If you have never heard of EFT tapping before, you are not alone. When I first came across it, I felt sceptical too. But it is one of the most beneficial tools I have ever encountered. It completely changed the way I relate to my own emotions and my body. It allowed me not only to notice my emotions but also to bring them to the surface, recognise the story I was telling myself, reframe it, and let them pass through. Powerful!
So what exactly is it?
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques. It is sometimes called tapping because that is essentially what you do. You use your fingertips to gently tap specific acupressure points on your face and body while focusing on whatever comes up for you.
How does it work?
When we experience stress, anxiety, fear or emotional pain, our nervous system goes into a state of threat. Our body doesn't know the difference between a real danger and a thought or memory that feels dangerous. Tapping sends a calming signal directly to the part of the brain responsible for that stress response, telling it that it is safe to be acknowledged and stand down.
What makes EFT so unique is that it works on both the mind and the body at the same time. You are not just talking about a problem; you are processing it through your body too, ensuring the whole system is on board. This is why people often feel a noticeable shift quite quickly, sometimes within a single session.
One of the things I find incredible about tapping is what happens when we slow down enough to really listen. As we tap, the body begins to speak. Our intuition surfaces. We start to notice the story we have been telling ourselves, often one we didn't even know was there. One feeling or memory gently leads to another, like a thread being pulled. Old memories that had been sitting quietly beneath the surface begin to come forward, not to overwhelm you, but to finally be seen, heard and released. It is as if the body has been waiting for permission to let go.
What can it help with?
EFT has been used to support people with anxiety, stress, self-doubt, trauma, grief, limiting beliefs, phobias and so much more. Research into EFT is growing and the results are genuinely impressive. Research by Dr Peta Stapleton found that a single EFT session reduced cortisol levels by over 43%, producing real, measurable changes in the body's stress response. In a world-first study using MRI brain scans, Dr Stapleton found that EFT physically changes the brain's neural pathways, while the control group, who received no tapping, showed no change at all.
But beyond the science, what I see in my sessions is people leaving feeling lighter, clearer and more at ease in themselves.
What does a session actually look like?
In our sessions together, we start by identifying what is coming up for you. We then tap through a sequence of points while speaking honestly about how you are feeling. You don't need to have it all figured out beforehand. Often the most powerful shifts happen when we simply allow what is there to be there and tap through it together.
Is it really that simple?
It can feel almost too simple at first. Tapping on your face while saying out loud how you feel? It sounds unusual, I know. But that is exactly what makes it so accessible. You can do it anywhere, any time, and once you learn the points, you are walking away with a tool for life.