EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique created by Gary Craig in 1995. Now it is also known as Tapping from Nick Ortner and The Tapping World Summit.  

EFT/Tapping is an evidence- based modality that combines modern psychology and tapping on meridian points on the face and upper body. EFT has been recognized by the American Psychological Society as being effective to treat PTSD.  I have been using it with clients for about 11 years now for a wide variety of issues such as stress and anxiety disorders, chronic illnesses and trauma. 

We are tapping on the end points of 9 main meridians on the face and upper body. This gentle tapping motions sends a signal through the body’s connective tissues to the area of the brain called the amygdala (where the stress response is in the body), as well as  the limbic system (where our emotions are stored) soothing those areas. This allows us, when tapping on ourselves, to access our inner wisdom, heal past negative memories, lower stress and anxiety, start healing limiting beliefs. With a skilled practitioner, it can support you in healing chronic conditions, past traumatic events still affecting you today and much, much more.

I use 11 points when I tap. We have the side of the hand, top of the head, the eyebrow point, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin point, collarbone point, under the arms, liver points and wrist point. 

When tapping, using classical EFT, I tap on all these points. I also tap on all these points when I use some “in the moment” tapping techniques, such as “vent” tapping and tapping with conscious breathing.

Some cool tapping tips to experience

Tapping on one point will support you in lowering your stress and getting back to feeling calmer and more centered so you can address what got triggered

1. You can tap under the eye. This point represents the stomach meridians in Chinese acupuncture which helped many of my clients, students and friends with nausea and motion sickness. 
2. The liver point is amazing to help you connect with anger, honour it and help you move through it. In Chinese acupuncture this point is associated with anger, depression, resentment, irritability, bitterness, and flying off the handle. 
3. One of my favorite points are the points inside the wrist. I love gently rubbing these points when I feel sad, lonely, unsupported, or experiencing grief. In Chinese acupuncture there are the Heart meridian, the Pericardium meridian and the lung meridian. That gentle tapping or stroking activates these meridians and helps us move through what we are feeling.

You will see that in the original method, taught by Gary Craig, tapping used one hand and on one side of the body. My mentor Annabel Fisher taught us to use both hands and tap on both sides of the body. I really like this way of tapping myself and continue to use both hands still now, 11 years later. 

If you think about it, there are meridians on both sides of the body, why not activate all the points? In addition, many times I help my clients move through “homolateral” energy patterns using both hands. 

It depends on what your goal with EFT is. If you want to address the triggers that came up quickly and go back to your day, you can use “in the moment” tapping tools and some of those tools use tapping on only one point like the side of the hand or your favorite point. 

The “vent” tapping from the “in the moment” tapping tools requires tapping on all the points in order to move the intense emotions being felt. When my students or clients address triggers more deeply, either by tapping on themselves or in a session, they tap on all the points. 

The key is to be clear about why you are using EFT and to remember that tapping on only one point is better than not doing anything at all. Be curious, have fun, and experiment!

The beautiful thing about EFT/tapping is that there is not one rule. I usually tap 2 or 3 times on one point when I do the full sequence. If you notice there is a point that feels great when you tap on it, stay longer. Tapping is the perfect time to listen to your body and follow its amazing wisdom!

When you are using EFT/tapping, a gentle tap is all you need. Enough pressure to feel it. You can even “rub” the points if the tapping motion is not feeling good for you. 

When you are using energy medicine, such as tapping on the K-27 to flip your energy back into the right direction or using the 3 Thumps technique from Donna Eden, you will need to tap with a little more energy. You want a good bounce without bruising.

That’s a bit of a tricky question. The short answer is “no,” you don’t need to believe in EFT/tapping to get results. You will need to bring an element of curiosity though in order to get “permanent” results. When using the “in the moment” tapping tool, you will get immediate relief. Your stress will go down, you will feel more like yourself and be able to think more clearly and get on with your day. But if the “core” issues causing the stress are never addressed, then you will feel stressed again.  It is not because you are broken and can’t make EFT/tapping work for you or because EFT/tapping doesn’t work. It’s because more time is needed to do some detective work around the issues you want to heal.

