I often meet people who have tried many healing modalities.

These people have experienced hardships and trauma and have spent years looking for a solution.

It’s already challenging to manage anxiety and life’s demands, not to mention past wounds that keep rearing their head. 

The search for an answer can be arduous and frustrating.

So, it’s understandable when others ask me, Why should I try EFT Tapping? How is it different from other healing modalities?

Keep reading to learn 5 reasons to try EFT Tapping as an alternative therapy. I hope this article helps you better understand this remarkable modality and clarify if it’s right for you.

1) EFT Tapping is effective

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques or tapping) is a stress relief tool, based on ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. 

Tapping on certain parts of the body, while focusing on the cause of the stress, calms the mind, reduces anxiety and relieves pain.

This study shows that a 60-minute EFT group session reduced participants’ cortisol (the “stress hormone”) levels by 43%. Supportive listening from a therapist reduced participants’ cortisol levels by 19%.

Stress is linked to negative emotions, limiting beliefs and physical ailments. EFT activates the relaxation response, which regulates the nervous system and boosts the immune system.

Clinician and educator Patrice Rancour writes in this article, “More than 60 research articles in peer-reviewed journals report a staggering 98% efficacy rate with the use of this procedure from psychological distress (posttraumatic stress disorder, phobias, anxiety, depression, etc.) to physical conditions (asthma, fibromyalgia, pain, seizure disorders, etc.) to performance issues (athletic, academic).”

EFT meets the American Psychological Association’s criteria to be an evidence-based practice for anxiety, depression, phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Since the underlying reason of most issues is stress, EFT can help in almost any area, including:

EFT Practitioners can help with many issues, but some specialize in a certain topic. 

For example, I’ve helped people with addictions, phobias and eczema. But I tend to attract those who have a similar story to mine—people-pleasing, feeling not good enough and relationship issues. 

You can learn more about the science behind EFT in my blog article here. 

2) Faster results

This is one of the most common complaints I hear:

I’ve been to therapy. But I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anywhere.

We can have great self-awareness, understand our past and even forgive. But until we release the long-held stress from our body, healing is likely incomplete. 

When you experience stress, your body activates the fight-flight-freeze response to protect yourself from a physical or emotional danger. Examples of “emotional danger” include getting criticized, rejected, abandoned or shamed.

When your body can’t fully process the experience, the brain and nervous system become stuck in trauma, always on the lookout for the next threat. 

In other words, your body gets stuck in the past.

Chronic stress derails our immune system, self-esteem and worldview. As spiritual teacher Caroline Myss says, “Your biography becomes your biology.”

That’s why EFT is so potent. We target the issue with specific phrases, while tapping on acupuncture points to release our bodily stress.

In my free EFT sessions, people can’t believe how fast their stress levels fall in just 1 to 2 minutes. Sure, we look ridiculous tapping on our face. But we instantly feel calm and relaxed.

For complex or severe issues, results may differ, depending on the skills and experience of your EFT Practitioner. Each person also has their own healing rhythm. A knowledgeable EFT Practitioner respects your rhythm to avoid retraumatizations. 

That said, EFT is not to be used as a substitute for professional advice by legal, mental, medical or other qualified professionals.

3) Permanent results

In practically all cases, results are permanent.

If you have a bothersome memory that haunts you, you can feel liberated in one session. 

You don’t have to relive the event in your mind ever again. You can look for its negative emotions, but you won’t find them. And you don’t even need to believe in EFT for it to work.

One of my past clients, Coco, says, “This therapy is practically instantaneous because I keep checking for all these dark things and they have either been muted or I’m more detached from them or they’ve simply been removed.”

How is this possible?

In EFT, we’re clearing the root cause of an issue, not the symptoms. 

If you imagine a tree, your current issue (for example, anxiety) is the leaves. To heal this issue, you must travel down the trunk and roots, where your fears, limiting beliefs and unhealed past wounds reside.

Once you heal the roots, the leaves will transform into wellbeing, peace of mind and healthy boundaries.

We’re rewiring our brain to react in more helpful ways, instead of continuing with our learned negative reactions. It’s like we’re updating a computer program.

If an issue returns, it may be due to a “blind spot”, or an unconscious or missed aspect of an issue that needs to be identified and cleared. A skilled EFT Practitioner can help you find this aspect.

Sometimes, our body needs more sleep, better nutrition or something else to fully benefit from tapping. 

When clients are ready, willing and able, we can produce extraordinary results with EFT.  

4) Stress relief anytime

One of things I love most about tapping is that it’s available to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

The basic EFT sequence is so easy to do, even little kids can do it! Some schools practice EFT in their classrooms because it’s such an effective way to calm down.

Anytime you feel anxious or stressed, you can just start tapping on any of the acupuncture points.

You can tap discreetly on the side of your hand or rub your collarbone point right before starting a meeting, going onstage or standing up for yourself. 

You’ll be sending a signal to your amygdala, also known as your brain’s “smoke detector”, to relax. That way, you can show up in your life with ease and confidence.

This blog article of mine details 5 easy ways to keep a daily EFT routine.

You can use basic EFT as a self-soothing tool. 

But you can also use it to heal deep-seated issues, like past events, trauma and lifelong patterns. Some people have told me they didn’t realize EFT can help with the latter.

If you work with an EFT Practitioner, they can share gentle techniques, so that you can tap on some deep issues on your own. Working with a practitioner can also accelerate the process and give you support.

Ultimately, in EFT, you have an active role to play in the healing process, which is empowering to say the least.

5) EFT is safe and has no negative side effects

Some of my clients have tried EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and got retraumatized. 

They had extreme lows after the experience, which took days or weeks to recuperate.⁣

Other clients have told me that EMDR was a helpful modality on their healing journey.⁣

EMDR and EFT Tapping are proven, effective options for trauma, negative thoughts and bothersome memories.⁣

Yet every body’s needs are different.⁣

Find what works for you.⁣

In the hands of a skilled and trauma-informed Practitioner, EFT is a gentle and safe modality for trauma. There are no negative side effects. 

It’s a non-invasive technique that’s sometimes called “emotional acupuncture” or “acupuncture without the needles”.

Some people may feel tired or sleepy after a tapping session. That’s because we release lots of long-term stress from the body in a short period of time. 

It’s important to rest and stay hydrated as your body recuperates.

Listen to your inner wisdom

If you’re interested in EFT Tapping as an alternative therapy, it’s wise to pay attention to your intuition.

Read the EFT Practitioner’s testimonials. Ask questions. Most importantly, how do you feel in their presence? 

As with any therapy, emotional safety and rapport are essential for the best results.

Also, remember: 

“Healers” aren’t really healers. They’re only guides, supporting you on your path.

You are the healer, the one that holds all the power in your hands.

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Want some free support?

I’m offering free EFT Tapping sessions in exchange for a short interview via Zoom.

I enjoy connecting with other women and learning about their challenges related to confidence, boundaries and relationships.

In the first 15 minutes, I’ll ask questions like “How did you discover me?” for new content ideas. In the last 15 minutes, you’ll get an EFT session to feel calm and clear. (Yes, things can shift that quickly.)

This offer isn’t a discovery call, where we discuss my paid services. It’s a fun opportunity to connect and support each other!

If you feel inspired to work with me, we can book a free call to make sure we’re a good fit.

I look forward to connecting with you!

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