EFT Tapping or “Emotional Freedom Techniques”

“Emotional Freedom Techniques,” or EFT Tapping, is a combination of 8 well-accepted mechanisms in psychology, along with Acupressure, that together create a rapid emotional, cognitive, and physical decrease in distress. This results in a regulated emotional state (calm), as well as resolution of the actual causes of distress.

Used by millions of people world-wide since the 1990s, Tapping is well-researched. And the research shows it reduces or eliminates phobia, trauma, anxiety, cravings and addiction, physical pain and more. Tapping is also used for performance enhancement by professional athletes and dubbed “The most effective psychiatric intervention in my 25 years of practice” by Harvard psychiatrist Eric Leskowitz.

Stressed? | Overwhelmed? | Stuck?

Research shows EFT Tapping can:

• Reduce anxiety, stress and phobias
• Lower blood pressure and other physical markers
• Reduce cravings and support recovery
• Reduce and resolve trauma
• Facilitate emotional regulation
• Reduce physical pain
• Rapidly process thoughts, feeling and physical sensations
• Improve performance (athletic, academic, career and more)
• Increase immunity markers
• Increase well-being and ‘happiness’ 

Once learned, you can Tap on your own, in the privacy of your home, car or office.  You can also work with an EFT Tapping Professional for more complex issues and for greater support. Once you learn how to Tap safely, you have the tools to take charge of your emotional, mental and physical pain.

Get ‘unstuck.’ Feel better. Move forward.

EFT Tapping for Trauma

We all experience various forms of ‘trauma’ in our lives. These range from day-to-day interpersonal interactions that leave their mark on us, to large disastrous events that we all recognize easily. Regardless, the impact trauma has on our lives is considerable. By reprocessing thoughts, feelings and experiences with Tapping, we eliminate the distress associated with them once and for all.  We lessen the overall stress on our Nervous System, improve multiple physical symptoms, strengthen our immune system and clear the way for our bodies and minds to function with less activation, less hyperarousal and less ‘clutter.’

How Does EFT Work?

Research and clinical experience with EFT Tapping shows the following actions at work:

Imaginal Exposure
Placing yourself in a memory with your imagination.

Acupressure
Tapping on specific points in the body that move energy rapidly.

Somatic, Emotional and Cognitive Activation (CNS Activation)
Causing the rapid flow of sensations, feelings and thoughts.

Amygdala/Prefrontal Cortex Rewiring & Deactivation
Relaxing and slowing the fight, flight freeze part of the brain.

Information Processing & Reprocessing
Experiencing and re-experiencing information.

Cognitive Restructuring
The forming of new/different thoughts.

Memory Re-consolidation The completion or changing of memories to accommodate new awareness.

Eye Movement and Reprocessing
Eye movements are associated with brain function.

Most of us are familiar with one or more of these mechanisms. EFT Tapping elegantly combines all of these into a seamless and intuitive process that is simple to learn. We may incorporate EFT Tapping into as much of our work together as you like in order to achieve as much relief as quickly as possible. EFT Tapping Intensives are available as “individualized workshops” to achieve much progress in a short period of time.

If you have any questions about EFT Tapping, please feel free to email me.

The Science of Tapping

In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of fifty veterans diagnosed with PTSD, 86% of them no longer met the criteria for PTSD after only 6 sessions with EFT. These results were sustained at 3 and 6 month follow ups.  This study has been repeated with similar results.

Other studies reveal a dramatic reduction in participants’ cortisol levels (down 24-49%) after Tapping. Cortisol is a hormone that regulates the stress in our bodies and contributes to the disease process.

Although EFT Tapping meets the definition of an ‘evidence-based modality,” the APA has not included it on their list of ‘evidence-based’ treatment approaches.  Therefore, I am ethically obligated to advise you that the APA considers EFT Tapping ‘an experimental modality.’

I encourage you to try Tapping with a professional and to make your own determination about the relief it may offer you. I also encourage you to read the research at EFT International’s Research Page.

EFT Tapping Trainer

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Georgia and an EFT Tapping Trainer certified by EFT International. I have studied and practiced EFT Tapping since 2013 and have seen it do amazing things in people’s lives.

EFT Tapping has truly transformed my therapy practice and the lives of many clients I have served.  For me, that is the bottom line on EFT Tapping.