Frequently Asked Questions About EFT Tapping
Question: Do I need to tap on the exact points?
Answer:No. You can tap near the points and you will still get results.
Basically instead of needles oh, you are using your fingertips to tab on the acupuncture points. Your fingertips touch a bigger area than the needle. And so you are bound to tap on the exact acupuncture point because you are covering a larger area. So do not worry too much about this issue.
Question: Why do I feel tired and sleepy after tapping and why do I yawn a lot?
Answer: When you are tapping on your meridian points, you are clearing energy (or bottled emotions )blockages. As these emotional blockages get cleared, your stress levels reduce. The muscles in your body begin to relax. The energy flows smoother. Your system begins to relax and calm down. This relaxed and release state may induce sleepiness.
It’s like when you get a massage, your body relaxes and you feel relaxed and sleepy.
You may also find yourself yawning. This is because the energy blockages get cleared and the energy in your body continues to move around and rebalance itself.
In EFT Tapping, yawning is a good sign of a release of the blocked energy.
Question: Why does EFT Focus so much on the negative rather than positive ?
Answer: This is something that really puzzles a lot of people, especially newcomers to EFT.
I loved what Louise Hays had to say about this when interviewed by Nick Ortner of The Tapping Solution. She basically said, “you can’t clear what you can’t see”.
If you don’t see the problem, how do you clear it?
Truth is it’s not about focussing on the negative, it’s about acknowledging or becoming aware that the dirt is there. That there is a problem. And then clearing it.
It’s a bit like, you want to have a clean and neat house with happy fresh energy. Just decorating your house with fancy things will not create that happy energy. You will need to clean the rooms, collect the trash on the floor, dust the furniture etc. If you don’t see and collect the dirt, you can’t trash it out. And just decorating the room with fancy furniture and decor will not bring the fresh harmonious positive vibe. Why? Because soon the stench of the crap you’ve hidden or not acknowledged will spread into your space, your life and create misery.
So the EFT technique doesn’t focus on the negative, it acknowledges that the negative exists and then clears it with the tapping process.
Question: Can you tap while you’re on medications?
Answer: Yes you can.
EFT can work well with medical prescriptions. I was on medications when I started Tapping. By combining the medication with the tapping you are enhancing your healing healing process.
I remember a client who was diagnosed with manic depressive disorder. She was on prescription medicine by her psychiatrist. At the same time we were working on letting go of all kinds of emotional baggage all the way from childhood. She was eventually free of her manic depressive disorder with the combined treatments.
Note: It is important to keep your doctor informed about the different therapies you are using.
Question: Does EFT Tapping always work?
Answer: I wish I could say Yes.
But we all know that we can never say any therapy works all the time with 100% guarantee. For example, acupuncture works great for some people. For me it didn’t shift anything significantly even after 10 to 15 sessions.
I have clients who come to me after they have tried all kinds of therapies- physiotherapy, cranio sacral therapy, Reiki, Bioresonance, ultrasound therapy, homeopathy, ayurvedic herbs etc..
So while each treatment and therapy has amazing results most of the time, there is no 100% guarantee for anything.
Question: Do I need expert help with EFT Tapping?
Answer: EFT is a people’s tool. It can be easily learned and practiced by anyone effectively if you learn the basics. Also, there are tons of free videos on YouTube on a wide range of topics that you can try too to help yourself.
But here are some scenarios where you may want to reach for expert support:
- If you’re feeling stuck after trying different ways to use EFT Tapping on your own. An expert will be able to get to those root issues and help speed the healing process.
- Sometimes you are so close to your issues. They are right there, but you are so used to them, you miss seeing them as a problem. In these cases getting expert advice is a good idea.
- If you find you are postponing or procrastinating working on your issues, because you feel overwhelmed, you may want to consider working with an expert.
- If you are trying to deal with intense emotional issues, traumas and don’t feel safe accessing those issues, you definitely want to get help.
- If you want to be on a faster track to overcoming your issues it is best to work with an expert.
Question: What can I do when EFT tapping isn’t working effectively?
Answer: If you are just beginning to use EFT, try using it for simple issues. You have to have a more thorough knowledge and practice using EFT to address the complex problems. It is best to work with an experienced practitioner for old, complex, chronic issues.
