EFT Tapping – How Does It Work?
Tapping is based on the same theory as Chinese acupuncture: that our body has a pathway of energy channels called meridian lines which carry energy through our system. Through the work of Dr Roger Callahan and Gary Craig we now know that tapping on the ends of these meridians (which correlate to specific organs in the body) reduces the fight or flight response, whether the trigger is real or imagined.
Meet Samantha. When she was 15 she was attacked by a man who had red facial hair. Afterwards, every time she saw a man with red facial hair, her body would go into the fight or flight response. If she was walking down a road and a man with red facial hair came towards her, she would shake. Red facial hair meant danger and the energy in her body changed accordingly.
In essence, with tapping, we verbally and energetically tune in to an issue – emotional, physical, mental or spiritual – and tap on several different acupoints on the body whilst repeating a reminder phrase about the issue. This then reduces the fight or flight signal from the brain and results in emotional and cognitive shifts. In this way, EFT brings together the ancient wisdom of the East about the energy of the body and modern psychology and neurology. Hence the umbrella term ‘Energy Psychology’.
Finding it hard to believe that tapping on your body can release energetic trauma? Well, it’s now confirmed by scientific research from Harvard Medical School. Over the last decade, researchers there used MRI and PET scans to prove that tapping decreases activity in the parts of the brain associated with fear (amygdala, hippocampus etc).
In their research, it’s easy to see the amygdala’s red alert being called off when acupoints are stimulated.
There are now over 55 published and peer-reviewed studies showing the efficacy of EFT and other Energy Psychology modalities on a variety of issues, including anxiety, athletic performance, depression, pain, physical symptoms, PTSD and weight loss.
Extract from our book, ‘Transform Your Beliefs, Transform Your Life. EFT Tapping with Matrix Reimprinting’
Karl Dawson & Kate Marillat