What is EFT Tapping?

Emily Andrew • November 15, 2022

With Boy George bringing EFT into the spotlight prompting Sean Walsh and Jill Scott to start tapping in the jungle, many more people are asking; ‘What is tapping and what is it all about?’ 

What is EFT Tapping?

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a powerful modality that combines the somatic and cognitive together. A true mind-body approach. Clinical EFT has been applied in psychological and medical environments for over 20 years and has been validated as an evidence-based practice by the American Psychological Association (APA). This means that you’re likely to be reading and hearing even more about it as it becomes more mainstream, so why leave it to the celebrities when you can join in and tap into this technique now!


EFT is often referred to as ‘tapping’ due to its application; using 2 or more fingers to stimulate acupressure points on the face and upper body whilst repeating statements related to the issue that you’re working on. It has 3 essential ingredients; exposure, cognitive framing and acupressure. 


Research has found EFT treatment to be effective for anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), phobias, cravings, pain, insomnia and autoimmune conditions as well as professional and sports performance. It has the ability to deregulate (switch off) up to 6 genes in the body that are responsible for stress symptoms and syndromes, lower the stress hormone cortisol levels and positively impacts brain activity and other biological effects. 


The growing research base also shows that not only is it a safe treatment, it produces results quicker and more effectively than traditional talking therapy. You can work with an accredited, certified EFT Practitioner or use it as a self-applied stress reduction technique, it is easy to learn and simple to apply.


How do you do EFT?

Although there are many variations of tapping which are still effective, let’s look at clinical EFT for this example.

Before you begin you may want to rate the feelings or issue that you’re having on a scale from 0-10. 0 = no distress and 10= the highest level of distress. This is called the SUD rating (Subjective Units of Distress).

Initially we start with a ‘Set-up Statement’ tapping on the side of the hand by the little finger. This is an acknowledgement of the problem and/or feelings we are having and an acceptance of it, for example “Even though I am feeling anxious, I deeply and completely accept myself”.

Then we would move into the rest of the process and repeat a ‘Reminder Phrase’ whilst tapping through each point: start of the eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, under the lip on the chin crease, an inch under the collarbone, under the arm (about 4 fingers down from the armpit), and top of the head. The reminder phrase might be something like, ‘this anxiety’ or ‘I’m feeling anxious’. We would call this ‘a round’.

Once you get to the top of the head, take a deep breath in and out and then rate the feeling or issue using the SUD scale again. If your number is still high, you repeat the round (starting at the eyebrow point and ending at the top of the head). It’s recommended that you repeat the process as many times as you need until your SUD rating is 0. 


There are many other ways that you can apply EFT; 

Choosing particular points that feel good for you and focusing on them, e.g. only tapping across the collarbone. 

Using affirmation statements whilst tapping - These are great to create a more positive mindset; tapping through the points saying phrases like “I am calm”, “I am successful”, “I am safe”. 

If you are someone who gets anxious or stressed in public you could also use discreet tapping and tap on the finger points that are located at the inside of your finger by your nail – great if you’re in a public space or want to refocus in the office. 

You could also add tapping into your daily gratitude practice, or even into your morning walk!



If you’d like to know more about EFT, have any questions or are looking to tap with a practitioner feel free to get in touch with me. You can follow me on TikTok, YouTube or join in with my live tap-a-longs on Instagram!


hello@wearemindbody.co.uk

www.wearemindbody.co.uk

@wearemindbody 



References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6316206/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.951451/full?fbclid=IwAR3cOaaNuLyrckm_YyFaNlFfyl3AXYfcXUTdElyIa0XSlIB85rXF6OOwnpw


Read more of this article over on Bloss

My Breastfeeding Journey & Favourites

By Emily Andrew • August 8, 2021
My breastfeeding journey started the night before my c-section with my mother squeezing my breast to get the first mls of colostrum into a teeny tiny syringe so that we had something to go into hospital with. Just in case we should need it. I have always been very self-conscious of my boobs, I’ve even been uncomfortable topless in front of my husband at times, but here I was, 37 weeks pregnant and preparing for a planned but urgent c-section, tit out and being milked by my mother. I don’t have strong opinions on breast/bottle/formula, yes I wanted to give it a go to get the benefits of breastfeeding for both me and my son but, I believe that everyone is different and therefore there’s no ‘right way’. I had decided that I was going to just go with the flow in terms of breast feeding. I didn’t want to have my heart set on it, only to struggle and then feel the disappointment of using an alternative means. I was lucky, after the c-section my son latched and fed for a good few hours. I felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief, he could do it, I could do it! Unfortunately, things didn’t go as smoothly as I thought they would. He had been born early as he had stopped growing, so we had a tiny baby on our hands that needed lots of milk, but this tiny baby also had jaundice and a tongue tie. The tongue tie meant that the amount of energy he was having to use just to feed was causing him to drink for less than 10 minutes before needing a sleep. We rallied and decided that if I could pump and give him top ups of expressed breast milk then at least we could know he was getting enough, which was the main concern, however it meant that feeding him was an hour and a half long affair. First I’d breast feed, then give him a bottle top up and then either give him to my husband during the day or pop him in the moses basket at night. I’d then pump to keep my supply going and our stores up, put the milk in the fridge, clean the bottle and sterilise everything ready for the next feed…then do it all over again an hour later. I was sleep deprived and stressed. If I had less than 4 bottles in the fridge I’d feel on edge, I never knew how much of a top up he would need to have- I didn’t want to waste milk and I didn’t want to leave him hungry. My sister supplied some of her frozen breast milk to take the self-imposed pressure off for a day or so and then my mum gently suggested that I buy some formula just in case but, stubborn as ever I wanted to do it all myself. After a few weeks we had our tongue tie appointment and had to figure out another new routine, thankfully with less cracked nipples and fewer pumping sessions. I began to feel slightly less like a milk machine - I got out of the house, did human things and as time went on I got more comfortable and really enjoyed breast feeding. I am now 9 weeks in and largely feel like we’ve got this. Don’t get me wrong, some days I worry that my milk has dried up, I’m not pumping enough, his latch is wrong or that he’s not getting what he needs, but I think that that’s part and parcel of being a mum – you feel like you have it all worked out one minute and then the next you feel like you’re failing at everything. This is exactly why I feel like putting pressure on ourselves, or each other to do things a certain way is just fruitless. I’m sure that no matter what the choice, there are hard bits that just feel too much, days where you spill the milk and just feel like everything is against you. No matter what way you feed your baby, it’s important to give yourself grace over guilt. Do what you need to do to keep both you and your baby happy and healthy.

Morning Sickness Hacks

By Emily Andrew • March 7, 2021
After writing about my experience with morning sickness and the effects it had on my mental health I wanted to pop a post out about some of the tips and tricks I've tried out just in case they are useful for other people! Some things I tried and they didn't work so well, some things did - we are all different and this is by no way a list designed for you to live by! But if you try some things out and it works then that's great.  I'll always recommend first and foremost that you speak to your midwife or GP about any symptoms you're concerned about, especially if you're struggling with your mental health.
morning sickness in pregnancy, bulimia, eating disorders and mental health

Pregnancy: Morning Sickness & Mental Health Struggles

By Emily Andrew • February 15, 2021
This blog discusses topics which could be classed as triggering for some people: pregnancy, morning sickness, eating disorders, bulimia, anorexia, mental health illness, hyperemesis gravidarum, first trimester, second trimester, support, advice and help, BEAT.
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