It would help to do some EFT training to learn it thoroughly and learn the tips and tricks to work around the roadblocks to success for your issues. You can learn EFT here https://www.efttappingtraining.com/ or here
https://www.eftuniverse.com/tutorial/learn-eft-tapping-the-right-way
Or you can google and see more websites that offer EFT Training too!
Question: I feel weird saying, ‘I love and accept myself’… because it doesn’t feel true many times. How do I work around this?
Answer: Many people feel this way. You can definitely use other statements like:
Even though…I choose to….
Even though…I am open to…
By saying “I choose to”, or “I’m open to”, you are consciously choosing to feel differently, even though you don’t feel it in the moment. So you are stating a desire about how you wish to feel instead of what you are feeling currently. This way you are not forcing yourself to say something you don’t resonate with.
Question: Can I do EFT remotely to help family members?
Answer: Yes you can. In EFT we have something we call “surrogate tapping.” Surrogate EFT Tapping is about using EFT on your own tapping points, for another person’s issues. So in ‘Surrogate Tapping’, you put yourself in the other person’s shoes – imagining yourself to be in the same situation as them, and tap on yourself, on their behalf.
Surrogate Tapping is based on the principle that we are all connected at an energetic level. So when you tap on yourself for someone else, you are essentially creating energetic shifts in their reality too. I know it sounds woo woo, but anything is worth trying if you want to help your loved ones Isn’t it?
Also if you read the book Zero Limits, by Dr.Joe Vitale, you will see the miraculous story of the Hawaii healer who healed an entire ward of mentally sick criminals in a hospital never meeting them, just doing the healing on himself.
Anything is possible, if you are open and willing. I truly believe this.
Question: I don’t have any issues that I’m aware of. Can I still benefit from using EFT?
Answer: Yes indeed. If you do not have any obvious issues currently, here is what you can do to ensure great mental and emotional health and your overall well being.
Life happens everyday. Each day you may experience a gamut of emotions- frustrations, irritations, regret, guilt, anger etc. as you move through the day. To ensure you don’t take all these feelings with you into your next day, next week, next month etc..you can do ‘Daily Cleaning.’. For details you can read the chapter on Daily Cleaning For Peace & Clarity.
So before you head to bed, make a ‘Today’s movie’ of your day. As you watch it in your mind, see which parts of the day stressed you today- who irritated you? what angered you?, what overwhelmed you? Etc. Tap on it. You want to keep tapping till when you watch that ‘today movie’ and you feel ok with all parts of it.
Just like you trash out the garbage daily, you can do the same with the mental and emotional garbage. Trash it out. You can wake up with peace and sleep in peace and move forward in life feeling light, free, focussed and productive.
Question: My child has allergy problems, how do I tap?
Answer: To use EFT Tapping for an allergy you can do try the following:-
- Tap on the physical symptom itself. “Even though I have this allergy….”
- Tap on how you feel about the symptom- “Even though I feel frustrated…”
- Tap on any fears you have about the symptom- “Even though I fear that this allergy will impact my work, relationships etc.”
- Tap on any limiting beliefs you have about the symptom- “Even though I believe I’m stuck with this allergy…:
- Apart from the symptom, you can tap on any current stress you/your child has in his/her life at the moment. “Even though I am stressed about school work, friends etc….” Daily life stressors are negative contributors to your symptoms.
You can use these 5 ways to address any symptom really. As you keep tapping consistently you will begin to see a shift in your symptoms. They will become less intense.
Question: Can I tap others?
Answer: Yes absolutely. You can tap others as they tune in to what’s stressing them- physically or emotionally. You can ask for their permission to tap on them- whether the person is an adult or a child.
EFT is such a wonderful tool to use with family, children, loved ones, friends, colleagues and anyone who is open to it.
I have been tapping for my children since the age they were 5 and 6 years old.
Question: I feel more anxiety after tapping. Should I stop? Or keep tapping?
Answer: Some increase in anxiety is common, because you’re bringing up pent up emotions and raking up not-so-happy memories to clear using Tapping. If you continue to tap on all that still feels bad (anxiety-inducing), emotions calm down and you feel better. If, however, you feel that anxiety is getting out of hand, then there might be something else going on as well. Perhaps give Tapping a break in that case until you start to feel better.
Question: Is there actual science behind EFT Tapping
Answer: While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that tapping is effective, there is also scientific evidence to back it up. You can find much of it here.
EFT has been endorsed by renowned and respected scientists like Dr.Bruce Lipton, Dr.Joseph Mercola, Dr.Deepak Chopra and many more.
