This post is part of a series offering brief introductions and resources for different ways to take care of yourself.
Have you heard of EFT (emotional freedom technique), sometimes just referred to as “tapping”? It’s an evidence-based practice that has roots in acupuncture, acupressure, positive psychology, neuro-linguistic programming, and energy psychology. In a nutshell, EFT has you identify an emotional or physical pain or stressor, rate the level of distress it’s causing you on a scale of 0-10, and then move through a series of tapping a set group of acupressure points while saying certain statements about the stressor or pain. At the end of the tapping points, you check in again with your 0-10 scale and notice if there is any improvement. The entire process takes 5-10 minutes.
Personally, I like EFT because it’s a simple and straightforward technique that is easy to use and is applicable to many different stressors and scenarios. You can use it for mental/emotional issues such as a worry or anxiety as well as physical issues like a headache or back pain. It’s also totally customizable to your particular set of circumstances. There is a little bit of a learning curve but once you have the tapping points memorized, you’re on the way to using it whenever you want. When I teach it to clients and friends, the most common response I hear is that it feels very grounding. And if you have little ones in your life, it is also really simple to teach to and use with kids. It’s a lovely self-care technique to have in your toolbox.
There are tons of resources on the web and tutorials on youtube. If you’re ready to try it out, here are some resources to get you started tapping:
This article offers a great overview of EFT.
Here is a short video that teaches the specific tapping points and goes through the process.
If you try EFT and decide you really like it, this app features hundreds of issue-specific tapping meditations. There are a handful of free meditations, but to access the full library, there is an annual subscription fee of about $90.