Video: Intro to Tapping

The fascination with our story The Tapping Technique led us to Brad Yates, an Emotional Freedom Technique expert who offers tutorial videos on the practice. Here we share his Introduction to EFT video, and he talks to S&H about this growing practice.

How would you describe EFT in its essence?

A common phrase is that it is “emotional acupuncture without the needles.” It is a simple tool for relieving stress and other uncomfortable feelings that not only get in the way of us feeling good, but can also stop us from taking actions that would benefit us in various areas of life. The majority of our choices are made unconsciously and almost always from an emotional need to protect ourselves – often in ways that would not seem logical to our conscious minds. I like to say that emotional freedom is the freedom to make better choices.

Because physical ailments often (if not always) have an emotional component, tapping also often provides relief from pain and other physical discomfort.

For people who are new to this technique and perhaps skeptical, how do you reassure them and keep them open-minded?

I try to reassure them that there’s no harm in giving a try. Fortunately, having so many of them on video makes it easy for folks to try it in a no-pressure way. For those who are interested, I will also refer them to research that has been done, including a study that showed that a group using tapping lowered their cortisol by an average of 24%.

How can someone benefit from even just trying it once?

It’s always the hope that a person will experience positive results the first time they try tapping. Sometimes the relief from what is bothering them – leaving them feeling relaxed, more peaceful and happier - can be very quick and compelling. And, sometimes, the results are much more subtle. EFT always works, but sometimes it is like doing some sit-ups – the desired result isn’t instantaneous, but something is happening that will be obvious with some persistence.

What is the best time/place to do this practice?

The best time to tap is when someone is aware of discomfort. The tapping will help to process and relieve that feeling, as well as the thoughts and emotions behind it. Admittedly, not every environment is conducive to obvious tapping (yet…), but it’s usually possible to excuse ourselves to somewhere more private. And there are also ways to tap subtly, so that others won’t even notice.

I also recommend tapping daily – preferably first thing in the morning. Just as we shower and brush our teeth as part of our daily hygiene – and generally don’t wait until it’s absolutely necessary – I believe tapping is great energy hygiene, clearing the stress that can build up as part of the human experience.

Visit Brad Yates here.