How to use EFT tapping acupressure practice to deal with anxiety?

If a person is dealing with increased stress or anxiety and have anxious thoughts, then it may be difficult to deal and eventually it may take time to cope with it. Medications may work, but they too have side effects. Also, people can spend years in therapy or try countless techniques to try and stop their anxiety from controlling their life. An alternative method that has been developed to try and address this is Emotional freedom technique (ETP) tapping.

In this article, we discuss the theory and research behind EFT and explain how to practice these tapping techniques at home to deal with anxiety. 

What is EFT tapping and who uses it? 

Emotional freedom technique (EFT) which people often refer to as EFT tapping is an alternative to the traditional treatment for healing pain and emotional distress. EFT is commonly referred to as tapping or psychological acupressure. EFT tapping is a tested and simple method of dealing with anxious thoughts, so whenever you feel stressed or experience anxiety you must practice emotional freedom technique (EFT ) tapping as it only requires a few minutes of your time each day. 

People who use this technique believe that tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system and treat pain easily. 

The technique can be helpful for people dealing with: ​

 

• ​Anxiety

• ​Depression

• ​Chronic pain

• ​Stress

• ​Weight loss issues 

• ​Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 

• ​Other problems

 

 

How does EFT tapping work? 

As with acupuncture or acupressure, EFT or tapping involves the body’s energy meridian points, which are a concept in Chinese medicine. Proponents believe them to be the areas of the body through which energy flows. These pathways help energy flow to maintain your health.  Any imbalances or block in the flow of energy can lead to ill health, disease or sickness. It’s believed that tapping on these body’s meridian points with the fingertip restores the balance of energy to resolve physical and emotional issues. It may also serve as a mental distraction from the issues that are causing stress or anxiety. 

People often use EFT tapping when they are feeling anxious or stressed or when they are having a specific issue that is disturbing them and they would like to resolve. EFT uses fingertip tapping to apply pressure and tapping combines acupressure techniques with a focused affirmation practice. Both works together to help interrupt negative thought patterns in the brain. This method involves activating pressure points by physically tapping on specific parts of the body, such as the collarbones, top of the head and face in a particular sequence. 

Emotional freedom technique (EFT) tapping can reduce stress or negative emotion you feel from your issue, ultimately restoring balance to your disrupted energy.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS: 

•    Tapping can help people deal with limited beliefs that lead to anxiety

•    EFT tapping also help people tackle with phobias

•   Tapping is also used to relive pain and stress but more recently it has been found to be particularly effective and potent at treating anxiety. 

•   It can also work in a similar way to mindfulness, as it can draw a person’s attention to their body as well as breathing

•   Tapping is also a good method of breaking pensive thought patterns

•   Tapping also uses affirmations and this can be also referred to as a positive self- talk that can replace negative thoughts with positive ones. 

 

 

How is EFT tapping performed?

If you want to use EFT tapping, you can practice and perform your own tapping sequences or you can work with a practitioner. EFT tapping is easy to use as a self-help technique because you can do it any time you feel the need, also it makes you feel better quickly. 

The detailed procedure of  Emotional freedom technique (EFT ) is stated below: 

 

•    Begin by stating what is in your mind  and say your own affirmation out in loud especially in the present tense beginning with “ I am” …  (e.g.  I am calm and confident).
•    Then, rate how true does it feels to you on a scale of  1-10  (10 is totally true).
•    You must concentrate and identify on the negative emotion such as fear or anxiety, a bad memory, stress, pain, impossibility, self-doubt  an unresolved problem, or anything that’s disturbing you.

•     Then you must rate your distress on a scale of 1-10 

•    After that, start with your rapid tap routine by finding your collarbones and moving down and outwards a few inches (you’ll find something called sore spots, which will feel sore when you massage them).

•     But, before tapping, you need to establish a setup phrase that describes the current issue you are facing. The two main goals you need to focus on before tapping are as follows:

•      Recognising the issues

•      Accepting yourself despite the problems 

•    The common setup phrase is “Although I have this (fear or problem), I deeply and completely accept myself.” You can alter it according to a way that suits you. 

•    Or a quite simple way to understand this is as you massage you just say this in simple words: 

•     I feel….. (add your own feeling e.g. stressed and anxious).

•    Because… ( add your reasoning such as, What is it that’smaking you feel this way? Think about it )

•     But I choose to accept myself anyway.

•     As you tap, use a reminder phrase to stay focused on your problem area.

•    While maintaining your focus, use your fingertips to tap five to seven times, each on nine of the body’s meridian points. Or else you can tap through these points of the body for about 10 seconds using two fingertips on each hand  on each hand and focusing on what happens in your body and mind as you repeat the above mentioned affirmations. 

•    So, when you tap on these meridian points while aiming at accepting and resolving the negative emotion. Also, it will help to repair any energy disruption. 

•      Adjust your affirmation by adding the idea of possibility into it

•      Then, say out loud:

•      I choose to be….. (add your own affirmation again)

•     Then rate how possible this feels out of 10 (10 being very possible) again.

•    Hopefully your rating is higher and it’s becoming a true affirmation rather than a wish.

•    Repeat this true affirmation daily until it’s a 10/10, and keep checking if any blocks come up. 

What is an EFT tapping sequence?

The emotional freedom technique (EFT) tapping sequence is a sequence used while tapping on the ends of nine meridian points.

Twelve main meridians reflect each side of the body and correspond to an internal organ. However, EFT mainly focuses on the following nine:

•     Karate chop (KC): small intestine meridian

•     Top of the Head (TOH): governing vessel

•     Eyebrow (EB): bladder meridian

•     Side of the eye (SE): gallbladder meridian

•     Under the eye (UE): stomach meridian

•    Under the Nose (UN): governing vessel

•    Chin (Ch): central vessel

•    Beginning of the collarbone (CB): kidney meridian

•    Under the arm (UA): spleen meridian

To perform sequencing, you tap each meridian point while saying a reminder phrase. The sequence that has to be followed while tapping includes:

•   Top of the Head (TOH)

•   Beginning of the Eyebrow (EB)

•   Side of the eye (SE)

•   Under the eye (UE)

•   Under the Nose (UN)

•   Chin point (CH)

•   Beginning of the collarbone (CB)

•   Under the arm (UA)

•   Karate chop (KC)

This means that you need to start by tapping the top of the head, moving down to the eyebrow, and then downward. While tapping each point, you have to repeat the reminder phrase.

What are the benefits of using the EFT technique?

 

As a self-help strategy, EFT tapping has many advantages over other conventional treatment such as:

•    It is simple and painless.

•    It is easy to learn.

•    There is no need for a therapist.

•    It is less expensive as compared to other conventional therapy. 

•    It is less time-consuming.

•  It can be used with specific emotional intent toward your unique life challenges.

•    It gives them the power to heal themselves.

•    It drastically reduces distress that gives rise to the problems.

In addition, many who use EFT tapping like being in control of their treatment unlike other therapy where they no control over their own treatment. 

In conclusion, EFT tapping is designed to neutralise your nervous system and remove stress from the body which puts you in a really good position to get the most from your affirmations. While self-treatment with tapping may help some people feel better, it is also important to seek professional help for physical pain or emotional issues. 

 

 

 

SOURCE: 

 

https://www.stylist.co.uk/health/mental-health/how-to-eft-tapping-anxiety-affirmations/561252