Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also known as 'tapping,' is a powerful mind-body, self-empowerment technology that involves tapping on specific acupressure points on the face and body while focusing on a thought, feeling, or belief that you wish to feel better about. This technique helps you explore, value, and transform your emotional reality, creating a space within yourself to release any stress or disturbing memories from the past and heal your mind and body.
When you tap on the acupoints, you are using the body's energy meridian system to send a calming signal to the limbic brain, which regulates your emotions, memories, and sensations of pain and pleasure. When something traumatic from the past is recalled, or when you find yourself in a stressful situation, the amygdala, the limbic brain's fear response center (fight-or-flight) is triggered. This causes the brain to go offline, inhibiting your executive functioning, which is your ability to think clearly, problem-solve, and make healthy decisions.
So, why does this happen? When faced with a threat, the hypothalamus triggers a cascade of events that leads to the release of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. This causes an increase in heart rate, dilation of the pupils, and a redistribution of blood flow away from the digestive system and toward the arms and legs, allowing us to fight or flee the danger. This response is essential for survival in dangerous situations, such as when confronted with a tiger in the jungle. Interestingly, the brain does not differentiate between the stress of a tiger and the stress of being stuck in traffic and late for work. As a result, many of us find ourselves in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. Unfortunately, when this response is chronically over-activated due to everyday stressors, it can have a detrimental effect on our physical and mental health.
The great news is that EFT can break the conditioned response loop between stress or a disturbing memory and the brain's fight-or-flight response. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by an old trauma or chronic daily stress and going into fight-or-flight mode, Tapping sends a calming signal to the amygdala and disrupts the connection between the stress or memory and the fight-or-flight response. This helps to soothe the distress and allows the memory to be fully processed in the mind, while the body is able to relax and release the tension, stress, and ultimately the trauma it was holding onto. The memory may still surface, but it won't have the same intensity and will be more like a passing thought. The stress that once caused so much distress will no longer have the same effect. Furthermore, you may even gain a new perspective on your stress and trauma, allowing you to understand it differently and make a better feeling meaning out of it, which is truly transformative.
If you're living with the lingering effects of psychological trauma, you may be hesitant to explore any further, thinking, "It's too painful and too scary." Understandable as these thoughts may be, the truth is that EFT doesn't have to be another painful experience. As a highly-skilled EFT practitioner for trauma, I use several gentle techniques to keep you safe, present, and grounded, so you can heal from the most challenging memories without the risk of being re-traumatized. EFTs' gentle approach is a great kindness to give to yourself. It allows you to experience a healthy way to self-sooth as you explore the depths of your trauma without fear.
When you tap on the acupoints, you are using the body's energy meridian system to send a calming signal to the limbic brain, which regulates your emotions, memories, and sensations of pain and pleasure. When something traumatic from the past is recalled, or when you find yourself in a stressful situation, the amygdala, the limbic brain's fear response center (fight-or-flight) is triggered. This causes the brain to go offline, inhibiting your executive functioning, which is your ability to think clearly, problem-solve, and make healthy decisions.
So, why does this happen? When faced with a threat, the hypothalamus triggers a cascade of events that leads to the release of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. This causes an increase in heart rate, dilation of the pupils, and a redistribution of blood flow away from the digestive system and toward the arms and legs, allowing us to fight or flee the danger. This response is essential for survival in dangerous situations, such as when confronted with a tiger in the jungle. Interestingly, the brain does not differentiate between the stress of a tiger and the stress of being stuck in traffic and late for work. As a result, many of us find ourselves in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. Unfortunately, when this response is chronically over-activated due to everyday stressors, it can have a detrimental effect on our physical and mental health.
The great news is that EFT can break the conditioned response loop between stress or a disturbing memory and the brain's fight-or-flight response. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by an old trauma or chronic daily stress and going into fight-or-flight mode, Tapping sends a calming signal to the amygdala and disrupts the connection between the stress or memory and the fight-or-flight response. This helps to soothe the distress and allows the memory to be fully processed in the mind, while the body is able to relax and release the tension, stress, and ultimately the trauma it was holding onto. The memory may still surface, but it won't have the same intensity and will be more like a passing thought. The stress that once caused so much distress will no longer have the same effect. Furthermore, you may even gain a new perspective on your stress and trauma, allowing you to understand it differently and make a better feeling meaning out of it, which is truly transformative.
If you're living with the lingering effects of psychological trauma, you may be hesitant to explore any further, thinking, "It's too painful and too scary." Understandable as these thoughts may be, the truth is that EFT doesn't have to be another painful experience. As a highly-skilled EFT practitioner for trauma, I use several gentle techniques to keep you safe, present, and grounded, so you can heal from the most challenging memories without the risk of being re-traumatized. EFTs' gentle approach is a great kindness to give to yourself. It allows you to experience a healthy way to self-sooth as you explore the depths of your trauma without fear.