USA, based on a specific method of muscle ‘testing’ the body for information regarding its’ own individual needs.
Dr. Goodheart believed a person’s emotional well-being is completely interlinked with their overall health and physical state. Our mental health plays a significant role in our healing ability and our physical health.
Later on in the 1980’s, psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan began using tapping on his patients and formulated unique tapping ‘algorithms’ for a wide range of physical and mental ailments. This therapy was called Thought Field Therapy (TFT), which was later simplified into a single EFT pattern (The Basic Recipe) by Gary Craig in 1995.
The Origins of Energy Healing and Acupressure
The origins of EFT tapping go back as far as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) when acupuncture was being used as a healing method that utilises energy channels or pathways in the body known as meridians. Acupuncture is mainly used to treat physical ailments and not typically psychological issues, such as with EFT tapping.
Emotional Freedom Technique is based on the same energy meridians that are used in traditional acupuncture; however, no needles are involved. You simply use your fingertips to gently tap on meridian points in order to generate kinetic energy into these particular meridians on the face, head and upper body.
Does EFT Tapping Really Work?
Many people are sceptical when they first discover EFT tapping but awareness of the electromagnetic energy that constantly flows through our body and regulates our health is finally being recognised in our Western culture and is gaining popularity. It’s common for people to be initially amused by the methodology of EFT, but once they try tapping and feel the benefits, their amusement often changes to belief. There is emerging EFT research to prove its effectiveness.
How to Tap
While tapping on the 9 points, you think about a certain problem in your life you wish to overcome; possibly an addiction, chronic pain or a traumatic event. While holding that image in your mind as you tap, you can voice the truth of how you’re feeling (even if that’s negative), explore possibilities for change and then use positive affirmations in order to clear the block.
The purpose of voicing affirmations and tapping on your energy meridians is to restore your body and mind’s balance by short circuiting the emotional blockage from your body’s bioenergy system. Once the blockage is released and balance is attained, it is possible for physical and emotional problems to heal and optimum health to reign.
The 9 EFT Tapping Points
There are two key points to remember when using EFT: the tapping technique and locations, and the words you use (the set up phrase and the reminder phrase(s). There is a sequence to follow in tapping and once you get the hang of it, usually after only a few minutes, you will be able to do the sequence automatically and focus more on what you’re saying.
There are 9 Tapping Points on the body:
- Karate Chop (KC)
- Top of Head (TH)
- Eyebrow (EB)
- Side of the Eye (SE)
- Under the Eye (UE)
- Under the Nose (UN)
- Chin (Ch)
- Collar Bone (CB)
- Under the Arm (UA)
Anyone can try tapping, but for optimum results and especially where there is trauma, it’s always best to work with a tapping practitioner who can help you go deeper on your personal blocks and issues.
If you’d like to give tapping a go, download this free EFT Tapping planner.
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