Tapping ~ The Safe Hazen

What is Tapping?

Think of tapping as the cousin of acupuncture. Similar benefits with no needles. It combines the practice of acupressure and psychology, utilizing physical pressure applied by your fingertips, in tandem with mindful intent toward a particular challenge or goal. The formal name for tapping is “Emotional Freedom Technique” (EFT).

Meridians

Meridian points lie along these channels of energy in the body; they are the points through which life-energy flows. There are 12 such points, 9 of which are utilized in tapping, and are manipulated to literally “tap” into your energy channels.

Take a look at this list of the 9 most-used meridian points for tapping (and their corresponding internal organs):

top of head (TH): governing vessel
eyebrow (EB): bladder
side of the eye (SE): gallbladder
under the eye (UE): stomach
under the nose (UN): governing vessel
chin (Ch): central vessel
collarbone (CB): kidney
under the arm (UA): spleen
karate chop (KC): small intestine

Technique

The technique is simple: you tap 5-7 times, successively, on each meridian point while maintaining mental focus on the emotion, challenge, or goal. Watch this video to see technique in action…

When to Use Tapping

Tapping may be practiced in conjunction with any mental goal, whether to heal and release negative emotions or to tap into favorable outcomes for each day and your future as a whole.

Resolving Negative Issues

Tapping is commonly used to resolve negative issues such as trauma, fear, anxiety, depression, stress, or unpleasant memories.

A Personal Example

When I first began to practice tapping, I was out on what was to be a full day of errands around town (I had taken the day off from work). As I was be-bopping from one stop to another, a stressful situation was emerging at the office, and my phone was alerting me to the associated emails. Stress and fear began to take over my mind and body (along with a feeling of helplessness to affect the outcome, since I was not in the office). My mind began to race, and my muscles tensed. My stomach began to hurt. I couldn’t think straight, and my hands were trembling such that it was difficult to type on my phone’s keypad.

I began tapping in the car in between stops. I tapped in my car in parking lots, and even while I was driving (I suppose you should always keep both hands on the steering wheel, though!). As my mind began to clear, and my body muscle tension began to ease, I continued to tap as I worked out the analytical problem which was the source of the emails.

It worked! It can be as simple to employ as that! On that day, tapping immediately alleviated the anxiety and stress that was rising in my body, and helped open my mind so that I could respond to these emails in a clear-minded manner. The good news is that I was able to diffuse the situation at work and generate the positive outcome that was very important in that moment!

Targeting Positive Goals

Tapping may also be practiced in order to achieve positive future outcomes. Use it as a way to create your life.

A Personal Example

I practice tapping as a means to get back to “ground zero” each morning. As such, I begin each day with the clearing out of any negative energy from the previous day (or any lingering effects of a less-than-ideal sleep); moving forward to the new day with positive energy. I like to begin by reclining in my agronomic zero-gravity chair, in a room filled only with a hint of light from the dawning of the morning.

Most of us greet first morning consciousness with thoughts about what we need to accomplish that day; what’s on our agenda. With these thoughts often come anxiety and apprehension (not the best state of mind with which to begin each day). So, I begin with tapping, and usually before I have completed two rounds of the meridian points (less than one minute) I can literally feel tension leaving my body. This is signaled to me by the onset of deep cleansing breaths, which come without effort. It’s crazy, but just writing about tapping, in this minute, has caused the tension in my body to be released and the cleansing breaths to arrive!

Tapping can be practiced, literally, anywhere, anytime.

I generally prefer to have some level of privacy when I am tapping. Having people looking at you, inquisitively, will make it hard to focus on what you’re doing. If you’re out and about, sit in your parked car. If you’re in a store, go to a bathroom stall. At home, find an unoccupied room. If you’re at work, close your office door or go to another room where you can close the door. I have employed all of these methods in order to bring myself, my emotions and my body back in-check.

Tapping is inexpensive and empowering.

Compared to the cost (and side effects) of some other methods of mental and physical relief, tapping is king, because it is free! Not only that, but it empowers you to heal your own body, which is a mighty feeling! And, if you know about the law of attraction, you know that the more you experience positive emotions of empowerment, the more you will attract empowerment!

Develop a Sequence

While you may certainly tap without any particular “number” or “sequence” of taps, you may enjoy using the same number and sequential order each time. I find that if I utilize the same method each time, muscle memory takes me there without any effort, and my mind is then free to go where I want to direct it in that moment.

Personal Example

I tap 7 times on each meridian point and go in the same cycle each time. I start at the top, center of my head, move to the inside of my eyebrow, move to the outside of my eye, move to under my eye, move to between under my nose, and then to between my mouth and chin (these two are my favorite… meaning I feel the effect on my energy the most in these two points)… then I move on to my collar bone, then on to under my arm (side), and finish with the outside of my palm (“karate-chop” point). Then I repeat the same sequence, using the fingers on the opposite hand, tapping on the opposite side (other eye, under arm, and karate-chop meridians) as I go.

Have Mantras On-Hand

I like to use select mantras that I have created while tapping.

Personal Example

If I am tapping with the intent of creating something big (or seemingly difficult) I use the following mantra, each word a staccato with the 7 taps of each point:

I’m
Gonna
Let
My-
self
Be-
lieve

So, for me (since my muscle memory is trained in the 7-tap approach) I try to come up with mantras that have 7 “syllables” or beats. I repeat it over and over, at each meridian point, as I go. As I tap and repeat my mantra, I strive to unleash even more power by visualizing whatever it is that I am tapping about.

Visualization

Thoughts become things. While you can certainly benefit from tapping simply as a relaxation tool (by implementing the tapping while clearing your mind and letting go- informal meditation), you can also harness the power of your energy flow to create positive outcomes for your goals! Take tapping to the next level by practicing it in conjunction with deliberate visualization!

When Tapping Doesn’t Work

Tapping doesn’t work if you don’t use it. Even though I have had successful results using tapping, sometimes I get out of my routine and forget to employ it on my own behalf! Sometimes I get so tangled up in my daily challenges that I don’t slow down long enough to remember that tapping is at my disposal!

Click on this link from The Tapping Solution to read about why we forget to tap, and how to help ourselves remember.

Read:

The EFT Manual, by Dawson Church

Bliss Brain: Thr Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy, by Dawson Church

Listen to Dawson Church on The Dr. Gundry Podcast

Pass it On

Tapping for Children

Tapping is being used in schools to assist children with their young, often volatile emotions. Check out this heartwarming video about a children’s program by The Tapping Solution Foundation.