Want to know my favorite technique?
This is one of the best ways I know to release stress, anxiety, and worry from your mind and body.
It’s my newest and most favorite therapy technique!
It’s called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or tapping. It's been in use for 30+ years. EFT has been proven to be helpful for releasing so many negative emotions that are trapped in the mind and body. It helps people struggling with:
anger
anxiety/worry/obsessive thoughts
addictive behaviors
letting go of past relationships
body image/weight loss
chronic pain
negative self-talk and limiting beliefs
intense feelings of grief and loss
depressive symptoms
guilt
loneliness
low self-esteem
feeling stuck
trauma symptoms
perfectionism
procrastination
sleep problems
I have used EFT in my work with clients for all of these concerns and more…
I want to show you how to feel better and manage your emotions by giving you a behind the scenes glimpse of EFT best practices.
I’m going to talk about EFT every chance I get because I’m so impressed by how many people it has helped – including myself - it helps calm my busy mind when I can't sleep.
If you sign up for my Newsletter now, you will receive my own EFT sleep script in the July Newsletter - go to thepsychologysite.org.
Research supports the effectiveness of EFT for:
Decreasing/eliminating anxiety - test anxiety, public speaking, phobias, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts
Decreasing/eliminating chronic pain symptoms
Letting go of limiting beliefs and critical self-talk
Helping trauma survivors with PTSD
Releasing anger or guilt
Improving sports performance
Enhancing sleep
Lowering blood pressure
Releasing stress around finances
And it's an effective weight loss strategy
The list is long – and these are just a few ways EFT can help.
What is EFT? (glad you asked!)
EFT is simply tapping with your fingers on specific energy or meridian points on the body. I’ll show you the points. These are the same points that are used in Acupuncture.
When you’re stressed, a very primitive part of the brain called the amygdala activates the flight or fight response. This stress response can hijack the brain and increase the cortisol and adrenaline (the stress hormones) in the body. This also causes increased inflammation in the body which can lead to physical symptoms and health problems.
How Does EFT Work?
Tapping on these points and talking about your concerns calms down the primitive brain and sends a calming response to the brain that you're safe.
Usually when someone talks about their problems, this increases the adrenaline and stress level in the brain and body.
But with tapping, you can "tell the truth" (i.e., talk about the problem) while tapping on the energy points and this sends a calming response to the amygdala and helps release these negative emotions from your body.
Researchers have actually measured human energy fields and physiology and can see what’s going on in the body before and after tapping. Cortisol and adrenaline levels drop, blood pressure drops, heart rate drops, inflammation in the body decreases…
Why do I like it?
I was not fully satisfied with using only one or two therapeutic approaches. I am always on the lookout for new and innovative techniques. I am a lifelong learner so I love learning new things!
I discovered EFT about 4 years ago when I enrolled in the Tapping World Summit along with 500,000 other people. I was amazed by this technique because I witnessed the positive effects it had on so many people.
I was so fascinated by this method that I took additional EFT training and I love sharing this technique with many of my clients today.
I saw the immediate relief for some people. For others, it was more subtle, but there were some results every time.
Also, I can’t say that I have seen this type of a positive outcome with the other traditional techniques that I and most other therapists have been trained to use. I still use traditional methods but mix and match depending on what is the best fit for each person.
Even better, EFT gets to the root cause of the symptoms and emotions and once the primitive brain is calmer, it releases the negative energy from the body.
Who is EFT for?
Anyone!
Even if you think it’s weird or won’t work or you’re skeptical – that’s okay. I was skeptical too at first until I experienced the effects of EFT. I’m a very logical person, but I tried it anyway and liked it right away.
Once you feel the effects of EFT, you’ll become a believer. But you need to experience it first to see what I mean.
Then you don't really care how it works. You just care that it does work.
EFT takes little time and can be incorporated into your daily routine. 10-15 minutes is all it takes. You can do this! There’s hope for improving any stress-related problem if you’re willing to try EFT.
So let’s get tapping! Below is an EFT script for releasing stress...
You’ll tap on 9 points shown below (the wrist point is not included in this script). Just tap on the points about 7-8 times with your fingers. You can use the fingers of both hands to tap on the points (except for the Karate Chop point where you tap on the other hand).
While tapping, you'll be asked to repeat one line at a time while tapping on a point. You will be guided through the entire 6+ minute script. Just follow along. You can't mess this up.
Do the best you can and note your experience. Rate your level of stress before tapping - on a scale of 0 to 10. Then rate it after tapping. Even a drop of 1 or 2 points is progress!
Jessica Ortner who is one of the hosts for the Tapping World Summit will lead you through a great tapping script to help you release stress from your mind and body. Enjoy!
I'd love to hear what you think about EFT. What was the tapping experience like for you?
If you know someone who would benefit from this blog, please share it with them.
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What topics would you like me to blog about? Email me at matthews77@shaw.ca and let me know.
Hi! I'm Beth Matthews. I'm a Registered Psychologist who is driven to helping people feel better about themselves. I help people who are struggling in their lives gain an awareness of how they can cope with anything that comes their way. With my easy-to-use strategies, you can feel better and be your best you!
780-721-9157
