For those who haven’t come across this term before, tapping is an emotional freedom technique (EFT) designed to aid in reducing stress, treating depression and anxiety, and helping us to manage our mental health. Tapping is similar to acupuncture without using needles, otherwise known as acupressure. Acupressure techniques focus on the body’s “meridian points” or focal points for energy which are said to help balance the energy in your body. This practice finds its roots throughout thousands of years of history and needles fashioned from stone and bone believed to be used for acupuncture treatment have been found dating back to 6000BC.
Tapping draws on these thousands of years of history and gained fame in the 1970s when doctors began attempting to relieve stress and phobias by stimulating the meridian points. This treatment was first patented by Dr Roger Callahan under the name Thought Field Therapy (TFT) but was later simplified and brought into the public domain by engineer Gary Craig.
The meridian points are best thought of as junctions in the network of energy that runs throughout your body and by stimulating these points, through puncture or pressure, we release blockages and improve the flow of energy. Tapping is also a body focused therapy which occupies your mind and sends signals to the brain to ease the fight or flight response. In this way, tapping can be used to treat anxiety and depression by calming this instinct to prepare for battle or run away without turning back.
Working with a practitioner is much more in depth than performing tapping on your own meridian points, and with a dedicated course of therapy we can begin to address to root causes of depression and begin unravelling the negative neural pathways we have reinforced over time due to our trauma.
Tapping can be tried for free at home, there are many guides available online and body maps showing you exactly where the pathways of energy run and where your meridian points lie. But nothing beats the experience of a professional! Once you have found success easing the symptoms of your depression or anxiety, use a trained EFT therapist to help you begin to address the roots of your condition and start to let go of your past traumas.