One of my favorite things in life is a little technique called ‘Tapping’. It’s also known as EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique, and it’s basically a magical (and simple!) procedure you can use for everything in your life– from overcoming pain and phobias to losing weight and earning more money. For real. Even though the effectiveness of Tapping has been fully backed up by a bunch of science now (not to mention thousands and thousands of personal testimonials), it’s still not 100% clear exactly why or how Tapping works on such a wide spectrum of issues, but hey: I’m not one to argue with skinny jeans and extra $$$ in the bank. 😉
I first came to Tapping in early 2013, and I did so out of desperation.
I had been involved in a very heated confrontation with a friend of mine back in 2011 (two years earlier!), and no matter what I tried to do to heal and move on, I just couldn’t shake the emotional charges that this experience brought up for me. Every time I saw her (or even thought about her– which was a lot), I’d go through the same emotions all over again: a fresh wave of anger, hurt, betrayal, frustration, and bitterness. It wasn’t a pretty scene, and I hated that I couldn’t be a good ‘self-help student’, apply all the New Age techniques I had read about, and just move on with my life.
I tried forgiveness.
I tried using this person as a ‘mirror’ to my Shadow Self. I tried justifying her behavior and feeling compassion for what she must be going through in life, in order for her to be mean to others. Nothing worked, and as weeks turned into months and months stretched into years, I still felt wounded and tender. I ended up feeling like something was very wrong with me. Why couldn’t I move on? Why was I wasting my time and energy on something that was so not worth it? How could I possibly let this go– finally?
That’s when Tapping came into my life. (Alleluia!)
I had read about Tapping before and I had even worked my way through a number of Tapping videos and “scripts” online. I had okay experiences with these online tools (meaning I usually felt calm and peaceful afterward), but when I discovered that I could work one-on-one with somebody to process my specific feelings and my distinct situation, I jumped at the opportunity.
My first one-on-one Tapping session was nothing short of miraculous.
Seriously. My initial experiences with standardized “scripts” online did not (and could not!) prepare me for the depth and degree of healing that took place in that personalized, unique-to-me Tapping session. My teacher intuitively guided me through the Tapping points, articulating my emotions for me and having me repeat these phrases back to him. I felt like a torrential storm of feelings was brewing inside of me, but I definitely felt safe in that context with him. Eventually, tears (and, I’m afraid to admit this: snot!) started spilling out of me with no reserve whatsoever… in front of this man I had only known for 15 minutes. Classy.
By the time my session finished, I felt an incredible lightness inside of my spirit. It felt like I had been walking around with a gigantic backpack of bricks strapped to my soul for the past two years, and after 60 minutes of Tapping, I was a new woman: fresh, curious, joyful, and ‘me’ once more. The anger had dissolved. The resentment and the rage were gone. And all those feelings of being a victim to somebody’s bullying were replaced with a quiet, unshakable trust in my own strength and power.
Anyway.
It’s great that Tapping resources are so widely available online, and I’m all for having easy (and free or inexpensive) access to general healing techniques. Power to the people, yo! But…
I also have incredible respect and mad admiration for the healers (ahem, including myself) who offer customized, in-depth, totally personalized versions of these same techniques, for a fee. I have experienced, first-hand, the transformation that can occur in a single session– with Tapping acting as the catalyst– and honestly:
There is no comparison between a generic Tapping “script” (e.g. Tapping for Stress Relief) and being led through your own situation and your own range of emotions by a trusted guide. No. Comparison. Whatsoever.
When you are led through the Tapping process by someone– a real person, not the internet– you don’t have to worry about getting lost in your sadness or stuck in your fear. Instead, you are led and you are held as you work through whatever is keeping you stuck and ‘small’– safely and effectively.
Destination? Healing.
Destination? Personal transformation.
Destination? Releasing and letting go of that which no longer serves you.
Destination? Stepping back into your own, divine, power. (Boo-yah!)
It’s utterly, profoundly magical.
So. All of this lead-in is meant to introduce you to Tapping. (Read: Here, finally, is the point of this post!) If you’ve never heard of Tapping before, heads up: I believe it is one of the best healing tools out there. If you’re already familiar with Tapping, did you know that you can supercharge your Tapping experience by working one-on-one with a guide? It’s true, and not-so-coincidentally, this is one of the services I offer. 😉
See? Doesn’t this look fun?
One of my intentions is to make Tapping easy and accessible for you, which I’ll do, in part, by creating videos about the different Tapping points and how you can create your own (personalized!) Tapping session. The first of these videos is below:
This video provides a short introduction to the nine different Tapping (acupressure) points along the body’s meridians.
Here’s what’s covered:
- What a Tapping sequence involves
- Where the Tapping points are on the body
- Different variations for Tapping each point
Enjoy!
Also: For those of you who want to go deeper with this process, or for those of you who feel more comfortable being guided safely and effectively through their own emotional terrain, I offer customized Tapping support over Skype, so please feel free to contact me if that seems like a fit for you.
–xo, Dana
PS: Reactions to Tapping definitely vary, and just because my first experience with EFT deserved its own fireworks show, it doesn’t mean that I’ve felt the same way about every session I’ve ever experienced. It’s normal and expected to experience some (or all) of the following responses to Tapping:
- charged emotions (‘good’ or ‘bad’ feelings)
- itchiness
- boredom
- yawning
- ‘zoning out’
- not being able to focus well
- tingling
- sensations of hot or cold
- remembering ‘things’
- seeing ‘things’
- and occasionally– not feeling anything whatsoever.
All of these are good. 🙂
PPS: Very important!
I’m in the process of creating my new website (which I’m sooooooooo excited about!) It will be live within the next few weeks, so if you want to stay in the loop and not miss out when I migrate over to my own domain, I’d encourage you to sign up for my newsletter here. (I will be sending out my post notifications via a third party service instead of directly through WP on the new site, so signing up is the best… and only… way to keep receiving posts from me. Thank you!)
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