What is EFT and How to Use It to Reduce Stress

In this article, I will be going over exactly what EFT tapping is and how you can use it not only to reduce stress but also to improve your life in many different areas.

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I was talking to my mom on the phone recently and she mentioned how she’d just left the grocery store and every single person in the building had looked as though they were under incredible stress. It’s not surprising. After all, studies show that people today are more stressed than they were 30 years ago. Not to mention the circumstances of the last few years have stressed out the entire world on a global level. Add that to the stresses of everyday life and it’s a miracle we’re all still getting out of bed in the morning.

While I do believe these be stressful times that we’re living in, I also think that our generation is doing a better job of learning how to handle stress. In general, things like meditation, therapy, and overall mental health care is practiced more today than probably ever in recent history. We have found more ways to handle stress than ever before, so the only trick becomes figuring out which de-stressor works best for you.

That’s where EFT tapping comes in.

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What is EFT tapping?

EFT stands for “Emotional Freedom Technique” and was coined by Gary Craig, who is also the creator of the EFT method. Because the practice involves tapping with your fingers on certain parts of your body, it is also known as “tapping,” “EFT tapping,” or simply, “EFT.”

Tapping is a technique used to relieve stress in the body and is based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. It’s a self-administered therapy that connects the mind to the body and uses this connection to reduce stress, fears, limiting beliefs, and more.

How does EFT work?

To practice EFT, you use the tips of your fingers to tap on certain pressure points on your body called meridian points. In the philosophy of acupressure, the meridian is a pathway in the body in which energy flows, like a highway. Meridian points are certain areas along this highway that help improve the flow of energy. Acupuncture stimulates these areas with needles, but with EFT, you can stimulate these points with light pressure from your fingertips. No needles required!

Tapping has been scientifically proven to lower cortisol (a stress hormone) in the body. As well as stimulating the meridian points, tapping also stimulates the central nervous system and sends signals to the brain that tell it to release helpful, stress-reducing hormones instead of stress.

As you tap, you say a script describing whatever you are trying to release from the body— i.e., stress, anxiety, fear, pain, etc. Addressing the “negative” aspect of what you’re feeling helps the mind to let it go. By acknowledging it, the brain no longer feels obligated to hold onto that information and you’re able to release what you’re feeling, making room for more pleasant emotions.

We’ll talk more about scripting in a minute.

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What can you use EFT Tapping for?

While EFT is known as a tool for lowering stress, tapping can be used for so much more than just de-stressing.

Because stress is linked to so many consequences, including weight gain, insomnia, lower immune systems, mental health challenges, etc., implementing an EFT practice can improve your life in almost any area you can think of.

For example…

It helps with mental health

It can be used to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, and many other mental health conditions. It’s also commonly used to help people overcome fears.

It can ease pain

You can use EFT tapping to help ease pain. I’ve personally used it to help ease migraines, and, when I had COVID-19, I used it to help me breathe easier. I’m gonna be straight with you, I honestly didn’t know if it would work for that, but it totally helped!

It’s great for personal development

EFT tapping can also be used in personal development. You can use it to help release and heal from the past as well as to help you let go of limiting beliefs that are holding you back from your future.

It’s a manifestation tool

Because your beliefs play such a major role in manifestation, EFT is a great manifestation ritual to adopt because it will help you let go of what is holding you back from the things you’re working to manifest into your life. It can also help reinforce the new beliefs you want to embody.

Honestly, I challenge you to find something that EFT can’t help with.

A woman touches her face above the eyebrows

How to do EFT Tapping

An overview of how to do EFT Tapping

Assess how you’re feeling
Tap on the karate chop point and state your intention
Tap through the other meridian points while addressing and neutralizing your feelings
Reassess how you’re feeling
Tap through another round if necessary

Assess how you’re feeling

Before you begin, observe how you’re feeling. Rate how you feel on a scale of 1-10 and write it down.

Writing it down is important because EFT works so well that you might forget how you felt before and trick your brain into thinking you weren’t feeling anything to begin with. By writing down a number, not only are you validating your emotions, but you are also creating something to measure against after you finish a round of tapping.

The stages

Each tapping round will have three rounds.

First, you will set your intention. This is where you say why you’re tapping and why you’re going to let it go.

Next, you will acknowledge the feelings you have. I’ve heard people wonder why we address these seemingly “negative” feelings, but by addressing the feelings you acknowledge them and are then able to release them. By holding them in, you give those “bad” feelings power.

