What is the Emotional Freedom Technique
(EFT or "tapping)?

EFT (or "tapping") is a heart-opening therapy that feels like a massage for the nervous system and the emotional landscape of the body.

EFT falls under the category of somatic therapy. The practice involves gently tapping on specific acupressure meridian endpoints while I guide you through a series of call-and-response statements, visualizations, and breath work. We don't just talk things out, we stimulate the body and energetic system simultaneously. We anchor the practice in love, acceptance, and empathy. These help us to dissolve a lot of our resistance to ourselves and the situations that cause emotional charge in our system.

The experience is designed to help you release and discharge built-up emotional tension. It combines principles of modern psychology with the ancient wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine. It is a holistic approach to emotional well-being that targets stress, anxiety, overwhelm, fear, and grief, and even emotional numbness.

By engaging both the mind and body, EFT promotes emotional regulation, a calm nervous system, and harmony with oneself and the universe. One of my favorite things about EFT is that it also supports manifesting. We use law of attraction, but not to grip onto the ego's desires or bypass our emotional state. Rather, we calibrate our emotions so that we can shift our emotional frequency, match it to the frequency of our heart's desires, and allow life-force to flow through us. Many people find it not only relieving but also empowering, as it equips them with tools for emotional mastery. Instead of coping in damaging ways, EFT supports you in healing so that the integrity and wholeness that already lives inside you can emerge.

The Science

Modern science also helps explain why Tapping works. Modern research increasingly confirms what holistic traditions have long understood: the body and mind are deeply interconnected. In When the Body Says No, physician and researcher Dr. Gabor Maté explores how chronic stress, unresolved emotional trauma, and suppressed feelings can directly contribute to illness. When the nervous system remains in a prolonged state of fight, flight, or freeze, stress hormones such as cortisol are continuously released. Over time, this dysregulation weakens the immune system and interferes with the body’s natural ability to repair and protect itself.

The field of Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) studies how our thoughts and emotions influence the nervous and immune systems. Research led by Dr. Candace Pert revealed that emotions directly affect the body through neuropeptides and their receptors. Chronic stress and unresolved emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, and anxiety can weaken the immune system and contribute to illness. Tapping supports health by helping release these emotional stressors, creating greater balance and resilience in the body.

At the heart of an effective Tapping practice is love and compassion. Many of the reactive patterns we experience are rooted in unresolved fear. When fear remains stored in the system, it can shape our relationships, careers, self-expression, and overall well-being. Tapping creates a safe, loving space to meet these fears with awareness rather than resistance. Through this process, fear softens, the body relaxes, and healing becomes possible—allowing us to reconnect with a deeper sense of ease, clarity, and self-acceptance.

Uses

This technique has been applied to a wide range of challenges, from everyday stress and anxiety to chronic pain, weight issues, and deeply rooted trauma. Research and clinical use have shown Tapping to be particularly effective in reducing symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It has been used with survivors of natural disasters, car accidents, sexual abuse, and war veterans. By gently clearing trauma stored in the body, the nervous system can rebalance, allowing emotional, mental, and physical healing to occur.

Benefits

EFT tapping offers a gentle yet profound way to release emotional tension, allowing you to find relief without overwhelming your system. As you engage in this practice, it helps to neutralize disruptive emotions, creating a sense of balance and calm.

By raising your current emotional frequency, EFT empowers you to connect with a more positive state of being. This process often leads to new insights about yourself and your life, unveiling perspectives that may have previously eluded you.

Through regular practice, you cultivate self-acceptance and learn to embrace even the most challenging situations with grace. It works to eliminate limiting fears, such as the fear of failure and self-doubt, helping you break free from the mental barriers that hold you back.

EFT fosters a sense of self-esteem and self-love, nurturing a deeper connection with yourself. It also provides a valuable tool for processing old trauma, including PTSD and complex PTSD, offering a path toward healing and recovery.

As a form of somatic work, EFT is accessible from the comfort of your home, allowing you to take charge of your emotional well-being at your own pace. This approach helps to eliminate the blockages that may be hindering you from stepping into your best future and becoming the most empowered version of yourself.

Cons

The cons include:

1. Discomfort or apprehension about reaching catharsis

Remember: A cathartic experience is not always guaranteed, but when you're ready to, you will reach it. Just remember that catharsis means "to release emotional tension (usually by music or art)." In tapping, the release of tension results from a ton of love and acceptance.

2. Limitations on how deep you go

Remember: Tapping does not exceed what your mind and heart are ready to handle. Our psyche will protect us. If you're resisting going into emotional places you're not thrilled about revisiting, or you're feeling numb, it's OK, I've been there. I can say that tapping does not have to "go deep" to be effective. Shallow dives will still offer stimulation just as acupuncture would on your body. Sometimes the result is simply that your breaths are longer, and sometimes that is enough to feel much emotional tension gone. At the end of the day, you are giving a massage to your nervous system. When the conscious mind is ready to hold space for unconscious processing, it will do so, and you get to control that. The goal is not to rush your process but rather to give yourself space to process whatever is holding you back from moving forward and feeling free.

3. Accessibility to a private environment

Remember: A tapping session is about self-love and self-care. Thus it requires boundaries that will ensure you are free of distractions. It's possible to do it while driving or at work, but I do not recommend it and encourage you to have a safe and private environment.

My Story

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