What is EFT
TappingEmotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also known as Tapping, is a mind-body technique that can address a range of emotional challenges, from the very simple to the very complex. It has been proven to relieve the effects of stress in the body while helping those who use it come to terms with unresolved childhood issues, change negative, unwanted responses to various emotional triggers, shift beliefs that no longer serve a purpose, and reprogram discouraged mindsets for greater happiness and success.
EFT can be used effectively on a number of specific issues, such as stress, anxiety, fears and phobias, the emotional concomitants of physical pain, emotional eating, addictive behaviors, and more.
Bringing together Eastern and Western healing modalities, EFT is rooted in the ancient principles of acupuncture, and incorporates contemporary Cognitive Psychology and leading-edge brain science. Its effectiveness rests in the ability to restore a sense of mind-body balance by releasing energy that has become trapped in the body as a result of suppressed emotions.
When the energy of these stuck emotions is freed up, the brain and body can communicate differently. Rather than stall in a fight, flight or freeze response – which is the body’s reaction to stress – users of EFT can deliberately interrupt this pattern, calm their nervous system and activate the body’s natural relaxation response.
E.F.T.
Emotional
Freedom
Techniques
EFT’s Effectiveness: Brain Science + Energy Psychology = Feeling Better!
The How and the Why
Tapping acknowledges the mind-body connection and recognizes that our mental and physical well-being are intricately linked to our emotional states.
The human mind may seem faulty and illogical, especially when we do things or act in ways that are irrational. We worry about catastrophes that will likely never arise, set important goals but neglect to meet them and care tremendously about what complete strangers think of us. We criticize ourselves, beat ourselves up and feel badly over the smallest mistakes, even though we know such self-blame and disapproval aren’t helpful.
When we look at this reaction in terms of our evolutionary past, however, it begins to make sense. Our ancestors survived because they were extremely sensitive to signs of danger, remained vigilant as they predicted the worst, and did all they could to ensure their belonging in their tribe, since going it alone would have made survival much less possible. These were the instincts and conditioning that account, in large part, for you and I being here today and are the same ones that have been passed down to us and hardwired into our brains.
This is all well and good except that we live in a different world today. For one thing, lions and tigers and bears no longer abound but global instability, political divisiveness, economic insecurity, social comparison and 24-hour news cycles do. The personal threat alert, for many, is in the red zone on an almost constant basis. In response to this, our nervous system, which relies on chemicals and hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine to deal with danger is turned “on” to help us to fight or flee these threats.
The problem is we can’t outrun or kill off global instability the way our ancestors dealt with a hungry predator. The result: chronic stress. If left unchecked, this can get the better of our physical and emotional health. This is where EFT can be extremely beneficial at managing the type of collective stress that is making many of us feel increasingly jumpy, reactive and on edge. And then there’s the stress that comes from our individual lives – loss, change, the negativity of other people – not to mention the personal pressure we place on ourselves, pressure to keep up with and feel valued by others in our ever-expanding world. It is all too easy for many to fall into the trap of comparison and come up feeling “less than.” Here again, if not monitored, this self-directed negativity and self-judgment start to resemble a predator. Little do we realize that our self-esteem is the prey.
“Cathy is the real deal. Her humor and intelligence, and mastery of EFT, combined with the warm and comfortable space she provides, made the VIP experience exciting and fun. I am honestly envious of anyone that will have the good fortune to experience the wonder of tapping for the first time, and the incredible healing and transformation that will take place rather quickly.”
-T.C., Northern NJ
The Mechanics of Tapping and a Little Bit About the Brain
When we tap, we are accessing 2 systems in the body: what traditional Chinese medicine termed “meridians,” the invisible energy pathways through which life-energy flows, and the brain.
By lightly tapping with your fingertips on the endpoints of these meridians while tuning into specific negative emotions, 2 things happen:
1) We gain direct access to our energy system. By focusing on specific negative emotions (believed to cause “congestion” in the energy system) and bodily sensations associated with these emotions, the congested energy can be released, and a normal energetic flow can be reestablished, and
2) We engage the brain’s natural “relaxation response.” EFT appears to affect the amygdala, the brain’s stress center and the hippocampus, the memory center, both of which contribute to evaluating whether something is a threat.
Interesting fact: The brain houses a nut-size set of nuclei called the amygdala. Together with other areas of the brain, the amygdala forms a very fast, subconscious evaluation and response system designed to keep us safe and emotionally comfortable. Since we are largely driven toward pleasure and away from pain, this tendency may control more of our behavior than we realize. People tend to make decisions based on what they feel rather than what they think. When presented with a trigger that the amygdala perceives as potentially dangerous (harmful, painful, uncertain), it overrides the other parts of the brain that are responsible for things like logic, reason and creativity. The fact that you are reading this is proof that your higher “thinking” brain is in charge at this very moment. But if something were to frighten you, for example if there was a loud, persistent banging at the door and you heard people yelling right now, you would likely stop reading this as your amygdala sent out urgent signals throughout your body, flooding you with energizing chemicals and causing you to be more alert and ready to respond to the potential danger at hand. Next, the brain would instantly search itself for appropriate responses to the threat while other forms of higher thought, reasoning and creativity take a back seat. If the need were to arise, an action of fight or flight could be carried out immediately and automatically, without you even pausing to think about it.
These kinds of responses are extremely useful and could even save your life. However, this same lack of higher thinking in less life-threatening situations can cause you to behave in reflexive, irrational ways, essentially making you a hostage to your emotional brain. With your thinking brain overpowered by your emotional brain, you can easily be left confused by some of your own responses to situations, circumstances and even certain people.
The How to of Tapping
In the basic Tapping technique, you focus on what is distressing you – the negative emotion – a fear, a memory, an event, a symptom. While “tuning into” this target issue, you use your fingertips to lightly tap 5-7 times on each of the 9 specific meridian points of the head and body. As you tap on each point, state in one sentence or phrase what the problem is. For example, “My fear of heights.”
Tapping on the meridian points in sequence while focusing on the negative emotion will both access the body’s energy system and engage the brain’s emotional system. Scientific studies have suggested that this precise pairing of mental and physical activity sends a calming signal to the amygdala, reduces the hyperarousal that accompanies negative or unwanted emotions and instills a sense of safety in the body itself. For more information about EFT Tapping, including current research, visit www.thescienceoftapping.org
Tap into your body’s
natural calming response!
The calming signal initiated by tapping on meridian endpoints interrupts the fight, flight, freeze response and turns on the relaxation response. Emotional states of self-doubt and limiting thoughts and beliefs create negative responses in the body. Very often, people are not aware of what is going on in their body. They are alienated from bodily sensations by a cascade of events that begins deep in the brain and frequently cannot describe their own physical sensations. In the long run, they become quite good at self-numbing, using food, exercise, work or substances to mute their physical discomfort. EFT Tapping is an extremely efficient and effective way to address what is happening in your mind and body so that you can take charge of your life with greater ease and purpose.
“Catherine is an incredible person, and practitioner. She guides intuitively, is very understanding, and has a great sense of humor. I’m so glad that I embarked on this VIP journey, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for and willing to embrace change for the better!”
– L.L., NY Metro area