How to Use EFT Tapping in Recovery

Recently, my therapist suggested that I look into how to use emotional freedom technique (EFT) tapping in recovery to see if it was something I might be interested in trying. Now, it's one of my favorite coping techniques and I think it's going to make a big difference in my trauma work. If you haven't heard of EFT tapping, it involves tapping on specific points while speaking phrases of acceptance.

How to Do EFT Tapping in Your Recovery

Emotional freedom technique tapping is fairly simple to do. Because I'm still doing therapy virtually due to the pandemic, I actually learned how to do EFT tapping in recovery largely on my own, through Google and YouTube, then I confirmed that the resources I found were accurate at my next appointment with my therapist.

Basically, there are two elements to EFT: the tapping and the phrases of acceptance. The tapping simply involves tapping specific points: the heel of your hand, the top of your eyebrow, the outer edge of your eye, under your eye, under your nose, under your lips, your collarbone, your outer ribcage, and the top of your head.

The phrases of acceptance allow for plenty of creativity and your own specific input, but generally, you want to say them out loud while tapping each specific point. These phrases should help you accept what you're feeling. Personally, I typically use phrases like, "These feelings are part of my experience. All parts of my experience are welcome with me. I accept all of me."

Is There Proof EFT Tapping Really Works?

There is actually quite a lot of research supporting the use of EFT tapping in recovery and in the treatment of a variety of issues, from depression and anxiety to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even weight loss and insomnia.¹ Researchers believe EFT works through a combination of acceptance therapy and energy movement.

Acceptance therapy is a type of therapy aimed at accepting reality instead of reacting to it, and energy movement is a treatment derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which teaches that energy can get trapped in spots called meridian points throughout the body, causing imbalance.²

What about you? Has EFT tapping worked in your recovery? What issues does it help with? I'd love it if you shared your story with our community in the comments.

Sources

1. Bach, D. et al., "Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Improves Multiple Physiological Markers of Health." Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, February 19, 2019.
2. Zhang, W. et al., "Classic and Modern Meridian Studies: A Review of Low Hydraulic Resistance Channels along Meridians and Their Relevance for Therapeutic Effects in Traditional Chinese Medicine." Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2, 2015.