Tap Therapy or “tapping”, also known as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is an alternative therapy form that helps balance energy and reduce physical and emotional pain. It can help combat stress, anxiety, PTSD, depression and chronic pain.
How does Tapping work?
Similar to acupuncture, targeting certain areas of the body may hold pent up tensions and/or energy, tapping provides a less invasive option. By stimulating these pressure points through a repetitive tapping with your fingertips, you can soothe the stress and memory centers of your brain, which in turn would help the regulation of decision making and stress responses. There are 12 major meridians that mirror each side of the body and correspond to an internal organ. However, EFT mainly focuses on these nine in this order:
- Karate chop (KC): small intestine meridian
- Top of head (TH): governing vessel
- Eyebrow (EB): bladder meridian
- Side of the eye (SE): gallbladder meridian
- Under the eye (UE): stomach meridian
- Under the nose (UN): governing vessel
- Chin (Ch): central vessel
- Beginning of the collarbone (CB): kidney meridian
- Under the arm (UA): spleen meridian
How to Practice EFT
- Identify the Issue: Uncover a problem that you’d like to relieve, focusing on one issue at a time per session.
- Identify the Issue’s Intensity: Give the Issue a Numerical Value 0-10 of how intense the issue is. 1 being the least intense this issue has been for you, 10 being the most intense this issue has been for you.
- Preparing to Begin your Tap Session: Choose a simple phrase which acknowledges the issue pairing and colluding it with self-acceptance despite the issue. For example: In hopes of easing tightness in the chest, along with anxiety, a good phrase may be, “I feel anxious about a mistake I made at work yesterday, but I completely accept myself!”
- The Tap Session Sequencing: You will gently tap, with minimal pressure (you do not need much), ensuring to tap each spot 3-5 times. While repeating the issue-portion of your set-up phrase as a reminder. For instance: While tapping, you would repeat, “Anxiety about my mistakes,” thus releasing the tensions of that issue.
- Identify the Issue’s Intensity Post-Session: Re-evaluate the issue’s intensity, comparing the numerical values pre & post session. If the issue is still too intense, repeat this as many times as needed until the numerical value plateaus or reaches 0.
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Identify the Issue’s Intensity Post-Session: Re-evaluate the issue’s intensity, comparing the numerical values pre & post session. If the issue is still too intense, repeat this as many times as needed until the numerical value plateaus or reaches 0.
Pairing Tap Therapy with Crystal Healing
The above technique can be paired with crystal healing techniques. The crystals for this pairing are smaller, smoother stones which will be comfortable while holding to the areas in the sequence. Instead of using the tips of your fingers, you will place, and gently tap a small, smooth crystal of your choosing, while you recite your set-up phrase. Essentially, you are doing the same process, but using the crystal to amplify certain aspects of the therapy.
There is no perfect crystal to pair with EFT, as your intuition and knowledge would likely guide you toward the best option for you at any given time, however, some crystals that are fairly universal and easy to work with are:
Try a set-up phrase like: “I have experienced traumatic events in my life, but I love and accept myself completely.”
2. Amethyst: For enhancing the immune system, reducing headaches, regulating hormones.
A set-up phrase for an Amethyst Tap Session may be: “Even though my immune system has been weak, I accept my body and deeply love myself.”
For Clear Quartz, your set-up phrase could be something like: “Although I’ve been emotional lately, I accept my feelings and know I am a good person.”
A Rose-Quartz set-up phrase could look like: “Even though I have felt out-of-balance, I love myself deeply and completely!”
Written by Brianna Colon for Good Juu Juu