How long you tap for will depend on your intention when using EFT. Do you want to quickly address the triggers that showed up so you can go back to feeling more centered and yourself? If so, anywhere between 2 minutes to 10 minutes is usually enough. If you want deeper healing with more permanent results, you will need to put time aside to dive deeper; usually 30 minutes to 1.5 hours can give you great results.  If you are tapping on pain, a minimum of 20 minutes is usually what I guide my clients to do.

No! When my clients, students or kids use “in the moment” tapping tools, these tools don’t use the classical set up statement and go straight into tapping without using “even though.”

Like I mentioned in the previous posts, know why you are using EFT/Tapping, it will increase your success with it!

NO! If the intensity increases, it is a great thing!! It means you are more connected to what is going on for you, emotional and in your body. And you have the knowledge and support necessary to handle the higher emotions. Remember that the job of your subconscious is to keep you safe. When you are tapping on yourself, you will NEVER go too far. All I want for you to remember, if the intensity goes higher, keep tapping until it goes down. I usually sing the song from “Finding Nemo” that Dori sings at one point in the movie… and replace swimming with tapping.  “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming….” “Just keep tapping, tapping, tapping!”

This is an awesome question and many times my clients get really concerned with that. No need to worry here, guys. The trick is to say, “out loud,” what your head is thinking. Keep moving through the points and you can say one word per point or a sentence…. Imagine talking to a friend and explaining what is going on.

When you do the EFT Level 1 and 2 classes with me, you will have an even better understanding as to what to say when tapping. 

Do NOT wait though, use the directions from above and experience the magic of EFT/tapping.

It goes back to knowing why you are using EFT/tapping.  Even without words, you will get relief around the emotional state you are feeling. Sometimes, there are no words or we cannot access those words yet, until we allow ourselves to feel when we need to feel, process what we need to process… then, usually, the words come. 

I have also used metaphors, or visual images to help my clients when they had no words. For example, when you think about what you are feeling, does it have a shape or colour, or is there a metaphor that would relate to what is going on for you right now in your heart? 

You can also use the “tapping without words” in the moment tapping tool. Or tapping with conscious breathing. 

A reminder that if your goal is to address what is coming up in the moment, then just tap. If you want to heal more deeply, you will need to use the ideas above to help you do your detective work to the root causes.  You learn how to do that in my EFT/Tapping Level 1 class and get even more skilled in the Level 2 class.

When tapping on yourself, I would say, completely, YES!  And even when seeking a tapping practitioner. Just make sure the training of that practitioner is adequate to address what your needs are.

If you are a practitioner, know where you can go with your clients. For example, do you feel you have the training necessary to support people with multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, or even different types of autistic disorders. I personally believe more training is needed to really understand what these clients are going through, how medication may affect tapping, and what is the best way to support them.

As you use EFT/tapping, your body might release in different ways. For example, many of my clients will yawn as they move through their emotions and release stress. They might experience intense emotion to be able to gently release it, feeling their heart more open, their throat able to swallow better, etc. They might feel they can breathe better, there might be fluctuations in body temperatures from warm to cold, cold to warm, and then feeling a more normal body temperature as their energies settle. Some even burp or cough. Whatever you experience, something or nothing, it is all okay. What is important is moving through the emotional triggers with compassion, understanding towards self and some ease. It is not necessary to “suffer” in order to heal and transform.

EFT/Tapping works! Usually, people might feel it doesn’t work because they were not clear in their intentions. What are you tapping? What is your goal when using this tool? Is it for immediate relief so you can finish your day or is it to heal deeper issues like limiting beliefs, fears, phobias? 

If you use “in the moment” tapping tools to address a limiting belief, you will experience “temporary” relief. It WILL feel like that belief never left though. In order for permanent relief, you will need to put more time aside to be your own detective and address aspects (events, memories) holding that belief in place. For certain areas, you might also need to work with an experienced practitioner. 

How do you know it works? You will feel relief? If you were overwhelmed, you might feel you can move now and breathe with more ease and know what to do next. If you were stressed, you might feel your heart rate lower, you might feel calmer and ready to accomplish what you wanted to accomplish. If you go deeper and had a phobia of snakes, like I did, you will be able to notice that snakes don’t bother you anymore. 

