releasing negative energy with eft (aka tapping for beginners)
written by Jasmine Irven
Have you seen the documentary Heal?
It teaches us that we have so much more control over our health and healing than the conventional world lets us believe. Yes of course medicine, surgeries, etc. have their place, but this documentary proves (at least to me) that our wellness journey is deeply impacted by our thoughts, beliefs and emotions, and that we have a lot more control over our health and wellness than I think we sometimes give ourselves credit for (though of course, this isn’t to diminish anyone’s experience as there are definitely things that are out of our control).
At one point in the documentary there is a scene of healing where a practitioner is tapping on her client’s head, getting her to repeat a phrase about her relationship with her mother.
I’ll be honest I had no idea what was happening when I first watched this but it was an incredibly powerful scene which brought me to tears (that happened a lot during this documentary – fair warning), and I knew I had to learn more about the practise.
what is EFT?
Tapping, aka the emotional freedom technique (EFT), is based on the premise that our negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are caused by disruptions in our internal energy systems (for example if you are experiencing anger, it’s because there has been a disturbance to your body’s energy).
By applying pressure on certain points, or meridians in your body, you can restore this energy balance and can relieve the symptoms that the negative belief may have caused. Think of it like acupuncture, using your hands!
why should I try it?
EFT has been shown to promote healing in a number of areas including:
Depression, anxiety, and general sadness
Reducing stress (lowering cortisol)
Breaking habits
PTSD and trauma
Helping reduce pain
how does it work?
EFT works by focusing deeply on a painful memory or just really feeling your feelings. What is it that is causing you this discontentment or pain?
By intentionally thinking about this uncomfortable or painful thing, you are activating an energy disturbance within your body, interrupting the flow of energy through your meridians or energy channels (think of it like your circulatory system transporting blood).
Once activated you can begin tapping your fingers on the set points outlined above, to clear the disturbance from the affected areas, simultaneously moving and releasing the negative emotions.
Keep in mind this may take a couple of rounds.
how do I do it?
select the problem that you would like to address, or the area of resistance you want to work on
Maybe this means selecting a painful memory in your past that you feel is causing issues in your current life, or maybe you want to select an emotion you’re currently struggling with (anger, sadness, anxiety, etc.) and address that immediately. You can also address areas of life, like your money mindset, or physical pain and other issues.
come up with a short phrase used to refer to the memory or problem
You want to make this phrase short but specific. This is repeated throughout the tapping process to help you stay focused on the memory or current problem. Some examples might be “I’m feeling alone”, “I’m feeling overwhelmed”, or “I’m struggling with my money mindset.”
assess your current level of pain
Use a 0 to 10 scale to assess how intense your current level of pain is. 0 would be not intense at all and 10 would be almost to the point of it being unbearable. It’s not important that this number be 100% accurate, it’s just a way to track your progress.
create your set-up statement
Form a statement which both acknowledges the problem you want to focus on, and then follow it with an affirmation about yourself as a person. A common formula is:
"Even though ______________, I deeply and profoundly love & accept myself."
The blank is filled in with the phrase you developed earlier, reflecting the painful memory or feeling. For example: "Even though I'm feeling overwhelmed right now, I deeply and profoundly accept myself."
perform the tapping sequence on all EFT points
Say the reminder phrase once while quickly tapping on a point. Stay focused on the or feeling, while moving through each of the points. Complete the cycle two times.
reassess your pain level
Take a deep breath and reassess the pain level of the memory on the same scale of 0 to 10. If the tapping is working, your pain level should come down around 1 - 3 points using this basic method.
perform another round of treatment
Repeat steps 4 through 6 to apply another tapping sequence to the memory or pain. If you experienced no movement on the assessment scale, use the same formula and wording. If the feeling did reduce a little, then alter the wording a little to acknowledge progress that has been made. For example, "even though I still have some _____________, I deeply and completely accept myself."
install positive feelings
When your pain has subsided, switch to installing positive feelings into your body, using the same tapping sequence. Instead of using the set-up affirmation as above, focus on bringing a more positive vibration to your body.
Some good phrases might include: “I love myself and the way that I am”, “I am so proud of myself”, “I am enough as I am”, “I know I can change”, etc.
notes
Be gentle, but firm. You want to tap hard enough to stimulate the meridian points, but not so hard that you feel tender after a lot of tapping!
Four fingers are generally used on the wider points, 2 for the smaller points or sensitive areas.
Work at the top and move down throughout your body.
Your body is more powerful than you know, and EFT is one of the ways you can tap into your body’s healing power and take control of it to bring greater emotional freedom to your life; freedom or a feeling of release from phobias, pain, fear and anxiety, etc.
Your body is made of energy, like everything in the universe.
By focusing on feeling the feelings but then also working to move energy around, knowing you can let go of negativity and pain that you no longer want to carry, you are working on restoring balance to your body’s energy, in turn helping you to be more at peace with yourself and the universe.
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
