EFT Tapping for Anxiety

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a practical and powerful tool for managing stress, lowering anxiety, and improving mood.

In general, there are two versions of EFT tapping. The self-care version is a technique that can be learned quickly and used at home, the workplace, a concert, the grocery store, a party, and more—wherever life happens and your anxiety comes up. An advanced clinical form of EFT tapping is provided by a trained professional in a private 1:1 session or group session.

When the self-care version is learned and used regularly, it can be a powerful addition to your toolbox of coping skills. For some clients who've blended it into their daily routine, just starting to tap begins to lower their anxiety, helping them to manage, feel better, or make better choices to live in the moment.

What's Anxiety?

In general, anxiety is an experience that can make you feel worried, nervous, or afraid. Whole books have been written about anxiety and it's different forms. This very short paragraph will cover the common features that most experience. And it's not comprehensive. For some, it feels like you have a constant knot in your stomach. For others, it can feel like you're always on edge. Anxiety is made up of thoughts and feelings that don't make you feel so good. Anxiety can impact the way you feel, think and act. Whether it's about work, school, friends, or the future, these thoughts and feelings of anxiety can make life feel frightening.

The Basics of EFT Tapping

EFT tapping is a straightforward self-care technique that combines gently tapping on specific points of your body while saying thoughts, feelings, and positive affirmations out loud. It's a simple process that you can do when stressed, nervous, on edge, or fearful. And, don't let the word simple mean not effective.

It calms your nervous system, like gently massage your mind and body to release tension and relax. By tapping on these points while acknowledging your feelings, you can help your body and mind unwind. It's worth noting that this technique may only be for some. Most clients have found it very powerful here at Mind Body Well Therapy, while others haven't. And that's fine. Not all self-care techniques work for everyone. We're all unique and different.

Benefits of EFT Tapping for Anxiety

For most people, it reduces cortisol levels because it helps decrease stress and anxiety. It can improve a better sense of wellbeing. It's been shown to improve sleep for some. Generally, it increases good feelings and cultivates a better sense of wellbeing. It can help a person to manage their anxiety instead of being at the mercy of it. These benefits are well-researched too. Here's a list collected by the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP). Download it here.

Ready to give EFT Tapping a try?

Basic Steps of EFT. Here's how you do it:

1. Identify one specific concern or worry. Pick something small to start.
2. Rate how intense your anxiety is on a scale. Use a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the most intense.
3. Choose a simple phrase to express your feelings and affirm something positive about yourself. Something positive that you believe. Here's a format: "Even though I feel ______ [insert feeling like anxious, worried, concerned], I deeply and completely accept myself [or I'm doing the best I can, etc]."
4. Bring your hands together as if you're holding the base of a soup bowl so they're in a cup-like position. Where your hands meet are at the sides. Tap the sides of your hands together while repeating your simple statement several times.
5. Tap gently on each point in the sequence below. Take slow, deep breaths as you tap.

• Top of head
• Inside the corner of your eyebrow
• Outside corner of your eyebrow
• Under your eye
• Above your lip
• Below your lip
• Under your collarbone
• Under your arm
• The corners of your fingers where your nail meets your nail bed

After several rounds of tapping the list of points above, check in with yourself. What do you notice? How do you feel? Any changes? Repeat the process until you feel calmer and more relaxed.

Integrating EFT Tapping Into Your Day

Begin exploring EFT tapping during the day when minor things come up. Thirty seconds here or 1 - 2 minutes at another time are easy and gentle ways to start. They're also good ways to notice how you feel before and after. Build up to trying it out when you're not feeling well, are stuck and can't move forward, or feel like you are in a swirl of worry. Eventually, you can build up to setting aside a few minutes each day for tapping sessions. Like eating good food, exercising, and socializing with people who care about you, having downtime for yourself is restorative, even if it's a few minutes each down. EFT doesn't take much time. And the mental space you can gain from it is enormous. Experiment with different times during the day and see what happens.

EFT tapping is a gentle way to manage anxiety and a path to cultivating improved mental wellness. Learning to tap, then practicing, and integrating it into your daily life can help you take anxiety out of the driver's seat and put you back in. The power is in your hands—literally. Reducing anxiety with the right tools that work for you is possible. EFT can be a valuable tool for improving your mental health and wellbeing.

Finding Professional Support

Tapping can be a powerful and helpful self-care tool. However, it's not a replacement for professional support if you're struggling with severe or persistent anxiety. Everyone's journey to mental wellness is unique. Collaboratively working with a healthcare professional can provide personalized support tailored to your needs. Does anxiety affect you more often than not? Let you primary healthcare provider know. And reach out for help from a professional. Sometimes, psychotherapy and/or medication may be necessary.

Next Steps

At Mind Body Well Therapy, Pllc, EFT Tapping for anxiety complements the holistic psychotherapy and counseling services our highly sensitive clients receive. Using a more advanced clinical form of EFT Tapping when therapeutically warranted, clients take better care of their mental health and cultivate their emotional wellbeing.

Reach out. Let's have a conversation about how EFT Tapping for anxiety may serve you on your journey towards better mental health and wellbeing.

Explore whether holistic therapy, EEG brain training, or KAP ketamine-assisted psychotherapy right for you. Reach out for a no-charge consult.

Lucrezia Mangione works to lift up anxious, highly sensitive women in discovering how to fine-tune their focus and attention, feel shielded from other people’s needs, and discover the strengths of being sensitive so that they stay steady amid the busyness, feel calm and more spacious, have more peace of mind to live and work on their own terms. Lucrezia Mangione is a board certified licensed professional counselor, board certified telemental health provider, neurofeedback trainer, KAP ketamine-assisted psychotherapy therapist and approved counselor supervisor. She is the owner of Mind Body Well Therapy, Pllc, a private practice.