If you struggle with low mood, stress or anxiety, with support from the Emotional Freedom Technique self healing is possible. Here’s how to start EFT tapping.
What Is EFT Tapping And How Can It Support Self-Healing?
EFT combines gentle tapping on the body’s acupressure points with mindfulness to ease emotional intensity and support deep healing. With the Emotional Freedom Technique self healing, stress-relief, and the transformation of negative thought patterns becomes possible.
Preparing Yourself To Begin EFT Tapping For Emotional Freedom
If you’re curious about EFT tapping for beginners and would like to try it for yourself, preparation is key to a positive experience. If you have a history of trauma or complex mental health conditions, having reliable support structures in place is essential.
Creating an environment of emotional safety is vital and feeling grounded within your surroundings can play a significant role here. You’ll also need to identify a feeling or issue you want to work through, and give yourself the permission to proceed gently and slowly.
Identifying Your Focus Issue Or Emotion
EFT tapping sessions are most effective when you can identify one specific emotion or issue to focus on, as it’s easier to track the results you experience. This could be wanting to ease the sensation of a tightness in your chest, work stress, or a general feeling of dread or anxiety. It’s also helpful to rate the intensity of the feeling you’re experiencing before you begin tapping so you can evaluate at the end how helpful you’ve found the process.
Learning The EFT Tapping Points And Basic Sequence
There are a number of tapping points on the body, including the top of the head, the eyebrows, under the nose, on the chin, and under the arms [1]. During a tapping session, the idea is to tap on each pressure point several times while keeping your issue at the forefront of your mind. Some people also choose to vocalise their concern or issue out loud.
It’s OK not to be perfect straight away, as giving yourself permission to learn gradually is part of building self-compassion and confidence.
Creating Your Setup Statement And Reminder Phrase
We recommend creating a setup statement to focus on throughout your tapping session, which may be something like ‘Although I feel deeply anxious at this moment, I wholeheartedly accept myself.’
Creating a short reminder phrase can also be useful to refer to during your session, which should refer to the specific feeling you’re experiencing, such as ‘the tightness in my chest.’ Although you may be referring to difficult feelings, it’s important to always use kind and honest language, as this is an essential aspect of achieving self-healing and emotional freedom.
Building An EFT Tapping Practice For Emotional Freedom
As well as being a tool that you can use before a stressful event or situation, EFT can be woven into your everyday life in ways that will help you to disconnect from unhelpful emotional and thought patterns.
Short sessions in the morning can set you up for a successful day, and short evening sessions can make the space for you to process the day. You may find it helpful to maintain a journal, where you can keep track of the issues that arise for you, the intensity of your feelings, and how much you’re progressing over time.
When To Work With A Qualified EFT Practitioner
Working with a practitioner who specialises in EFT tapping for emotional freedom can be helpful if you have a history of trauma or intense emotions and it’s vital to discuss the potential value of EFT with your existing support team or GP before starting. There’s also value in reaching out to a professional if you’re feeling stuck with your self-guided practice and want to progress.
Experienced practitioners understand how to pace the process correctly, identify the right language to voice your feelings, and integrate EFT with other therapeutic work.
How EFT Tapping Fits With Other Emotional Support And Treatment Modalities
This gentle therapeutic process can sit alongside things like mindfulness, breathwork, medication and counselling, as part of a joined-up approach to your overall wellbeing. EFT is a complementary therapy, which offers an extra layer of support rather than being a replacement for traditional medical care.
How to Start EFT Tapping FAQs
How often should I practice EFT tapping when I am just starting out with emotional self-healing?
If you want to learn EFT tapping in the UK, starting slowly can help you to build a practice that works for you. Tapping once per day for a couple of minutes at a time is a good way to establish a consistent routine.
Is it safe to use EFT tapping on my own if I have a history of trauma or long-term mental health difficulties?
If you want to learn EFT tapping in the UK and you have a history of trauma or mental health challenges, working with an experienced practitioner can be extremely beneficial.
Do I need an EFT practitioner, or can I learn tapping for emotional freedom by myself at home?
While you can learn the basics of this gentle technique by yourself following EFT tapping for beginners guides, working with a practitioner can help you to deepen your practice and achieve greater benefits in the long term.