How will you know it works? You will feel better! Woo hoo hoooo!

If you want the “Law of Attraction” to really work for you, you will need to address the negative thoughts and emotions. Think about it this way, it is not because you are not saying out loud that you are not “thinking it” and therefore “vibrating” it. 

By stating the negative emotions and thoughts out loud you are allowing yourself to be heard, seen, you are allowing your emotions their motion! EFT/Tapping is a great thought (negative loop) interrupter!  Tapping by stating those negative emotions, will help you move through these emotions and thoughts with more efficiency to then be able to “embody” the positive thoughts and emotions you really want to feel and vibrate. 

EFT/Tapping is an empowering tool. What I mean is that you, ultimately, want to encourage your loved ones to mirror you and tap on themselves—and only when you have had the proper training to guide loved ones to tap on themselves. With the 5th Ray Healing Academy, tapping on loved ones is introduced in the Level 1 class with the “in the moment” tapping tools and developed further in the Level 2 class. 

That said, when kids are little, you can gently tap on certain points to support them. For example, when kids are teething, when they have aches and pains, etc.  You can also rub the points if the “tapping” motion is jarring for them.

I believe this question is super important. Many clients have this “struggle” thinking it means they are accepting this issue will always be there. That is NOT what you are accepting. You are “accepting” that you are here, right now, at this moment!  And you are okay, you will be okay. 

As you accept that you are here, you can then explore and be curious about other possibilities. You are allowing you, your soul, to be heard, acknowledging what it took to get here. 

Then, when you are ready, if you choose, you can look at what else is possible. Miracle happen when you accept that you are here, you are okay and not broken! 

Your light might have been hidden for a bit, but those layers, hiding that light, can come off. It starts with being aware that you are where you are, being open to not judging you and what happened that got you here; to be in Acceptance!

The challenge with saying either in the set up statement “even though, I feel… I am letting this go!” or in the tapping rounds, “… I feel this…, I am letting it go,” your subconscious might not be ready to “let it go!” I know that, ultimately, you really want to let go of that emotion, that issue, otherwise you would not be “tapping.” I get it! 

In order for you to have a better result, I want to invite you to:

1. NOT say it at all in the set-up statement.
2. To only, say I am “letting it go” after you have done a few rounds acknowledging how you truly feel first. As human beings, we NEED to be heard and our pain witnessed (especially by us) and/or heard. If you allow that process of allowing your emotion its motion (e-motion), you will be able to “let it go” faster and with more permanence.

Yes, yes yes!  That is why I have been a practitioner for almost 11 years now. It has been a magical journey to be able to witness the permanent transformation my clients experience with EFT/Tapping.  

The trick might be to allow yourself the gift of healing knowing you are worthy of it. And to not give up. EFT/Tapping works. If you are not experiencing its benefit, be curious as to why? Could be you need more training to become efficient or you are trying to heal something that your subconscious feels is not safe to do alone. That is okay, get the support you need to feel safe and experience magic.

Just like Peter A. Levine said, “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence!”

This is an awesome question! If you feel stuck, you have been tapping on yourself and you feel the healing and transformation is not there. There are certain places your subconscious mind might not allow you to go. Places where you don’t feel safe looking at by yourself. Another way to know is to ask yourself “Is there a traumatic memory” that is still impacting me right now and not allowing me to BE me, fully, in the world? If so, you might want to explore those memories with a skilled practitioner. If you are dealing with a chronic illness, PTSD, or a stress and anxiety disorder, chances are you will need a practitioner to help you navigate the places, events, memories, limiting beliefs, and potential fears holding in place what you are experiencing in your body. 

When looking for a practitioner, I want to invite you to look at their studies. Who have they studied under? And look at the teacher. How long have they been teaching? What do they teach? Has the practitioner studied trauma techniques? (If you want to heal traumatic experiences). Who are their typical clients? What does their bio say about the practitioner’s own healing journey?  What other modalities or techniques do they have? 

Ultimately, would I feel “safe” sharing my life story with them? Would I feel that they are qualified to safely hold space for me while I heal?