What is all this tapping?

Ok so you may well be asking ‘What is all this tapping about and how can tapping on something actually achieve anything?’   Got to be honest here; the first time I tried it 9 years ago I wondered the same thing and thought it was all a bit weird.  I went along with it though and was amazed how quickly my feelings towards my fears dissipated and how much better I felt afterwards.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or tapping is a fantastic self help tool which can help deal with cravings, pain, emotional, trauma and so much more!!  This is very basic guide as to what tapping is and how it works.

Getting started with the karate chop

Emotional Freedom Technique, often known as tapping, is a form of psychological acupressure.  It works by using the meridian lines that run through the body as a basis of places to tap while verbalising problems, fears or emotions.  Just as acupuncture works to clear energy blocks so does EFT except without the needles, thankfully.  Talking about the issue then adds another level of clearance.  The points used in acupuncture are specific to the issue being dealt with however with EFT it was found that even by tapping on meridian points not specific to the issue there was still a huge benefit.  As a result a set sequence of points was created.

There are some basic steps to follow and then it is all about using this technique to your benefit.  NOTE:  The words you use are not important.  Well they are important so I should clarify that by saying there is no right or wrong thing to say.  You will have a chance to verbalise the problem and how you are feeling first and then a chance to say the positives you wish to have in your life.  Some people wonder why there is a need to focus on the negative when the ‘law of attraction’ dictates that you should focus on what you want.  I heard one EFT practitioner liken it to gardening in that you have to focus on the weeds and extracting them before you can get into the good stuff of planting seeds and watching them grow.  Makes sense, doesn’t it, even to a bad gardener like me.

How do I do this tapping stuff?

There is a sequence to follow however it is not complicated so don’t worry about it too much.  When I first started I always forgot bits and guess what…… it still worked and helped me through some pretty rough times.  I will explain the procedure and then give an example in italics for each main point.

Step 1 – Defining the issue and distress level

• Think of the problem, situation or fear you which you would like to focus on and rate it from 0-10.  1 = no emotion attached while 10 = hugely emotional. i.e. You may think about  a function you have to organise and feel completely overwhelmed and angry as you remember last year so you would give yourself a 9 or 10.
• You can also locate in your body where you feel this most along with giving it a colour. i.e. You can feel this in your shoulders and neck while it seems very red.

Tapping points.

Step 2 – Set up statement

• While tapping on the Karate Chop (see diagram above) repeat a ‘set up statement’ about the issue 3 times.
• Set up statements have this pattern ‘Even though _______________ I deeply and completely accept myself and how I am feeling’.  i.e.  ‘Even though I have all these red angry feelings about this function and I feel so overwhelmed by it all I deeply and completely accept myself and how I am feeling’

Step 3 – Tapping Sequence

• Now you will move through the points (see diagram below) tapping on each point around 7 times (don’t worry about counting them as while you talk you will tap around this amount anyway) while expressing your thoughts or feelings or saying a basic reminder. First will be the negative round/rounds (the clearing of the weeds) then the positive (the planting of the seeds)
• So you could just say the same thing on each of the points i.e. ‘This overwhelm and anger’ or you could express whatever comes into your head i.e. Eyebrow point (EB) ‘This overwhelm and anger’. Side of the eye (SE) ‘Man I feel so angry.’ Under the eye (UE) They just leave it all up to me and then moan about what I’ve done.  Under the nose (UN) ‘I’m so angry at them all.’ Chin (CH) ‘and I’m angry at myself for letting them treat me this way.’ Collar Bone (CB) ‘I’m so angry.’ Under the Arm (UA) I feel so overwhelmed by all my emotions.’ Crown / Top of the head (TH) All these negative emotions are getting to me.’ 
• This is one round of tapping.  Continue going like this until it feels natural to begin saying positive statements.  It may be only one round of negative or it could be 7!  Don’t rush it.  There is no point beginning on the positive if your subconscious is still focusing on clearing all the rubbish.  It is however important to take care of your personal well-being so if you feel that you are becoming too emotional take a break.  You can always come back to it when you are ready or try a topic that is a little less emotionally charged.
• The other way to do it is to reassess your distress level after each round.  Rate how you feel from 0 – 10 after one round of verbalising the negatives. If you are still feeling higher than a 4 begin again.  This time though use the set up ‘Even though I still have this remaining _______ I deeply and completely accept myself and how I’m feeling.’  Do this until your distress is around 2-3 before going onto the positive round or more ideally a zero.
• The positive round can just continue on from the negative round. There is no need to say a set-up statement again. Move through the points again now saying positives or possibilities about the situation.  i.e. Eyebrow point (EB) ‘Maybe this function could be different.’ Side of the eye (SE) ‘What if I just focused on one thing that does work or I do enjoy.’ Under the eye (UE) ‘Maybe I could ask for help this time.’ Under the nose (UN) ‘I’m sure someone would help by bringing a plate of food.’ Chin (CH) ‘I choose to ask at least one person to help me.’ Collar Bone (CB) ‘With help I know I would feel better about the tasks I have to do.’ Under the Arm (UA) ‘or at least I’d have someone to talk with about it all.’ Crown / Top of the head (TH) ‘Yes, this time I choose to ask for help so that I can enjoy this function more.’ 
• Continue with another positive round if you wish so that you are really putting all those good thoughts in your head 😉

Step 4 – Re-assessing your distress level

• After all the rounds of tapping (negative and positive) take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
• Re-assess your distress level.  This allows you to see the progress you are making and if it is still high this will indicate there is still bottled up emotions lurking. Play the ‘movie’ of the event/pain etc through and see if anything comes up.
• Take your time working through issues till you feel that you are getting the relief you are looking for.  Some issues may be cleared up in a few rounds while others are like an onion and have many layers to peel back and unravel.
• You will feel better with a distress level of under 3 however you deserve to be clear and free of the issue completely so keep going (could be over a few hours/day/weeks/months) till you are at 0 for your distress level.

NB:  Issues and things that come into your head while tapping or during the day can simply be tapped on then (even if you were on another topic) or written down for later tapping.

If you want to download a free guide then head over to www.eftuniverse.com

Hope this finds you tapping into a great week.

Arohanui

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