How EFT Tapping Works
The effectiveness of EFT is measurable
Energy Psychology, particularly Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), has demonstrated strong outcomes in over 300 peer-reviewed clinical trials. The core procedure involves tapping on acupuncture points (acupoints) while evoking specific memories, emotions, or goals.
Clinical EFT sessions can produce lasting change
The demographics of people who have been studied using EFT include: college students, veterans, pain patients, overweight adults, hospital patients, athletes, health-care workers, gifted students, chemotherapy patients and phobia sufferers.
Gentle tapping of the fingertips on the skin.
EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over 5,000 years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while you think about your specific problem.
Address the negative emotion, where it is in the body, combined with a positive statement
This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the “short-circuit” — the emotional block — from your body’s bioenergy system, thus restoring your mind and body’s balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing of physical disease.
Tapping on the negative event, emotion, or belief
EFT is often used to change negative feelings, reduce distressing and/or self-limiting thoughts, to alter repetitive unwanted behaviors and is even effective for working with and resolving traumatic memories. It is also commonly used to create positive emotional states, achieve desired goals and attain higher states of health, well-being and resilience.
Tapping can create a positive shift in perspective
EFT of course involves the stimulation of meridian endpoints which seems to have calming effect on the subtle energy systems of the body. It also includes a somatic (body based) stimulation that evokes a relaxation response. Beyond that, there is a critical and verbal/cognitive and self-affirming aspect as well.
Clinical EFT with a certified practitioner can help eradicate fear at the neurological level
The combination of these elements appears to have an effect on the emotional and memory parts of the limbic system of the brain. This area includes the amygdala (the stress center in the brain) and the hippocampus (the memory center), both of which play a role in the decision-making process in response to stressful and especially fear or anxiety inducing situations.
Clinical EFT can help reduce overall Stress
Ongoing studies using EEGs, fMRI brain imaging, hormonal and epigenetic lab studies are ongoing to help discover exactly why EFT offers such high levels of effectiveness in such a rapid time period.
Ongoing research is also showing us that EFT lowers stress hormone levels (cortisol) that has an important enhancing effect on a person’s ability to return to a relaxed and calm state instead of a stressed and anxious state. High levels of cortisol are also associated with lowered immune function with in turn can have significant and deleterious effects on our physical health.
EFT has been scientifically based studied with a variety populations
EFT has been scientifically based studied with a variety populations
Conditions that have been studied include general anxiety, test anxiety, phobias, obsessive-compulsion disorder, PTSD, general trauma, stress, depression, addiction, Veterans, Hospital patients, athletes, weight issues, Health Care Workers, Financial stress, Caregiver burnout, pain including: fibromyalgia syndrome, tension headaches, frozen shoulder, psoriasis, insomnia, seizure disorders, sports/athletic performance, learning disabilities/educational challenges, epigenetic and physiological functioning and general psychological functioning.
A picture of the acupressure points to Tap
Please visit the "Resource" section to learn how to practice EFT Tapping
Step 1: The person states their concern in the setup statement in an expression of the problem as a thought, feeling, and/or body-sensation.
Step 2: The somatic tapping reduces the emotional stress response allowing the brain to transform how the event was experienced, and thus the neural pathway of the old learning is transformed by the new experience.
Step 3. The repetition phase is vital as the repeated rounds serve to identify additional aspects of the issue.
At no point is it suggested that tapping erases any learning or transform what actually happened. But instead, EFT sends deactivating signals to the emotional centers of the brain allowing someone to remember what happened without the distress.
Clinical EFT is a form of energy psychology but is also referred as a somatic intervention. Clinical EFT enhances emotional health and can be used to address everyday anxieties, stress, health conditions exasperated by stress using goal oriented clinical EFT.
