EFT Tapping For Your Mental Health

Well-being is our natural state and a higher level of awareness is activated by becoming conscious of our thoughts. On the Self-Care Goddess Podcast Episode #70. Theresa Levine talks about how Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can empower us to cultivate calm, clarity and confidence to enjoy abundant freedom and in our work and personal life without anxiety and overwhelm.

This blog post summarizes just a few of the golden nuggets from our insightful conversation, for the full details listen to the entire episode here or on your favourite podcast platform by searching for the Self-Care Goddess podcast.

What is EFT tapping?

EFT also known as tapping are a combination of ancient Chinese wisdom/medicine and modern psychology. EFT applies to everybody and everything. It’s psychological acupressure. With EFT we can change and transform the way we feel about anything. Physical and emotional experiences that happened long ago or happening right now and anxieties /worries that are future based can all be worked upon in an effective, scientifically proven way of focusing on the negative thought/ feeling/ experience and tapping different meridian points on our body such as:

the side of our hand (the karate chop point)
the top of our head
the eyebrow (where the hair starts near the nose)
the outside of the eye
under the eye
under the nose
under the mouth
the collarbone point (a little bit under our actual collarbone)
the under the arm point (where a bra strap would come around the body for women)

These points give an energetic overhaul to our body that allow us to clear energetic blockages. If we have any kind of disease emotionally or physically, there is an energetic blockage associated with that disease. The combination of tapping and talking through the negative feelings and emotions allows us to break through these energetic blockages, feel better, reduce stress and lower cortisol levels up to 43% in just 10 minutes!

Listen to the Self-Care Goddess Podcast episode #15 “Celebrating Your Life’s Magnanimity Through Your Breath”, on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast.

EFT Benefits & Application

According to Theresa, EFT is the most effective and gentle way to work with deep trauma. EFT has borrowed benefits meaning that when working on one issue, other things can simultaneously improve. It is scientifically backed, fun and adaptable. Sometimes people are resistant to EFT and this is because the thing they want to change is serving them in some way. They don’t really want to change it although they may not be consciously aware of that. It is important to find out the root cause and have to want to change for EFT to be effective.

One way to incorporate EFT into your daily routine is to practice habit stacking. Habit stacking is a way to stack your daily habits, put them all into a routine and go with the flow. For example, we can tap in the shower or at the salon while awaiting the hair treatment. It’s very calming to the nervous system and even babies can do EFT if you tap on some of their points for them while singing a lullaby. There is no age too young to do EFT but once kids are in preschool and start talking, they are ready to voice themselves to see better results.

Emotional Freedom Techniques can be used in several different ways.

One of them is like a ‘band aid application’. For example, if you have social anxiety while getting ready for a presentation and want to feel better immediately, you can use a quick fix ‘band aid’ approach doing 3-5 minutes of EFT, get through that anxiety and do a great job with your presentation. It will improve the way you feel for now. However, the next time you have a presentation, you’re going to be in that same situation.
Identify the root cause. If you use EFT on a deeper level working with a practitioner to get to the root cause, it will reach you to the point where you don’t need to use the shallow application, because you identified the root cause of why you’re getting anxious before a presentation.

Worthy of mention, anything that increases how good you feel, is taking you in the right direction but deeper work allows for much better transformation over time.

Emotional Freedom Techniques can be used in several different ways.

One of them is like a ‘band aid application’. For example, if you have social anxiety while getting ready for a presentation and want to feel better immediately, you can use a quick fix ‘band aid’ approach doing 3-5 minutes of EFT, get through that anxiety and do a great job with your presentation. It will improve the way you feel for now. However, the next time you have a presentation, you’re going to be in that same situation.
Identify the root cause. If you use EFT on a deeper level working with a practitioner to get to the root cause, it will reach you to the point where you don’t need to use the shallow application, because you identified the root cause of why you’re getting anxious before a presentation.

Worthy of mention, anything that increases how good you feel, is taking you in the right direction but deeper work allows for much better transformation over time.

Emotional Freedom Techniques can be used in several different ways.

One of them is like a ‘band aid application’. For example, if you have social anxiety while getting ready for a presentation and want to feel better immediately, you can use a quick fix ‘band aid’ approach doing 3-5 minutes of EFT, get through that anxiety and do a great job with your presentation. It will improve the way you feel for now. However, the next time you have a presentation, you’re going to be in that same situation.
Identify the root cause. If you use EFT on a deeper level working with a practitioner to get to the root cause, it will reach you to the point where you don’t need to use the shallow application, because you identified the root cause of why you’re getting anxious before a presentation.

Worthy of mention, anything that increases how good you feel, is taking you in the right direction but deeper work allows for much better transformation over time.