Question: How often/long can I/should I tap?
Answer: If you have a chronic issue, I suggest you tap whenever you become aware of the physical discomfort. It’s best to tap in the moment you feel your discomfort. If that is not possible due to whatever reasons, tap whenever you can, several times a day. Keep tapping till you notice a significant shift in the pain/ discomfort intensity.
If you do not have any issue, it’s a good idea to add tapping into your daily routine. Just like your daily physical hygiene routine of taking a shower, brushing your teeth, you can add an ‘emotional, mental shower routine’ by tapping away your daily mental, emotional stresses. This way you don’t carry the emotional and mental dirt and debris from yesterday into the next day. This way you can stay clear minded and at peace as you step into your day and be more effective and productive too.
Question: Which hand should I use while tapping?
Answer: Feel free to tap with your right hand, left hand or both. I often tap with both hands at the same time, or switch back and forth. Experiment and see what feels best for you. And if you feel compelled to stay tapping on one point for a while, go with that instinct.
Question: I want to be a practitioner. Do you offer a certification program?
Answer: I practice EFT to help and empower others, but I do not offer professional EFT Training programs. I would recommend you check out www.eftuniverse.com or www.eftinternational.org . You can also always google and find a program that seems like a good fit for you.
Question: Is EFT safe for kids?
Answer: In my experience, EFT is safe for everyone. I have been using it with my kids since they were 5 and 6 years of age.
If your kids have any medical issues, you should consult with your doctor.
Question: Why is your work online? Don’t you need to see clients in person for EFT to work effectively?
Answer: My work is mostly online. You don’t have to be with a person physically to help resolve their issues. It does not make a difference in the effectiveness of getting results.
Thanks to all the advancements in technology, I work with clients online using video, so you get to feel that connection. Also I am able to record the video online sessions so the client is able to view over and over again the tapping session and have access to it for good and keep tapping along with it.There are many benefits to working online.
- No time spent on travel
- No t money spent on travel expenses
- Instant access to support
- Instant relief in the comfort of your own place
Some people, however, prefer in-person sessions, given a choice. I understand that some people feel more comfortable being physically present. I get it.
However, in my humble opinion, it is more important to find an accomplished practitioner with whom you resonate, than to simply find someone who is physically close by.
Question: Why do I have to keep using the 0-10 SUDS scale when I tap?
SUDS stands for Subjective Units of Distress Scale.
The reason it is important to know your distress intensity level is so you’ll know where you are and where you need to go. Once you do the tapping you will know if your intensity shifted? How much? And if you need to keep tapping to bring the intensity further down.
Also, in the case that the intensity is not coming down, you will know you are stumbling against some inner blocks that you need to get around. So the SUD scale is your guide to healing your issue. It’s your progress assessment tool.
The goal of using EFT is not just to ‘feel a bit better’ but to resolve the issues completely, as far as possible. You want to keep going until you can say for certain that you’re at a zero ideally. If you get to a zero on the event, issue, pain or whatever, it’s unlikely it will return. To make sure that you’ve really neutralized the problem, test yourself by trying to get upset. Revisit the issue, even the formally painful aspects and see if the intensity rises at all. If it does, you still have some work left to do.
Keep checking in with The SUDs rating several times when you are trying working on healing/clearing an issue.
Question: If I have multiple issues what do I tap on?
Answer: You can tap on what is called your MPI or your Most Pressing Issue.
Once the most pressing issue doesn’t bother you (check your SUDS intensity before and after the tapping and ensure it is below a 2 or ideally a 0), then go to the next ‘most pressing issue’ and so on.
Often when you address the thing that is bringing you the maximum discomfort and significantly reduce the intensity, other issues tend not to bother as much as well.
Question: Can I use EFT for ______? (fill in the blank)
Answer: The founder of EFT, Gary Craig encourages you to Try It On Everything! And that is what I’d recommend to you. You won’t know if you don’t try it?
When I was diagnosed with Costochondritis, I didn’t know if EFT could help. As I healed the emotional and mental pain, I was also able to be free of Costochondritis.
So give it a go, no matter what the issue is and see what happens. It might work, and that’s wonderful. It might not, and there is no harm either. So there is a lot to gain and nothing to lose.
Got more questions on EFT Tapping? Feel free to email me: shalini@eftthailand.com