5-Step EFT Tapping for Anxiety

With stress on the rise for both kids and adults, we all need tools that can reduce it that work effectively and are natural. EFT tapping is an evidence-based therapy that can quickly reduce anxious thoughts and sensations. 

What is Tapping?

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is an evidence-based alternative healing method for reducing stress and anxiety. It is based on shared principles between ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology.

It is a simple technique that uses tapping along meridians combined with statements that disarm negative thought patterns and beliefs. 

Using your fingertips, you can tap your face, head, and neck while relaxing and focusing on addressing a specific discomfort to reduce stress and anxiety.

Clinical trials around the world have shown EFT to decrease the presence of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. This applies to all gender and ages. It is definitely suitable for calming down school-age children who are having anxiety in the classroom. 

Compounded stressors can easily build and lead to clinical mental health issues. There is a need for mental health solutions besides psychiatric medications and talk therapy and EFT has been shown to reduce symptoms in several mental health conditions.

Stress Leads to More Serious Health Problems

World Health Organization (WHO) considers stress the health epidemic of the 21st century. It is linked to weight gain, sleep problems, lack of motivation, chronic pain, and stomach issues. 

The pandemic most certainly has increased stress amongst families as parenting just became so much harder. 

Excessive stress can develop into chronic mental disorders such as anxiety disorders or depression. Once the nervous system goes into a “rev state”, it gets stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, there has to be a physical or mental impact. The body and brain can't live in overdrive, yet we think we can. 

The study of the impact of stress on the immune system, psychoimmunology, shows us that stress lowers your body's ability to fight off infection and makes you susceptible to illness. However, by learning how to tap into your body's stress-relieving mechanisms, you can lower your stress levels and boost your immune system.

So How Does EFT Work?

The EFT Tapping technique is an extraordinary way to focus on and release negative emotions because it is simple, accessible, and effective.

EFT can help reduce fears, worries, or any unresolved problems without the use of psychiatric medication and just about anyone can do it. To use this technique, simply tap in rounds of three on nine specific meridian points in the body while focusing on negative emotion. This process is repeated until stressful thoughts and sensations are reduced. This will release anxious feelings and get you on your way to resolving the issue holding you back. 

Tapping on energy pathways releases feel-good chemicals in the brain, which reduce anxiety levels, so a few minutes of tapping can relax you in a stressful situation. We always think that there is only one way to impact neurotransmitters but there are many techniques and lifestyle hacks that can impact how our neurotransmitters work. 

Meridian points are like emergency brakes for the brain. Tapping them sends a message to the brain that everything is okay and it can relax. This can be helpful when we get bad news or start to worry about something in the future. They can also be a powerful way to release stress that is held in the body that creates physical tension and pain.

Fight or Flight Response

When someone cuts you off the highway, and you have to swerve to avoid a collision, your body's natural fight, flight, or freeze response is triggered. This is your sympathetic nervous system's reaction to danger and was designed to help you survive emotional distress and life-threatening situations.

The stress response is triggered by the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for detecting and responding to threats. When the amygdala detects a threat, it sends a signal to the hypothalamus, which triggers the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream. This “fight-or-flight” response is the body's natural reaction to perceived danger. In some cases, the body “freezes” or shuts down in response to danger.

The problem is, our amygdala takes charge way more often than we want in these stressful times.

As hunter-gatherers, humans developed the fight or flee response to survive real-life danger. The same strength becomes a weakness when you want to feel confident and collected during high-stakes meetings. We no longer have to fight or flee but negotiate and compromise. 

However, our bodies have not fully adapted to modern times where stress is all around us.There are no tigers in the woods, yet your body is still prepared for combat. And once in this “rev state” unless you counter that stress, the body gets stuck in overdrive. 

That is when stress turns into clinical conditions such as anxiety, OCD, depression, and physical issues such as autoimmune diseases.

There are many ways being in a sympathetic dominant overdrive shows up,  but when we are fight or flight, behaviors and symptoms can be difficult to get under control.

• Blunt physical pain response is compromised
• Dilated pupils
• Memories can be affected
• Pale or flushed skin
• Rapid heart rate and blood pressure increase
• You're on the edge
• You're tense or trembling
• Your bladder might be affected

EFT Lowers Stress 

If you're feeling stressed, try tapping on these pressure points to reduce uncomfortable sensations and negative thoughts. It leans on the same principles as acupressure and can help your mind understand that there is no physical danger. This lowers your cortisol levels and allows you to physically relax. 

Acupressure is a 5,000-year-old Chinese healing method that involves breaking up the energy blockages in your body. 

The same meridian points acupuncturists use to heal pain and reduce stress are also used in EFT, but tapping those acupressure points on yourself can be easily done at home. 

Thinking of the stressful situation while tapping the relevant points makes the brain understand that it is safe to relax and that any danger is only a perceived threat.

Tapping allows you to live your life in a new way without being so tied to negative ruminations. The process brings a greater sense of ease and balance.

Chinese Medicine and Stress 

Stress impacts all aspects of your health. Studies show that stress weakens your immune system, making you more vulnerable to infections and disease states. 

No one is immune to stress and it affects everyone's brain and body. We especially need to be especially concerned about how stress affects the developing brain of children. Fortunately, there are effective ways to reduce stress and improve your overall well-being.

EFT is grounded in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) principles. Tapping restores the balance between yin and yang, and fosters the flow of qi, which balances the nervous system.

Research in the field of psychoimmunology shows us that disturbances in the Yin-Yang dynamical balance may result in stress, inflammation, and clinical issues including anxiety, insomnia, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, skin disorders, and cancer (Yan, 2018).

It is clear that stress affects how our brain and body functions and there is a relationship between compounded stressors and chronic disease states, such as Lyme Disease, autoimmune disease, and mental health conditions. “At the molecular and cellular levels, the imbalances in the cytokine pathways, mitochondria networks, redox systems, and various signaling pathways may contribute to systemic inflammation” (Yan, 1018). 

The relationship between inflammation in the body and brain has long been established. Stress impacts both inflammation and the health of our microbiome, both of which impact mental health. Lifestyle factors such as nutrition, exercise and stress management can have a hugely positive impact on mental wellness.

The simple technique of EFT Tapping that combines the ancient wisdom of the body's acupressure points with modern psychology techniques helps restore your body's natural state of balance by allowing your body to create antibodies that fight off antigens more efficiently, as well as reduce stress.

Is There Scientific Evidence of Tapping's Effectiveness?

Years of clinical trials and sharing information have produced evidence on the effectiveness of tapping in achieving lasting change. EFT is gaining popularity as more and more people experience its benefits firsthand. 

We've collected quite a few of these research studies, and here are a few noteworthy findings:

Tapping regulates the nervous system and boosts the immune system by easing the body into a state of relaxation. The nervous system and immune system work together to keep the body in a state of balance. Putting the nervous system in a parasympathetic response allows the immune, digestive, reproductive, and endocrine systems to function properly. 

Reducing stress also regulates cortisol levels in the body. This reduction boosts your body's ability to fight inflammation and powers your immune system.

Traditionally, doctors have used talk therapy and medication to lower cortisol levels in the body. 

In 2012, Dr. Dawson Church published a Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease study that found EFT Tapping more effective than traditional talk therapy or resting in reducing stress hormones like cortisol.