Do you know “How to Focus on What You Want to Happen Using NLP?” Listen to the Self-Care Goddess Podcast episode #21, on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast

EFT Process: Addressing Anxiety

To understand the EFT process, choose something specific you want to work on. In this podcast we give the example of how to use EFT to help with anxiety.

Step 1: Take a paper and write down a number between zero and 10 about how anxious you are.

Step2: Tap the side of your hand – the karate chop point. Tap one hand with the other on both hands using the four fingers (not the thumb) of the opposite hand to the one you choose to tap the karate chop point on.

Step 3: (Setup Phrase): Tell yourself, “Even though I feel really anxious right now, I love, accept and forgive myself”. Say the same thing 3 times. This is declaring your intention or challenge.

Step 4: Start going through the points beginning at the top of the head (usually use the thumb and forefinger) to tap around a little. Tap at least five to seven times with a deep breath in each spot. Say “I am feeling anxious.”

Step 5: Tap the eyebrow point, (we have 2 of them). Tap both of them or either one, it does not matter. Tap the side of the eye, and repeat again “I feel so anxious”.

Step 6: Tap under the eye, under the nose and under the mouth five to seven times.

In the first round say “I feel so anxious”. The second time, describe what that anxiety feels like, “I feel it in my chest” or “I find it hard to breathe” or any feeling of your anxiety – pick one, describe it as you tap through the points the second time. You can do the same thing for the third time or if you’re feeling a little better already, you can switch it to something more positive, “I’m open to the idea that it’s safe to release this anxiety now”. Keep repeating that. After you’re done, take a deep breath and re-assess on the paper how anxious you feel.

There is always a shift towards lower levels of anxiety. Each EFT round can be as short as 3 minutes or a lot longer depending on how it is done. Even in a very concise 2-3 minutes round of EFT we can reap great benefits.

Are you Experiencing mid-day slump? You can “Change The World With YOUR Breath”!

What Is The Science Behind EFT?

While tapping meridian points, we’re also speaking to the issue. In EFT we speak to the issue negatively, not trying to implant affirmations or positive thoughts. Sometimes when people are working on things, they don’t love, accept and forgive themselves. We can’t jump on affirmations if it doesn’t resonate. Positive affirmations are an amazing tool for increasing Self-Love but in EFT we don’t try to plant a seed if that doesn’t feel authentic or genuine. There are a lot of people who are hurt and EFT allows us to give a voice to the negative elements and allow them to be released.

The meridians that are tapped are the same areas of the body that are accessed during a deep tissue massage or acupuncture and these areas are known to release pain from the body. Acupoint stimulation brings about a relief from pain beyond any relief from medication.

EFT is nervous system regulation at its finest. Using the fingertips and focusing on negative aspects sends signals directly to the amygdala, which is the stress center of our brain responsible for fight or flight response. All pain has some resistance associated with it. Less resistance means less pain. Epigenetics shows that our genes are not as fixed as we once assumed and with tapping, we can alter the way our genes express themselves temporarily or permanently. EFT encourages us to not be ashamed of our feelings and accept, not shy away from them.

Try out my delicious “Sesame Chilli Cucumbers” recipe.

3 Important Facts About EFT

EFT is like weeding a garden, we weed out all that doesn’t make you feel good existing in your garden. Once we have a good fertile ground to plant the seeds of love, acceptance and forgiveness, beautiful things bloom without getting overtaken by the weeds and overshadowed by any inauthentic stuff.
EFT is a very accessible technique you can easily do on your own and see miraculous advances. While dealing with things that are touchier, or when we are not seeing them as clearly as someone else would it is easier to work with a coach. This also allows us to relax during the process to know that somebody is steering the path and making sure you get the complete care that you need to get through something.
If someone is skeptical for EFT, guide them to something tangible things first like working on a headache or backache where they can immediately see a change within several minutes and feel empowered and confident with that change to try it on something else.

Learn “How Yoga Can Help You Detox – Mentally, Physically & Emotionally” on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast episode #25, on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast

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Take Home Message

All of us need to be gentler with ourselves. Find acceptance, love and forgiveness, and if called to help others find more of that for themselves. On a daily basis being too occupied and busy is not a good thing and certainly not a badge of honor. There are many amazing forces of transformation where we can accomplish so much without beating ourselves up. Stop running around with blame, anger and resentment and start taking responsibility for your own feelings. Understand that forgiveness, Self-Compassion and training the mind to recreate our reality, can lead to emotional freedom. EFT is a magical superpower for anybody struggling with anything in life. It can make a huge difference and costs nothing to try.

Connect with Theresa:

https://theprivatesessions.com/

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Email: theresa@theresalearlevine.com

Listen to the full podcast episode #70 on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast.

I look forward to connecting with you and learning more about your story and your health and wellness goals. Schedule a FREE introduction call here.