EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique and belongs into the category of Energy Psychology, the roots are in Traditional Chinese Medicine though. Different acupressure points on the body are tapped with the fingers while speaking sentences that combine the distressing experience and a self-affirmation. Tapping energetic pathways running through the body (meridians) to influence the flow of energy is supposed to change how we feel. It is pretty much proven at this point that these ‘meridians’ aren’t real. This explanation is nonsense.
But EFT works anyway. Experience and studies show that it is an effective method to reduce distress and regulate disruptive emotions, even in PTSD. So the question is, why does it work?
How can tapping make such a difference?
It is not the acupressure points. Acupuncture studies show no difference between the effectiveness of acupressure points vs random other places. It really doesn’t matter. Still, it makes sense to pick places to tap and stick to them. That way we can have a rhythm and a routine, both factors that do make a difference when tapping is used regularly, like a ritual. And why not use the suggested places, since they are already traditional.
There isn’t any completely proven theory how EFT works, but science suggests that touching ourselves helps us to regulate and we subconsciously do it all the time, especially in the face (study). The sensory stimulation of touch is known to help us regulate, if it comes from others (see polyvagal theory) or if we do it ourselves. Some think that tapping creates a sensory disruption of the internal experience and that helps to shift out of a triggered experience or emotional hijacking. It causes different areas in the brain to get activated which possibly moves the activation away from the areas that are responsible for the trauma reaction. So, any kind of tapping is probably an active factor that can bring change.
Then why do other things while we tap?
Tapping while focussing on distressing emotions, pictures or sentences creates dual attention, the very thing that is considered a key element in EMDR and other similar techniques for processing. So-called bi-focal multisensory interventions are gaining more importance in trauma therapy lately. They are considered especially effective and safe. Focussing on an inner reality and an outside reality at the same time is probably the main reason why processing works so well and integration is promoted.
Why the weird combination of sentences?
A problematic feeling or thought is always connected to a self-affirmation while tapping. ‘Even though I feel too scared to get up this morning I fully and completely love, honor and accept myself’.
The affirmation helps to see beyond the problem, the self-acceptance reduces our self-judgment that might have made it worse and helps us to feel safe. We swing back and forth between our problem and affirmations, very much like pendulation, while we tap to support emotional processing. The contrasting and sometimes a bit absurd phrases invite the use of humor. They cover the cognitive side while tapping covers the physical experience. After a while the sentences stop sounding weird and start feeling integrated. Combining these elements, the description of the problematic experience, the positive affirmation, the inner feeling and the outside sensory stimulation, does something to change our situation. It might not be fully explained by science yet but we know that other effective techniques use similar concepts.
How can I use EFT for myself?
It needs a bit of reflection about the distressing situation and some creativity to put things together. I am going to show you a simple structure that can get you started. Please note that you can’t do your own trauma processing with this. When you use it alone it is for self-regulation only.
This picture shows the classic EFT points for tapping.
You can use them or pick your own. The only important thing is to decide about an order and stick to it. The points are tapped about 5-10 times before moving on to the next. I find it helpful to tap in rhythm with my sentences, so when there is a natural little break for breathing I switch where I tap.
The main structure for the sentences goes like this
Even though + distressing emotion/thought/experience + I + positive self-affirmation
for example
‘Even though I feel/think/experience ______ I love and honor myself.’
You can use all kinds of variations like
‘Even though I fail to _____ because I feel _____ I respect and accept myself.’
‘Even though my _____ means I ______ I still deserve love and connection.’
‘Even though I feel ____ because someone else _____ and I _____ I give myself grace and forgive myself’
You can just make up your own sentences, describing whatever matches your experience and feels right. Some people tap only using one sentence that they repeat over and over again until they feel better. Others try to keep track of their thoughts and how emotions shift and adapt their sentences.
So, an evolving sequence can sound like this
‘Even though I am too scared to function today, I honor and respect myself. Even though I feel really bad about myself and I judge myself for not functioning well, I love and accept myself. Although I compare myself to others and how well they are functioning and it makes me feel really ashamed right now, I give myself some grace here. Even though I can’t manage everything like healthy people do, I am worthy of love and belonging. Although I might not get everything done perfectly today, I accept myself the way I am.’
It takes a bit of practice to get fluent with this, but it helps to just say what comes to mind. All this is spoken while we tap the body..
It is not necessary to believe the self-affirmation when you start with the tapping. Just say it and listen to yourself. It will feel more real after a while. If it feels too intense you can water them down a bit. ‘I am willing to learn to accept myself’, ‘I could imagine respecting myself some day’, ‘I can begin to honor and love myself a tiny bit’, ‘I allow myself to consider accepting myself’, ‘it would probably be good for me to accept myself’… Just get creative. This can be a big issue with trauma, you are not alone with it.
There are youtube videos where someone else is making suggestions for sentences to tap to. They speak and show how to tap, then they give you some time to repeat it for yourself. I found this extremely helpful to learn the method. This is the playlist I usually check for topics that might fit my experience. I can’t promise that it fits you (the speaker is a man, he can be really funny). A lot of people who offer EFT online are deeply involved in Energy Psychology or even weirder new-age stuff. It can be really upsetting, so make sure to distance yourself from it as much as you need.
Tapping with DID
With DID we run into the same problems we always have. If a part inside experiences great distress but they are not connected to the outside experience the intervention will not work. We need to build connections and get their attention. A Host could tap to reduce the impact of blended feelings on themselves to keep their head and ability to act. ‘Even though a part of us feels distressed and out of control and I feel it too, I love and accept myself. Even though that part is causing me trouble and I am upset, I honor and accept myself and them too. Even though it is really hard to feel them inside, I show myself grace’… That can make the situation clearer and help with regulation, even if it doesn’t fully reach the distressed part. Caution if you have a background of organized abuse. Sometimes tapping signals are used in the context of programming and you could get triggered. Slight modifications, like rubbing a point instead, could help.
Tapping is not a miracle solution. There are limits when it comes to structural dissociation, thought patterns that still serve a purpose or interpersonal reasons why we can’t allow ourselves to feel better. EFT is a bit too simple to address every psychological issue out there. Still, we use it when we are stuck in triggered emotions and our other skills have failed and it is absolutely worth a try.
EFT is a simple technique for self-regulation and to reduce the impact of distressing emotions. It doesn’t replace traditional phased trauma therapy but it is a great addition to it that can make life easier. It is even possible to implement tapping into the EMDR script, which is especially helpful when there are high arousal levels and we are prone to dissociate.
The fact that we can help ourselves increases self-efficacy, which has shown to reduce the avoidant behavior in PTSD so that the quality of life increases and there is more courage to tackle the rest of therapy (see Wilhelm-Gößling/Rodewald). I would encourage you not to reject the technique just because it is advertised with an utterly unscientific explanation for its active mechanism. It isn’t that unscientific after all.
We talk about an advanced technique that uses tapping for trauma processing in cPTSD and DID here.
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