Finally, you will end on a positive note. Once you’ve released the pain, you can let in the love.

The karate chop point

You begin by tapping the tips of two to four fingers of one hand on the edge of the other hand. The edge of your hand is known as the karate chop point because it is the part you would hit with if you were to throw a karate chop at something.

As you tap this hand, you’ll say your intention for this EFT tapping practice and repeat it three times.

The other meridian points

Once you’ve set your intention for this session, you will move your tapping fingers to the top of the head to begin the next stage of the round.

There is no set rule of how many times to tap of each pressure point. Tap however many times feels good to you for each one. You will be saying a script along with tapping, so what I normally do is tap on each point for a complete thought, then move on to the next point. For example, tap on one point and say, “Even though I feel this way…” move on to the next point, “I still deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

The following is the list of meridian points and the order in which I tap them:

Top of Head

This is on the top of your skull, right in the center crown of your head.

Third Eye

This point is right above the bridge of your nose, in between your eyebrows.

Side of Eye

On the bone where your eyebrow ends, directly along the outside of the eye.

Under Eye

At the top of the cheekbone, directly under either eye.

Under Nose

Just above your lip and right under your nose, on top of the little groove that connects the nose and lips.

Chin Point

Tap right in the crease between your lower lip and where your chin juts out.

Collarbone Point

About an inch under the top of the collarbone and an inch or two from the center of the chest.

Under Arm

Also known as the monkey point, this is just under the armpit, against your upper ribs. If you’ve ever worn a bra, this is where the bra strap is.

Scripting

As you tap, you will say a script that details exactly what is bothering you that you want to take care of during this practice.

You can find plenty of scripts online through Youtube, apps, and other blogs. Whatever you are going through that you want to tap about, simply Google, “EFT Tapping for (fill in the blank)” and something will come up. Over time, you’ll be able to write your own scripts and even come up with them on the spot as you tap. As an example, I’ve written a script below to use for stress.

You’ll say the first part of the script as you’re tapping the karate chop point. This is your intention setting. Then, you’ll address the feelings as you rotate through the other meridian points. Once you’ve gone through all the points, you’ve completed the second stage and can move on to bringing in the positive vibes as you tap through each point again.

Tapping for stress

Stage 1: Set your intention while tapping on the Karate Chop Point

Even though I am feeling stressed, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.

Stage 2: Address the feelings. Begin tapping on the top of the head and start rotating through the rest of the points with each line.

I feel stressed.

I feel overwhelmed.

I feel like there is so much to do and so little time to do it.

How am I supposed to do all of this?

I feel so much pressure.

I’m not sure if I can handle it.

This stress is fogging my mind.

I wish I could find clarity.

Stage 3: Neutralize. Tap on the head again and rotate through the other points.

Even though I feel these things, I still deeply and completely love and accept myself.

It doesn’t do me any good to worry about the future.

I know that everything is going to work out for the greatest good.

I choose to clear my mind of all this stress.

I choose to let this stress go and release it from my body.

I choose to relax and allow myself to take a deep breath.

I choose to trust myself. I know that I am smart and responsible.

I choose to feel calm and confident and I let this stress go.

Reassess how you’re feeling

Now that you’ve completed a full round, assess how you’re feeling again. Rate how you’re feeling on a scale of 1-10. Did you improve? Do you feel better? Are you where you want to be? If not, don’t worry. Sometimes it takes a couple of rounds.

If you started your practice feeling stressed to a level 8 and now you’re feeling more like a 6, maybe you want to tap again until you get to a level 3 or lower. It is perfectly fine to tap as many rounds as you need to get to the level that you want to be.

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The wonderful Brad Yates

Tapping can feel a little confusing when you first begin, so I recommend following a few videos until you get used to it. Brad Yates was my unofficial tapping instructor when I first started. The guy has a YouTube video for everything you could think of tapping related. He’s a tapping extraordinar. I’m in no way affiliated with him, but I totally recommend you watch a few of his videos to test out tapping. The guy seriously knows what he’s doing when it comes to EFT.

How often should you tap?

So now that you know how to tap, you’re probably wondering how often you should do it. There’s no set rule. Tapping is simply a tool available for you to use whenever you need it. I break out my tapping exercises a couple of times a week, whenever I’m feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, or when I have a headache. I use it whenever one of those pesky limiting beliefs pops into my head. I also make my husband do it whenever he’s feeling any of those things, too.

My suggestion is to try it out, see how you like it, and if you love it, use it for as many things as you desire. The choice is really up to you.