“In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy.” – Nobel-prize winning researcher Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1937)
Meridian Tapping, otherwise known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), or Tapping, has been around in one form or another since the 1980s, although the foundational principles are much older. Over the last 40 years, science has discovered how this simple tool can benefit not just psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression, but physical healing as well.
Tapping (EFT) Works through the Energy Meridians of the Body
Simply put, tapping helps to unblock energy; it literally gets things moving again. It operates on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and its energy meridian system, although some Tapping experts speak of it in terms of quantum physics. In TCM, disease occurs when energy channels are blocked in some way. EFT works on specific “tapping points” that are associated with emotions and patterns on the subconscious level. Because of this, part of this healing naturally encompasses clearing out the emotions that are directly related to disease.
Bruce Lipton, author of Biology of Belief, says that EFT is effective because it can help us “reprogram” harmful and long-held subconscious belief patterns and replace them with healthier ones.
EFT Helps to Heal the Root Cause of Disease
An amazing example of the complementary power of EFT was experienced by Dr. Dianne Ruth, an Anxiety and Depression Care Coach from San Diego, California, and founder of Dynamic Resources International. Dr. Ruth began learning from Dr. Roger Callahan, creator of Field Therapy (TFT), in the late 1980s. Dr. Callahan eventually became mentor to Gary Craig, originator of Emotional Freedom Technique. TFT is thought to be the precursor to EFT.
Over the last 30+ years, Dr. Ruth has worked with hundreds of clients using EFT and other modalities. Then, just a couple of years ago, Dr. Ruth was diagnosed with severe macular degeneration and declared legally blind.
“I felt like I had lost all my independence…,” explains Dr. Ruth. “How was I going to take care of myself for the rest of my life? It was very frightening.”
Then her partner Judie Keys, CCH, a coach and Reiki master, began doing deep emotional work with her, including a modality called timeline therapy. At the same time, Dr. Ruth decided to step up her own work with EFT. The results were remarkable.
“We discovered the cause of my blindness,” explains Dr. Ruth. “One of the things that the timeline therapy brought up was a memory that I had completely forgotten about. About thirty years ago, I was living with a very abusive husband. We got into a huge argument over something. He yelled at me: ‘When you get old, you are going to go blind!’ ”
“That imprinted on me on a deep level…” she says. “I had believed that when I got old, I would go blind. And guess what? I am now old and I went blind.”
Dr. Ruth immediately began tapping to clear the imprint the memory had had on her. Over the course of about six months, her vision began to improve:
“Nobody believed that this was really happening. Finally, I reached a point where [my opthamologist] said, ‘You are no longer blind. You can drive!’ ”
Using her own Discreet Method™, Dr. Ruth now teaches EFT to blind individuals through The Braille Institute as well as with her own private-practice clients.
Tapping EFT and the Stress Response
“For many of us, the internally-generated stress response is triggered by a negative memory or thought that has its roots in past trauma or conditioned learning from childhood,” explains Nick Ortner, author of The Tapping Solution. “The stress response in the body takes the same form, whether the trigger is the tiger (external) or a negative memory (internal).”
A 2012 report put out by the American Psychological Association found that 22% of Americans experience high levels of stress on a regular basis. And, of course, the connection between high stress and cancer is crystal clear. According to a 2016 study by the University of Buenos Aires, daytime cortisol levels are often higher in those with cancer than those who do not have the disease.
Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and becomes elevated during “fight or flight” mode. Normal cortisol production is actually essential for many bodily functions. In fact, cortisol in “short bursts” has been shown to improve immune system function.
Chronically high cortisol levels, however, can have a devastating effect. It has been linked to the inhibition of Natural Killer Cells, lower production of the immune system messenger interleukin, and thymus gland shrinkage. It has also been linked to high blood pressure and loss of mental function.
The good news is that simply adding Tapping to your daily routine can quickly lower cortisol levels overall. A 2013 study sponsored in part by the University of Arizona found that veterans diagnosed with PTSD experienced such dramatic reductions in cortisol levels after just 6 weeks of EFT training that 90% of them were declared “no longer meeting the criteria for someone who has PTSD.”
Other clinical trials have found a correlation between EFT and the lessening of chronic pain and fibromyalgia as well as the side effects of chemotherapy.
Anyone Can Do EFT and See Results!
Modern EFT techniques consist of gently Tapping along about a dozen meridian points on the head and chest. This is done while simultaneously verbalizing various phrases from a script or of your own creation. The process typically includes a quick pre- and post-session self-evaluation which allows you to measure how effective your tapping session has been. After three 5 to 10-minute sessions, most Tapping practitioners begin to feel a significant lessening of discomfort overall.
In some situations, such as for Dr. Ruth’s Braille Institute students, an even simpler method consisting of gentle finger Tapping can be used. Dr. Ruth claims that according to TCM, this works just as well since there are points on the fingertips which connect with every organ system. Other experts, such as Donna Eden, author of Energy Medicine, have developed approaches that emphasize Tapping along the entire body.
The main thing to remember when you are first starting out with Tapping is that you really can’t do it wrong. Dr. Ruth puts it simply:
EFT is a very flexible, forgiving system…if it is working for you, that is what counts. If you were to go to a dozen different trainers in EFT, chances are you would be taught a dozen different variations and ways of doing it. And they ALL work!”
As science has now proven, your thoughts and your patterns of belief produce chemical reactions in your body that affect your nervous system, as well as your digestive and endocrine systems, your hormones, your energy levels, even your balance. And they all immediately and directly impact your immune system.
If you’re struggling with an autoimmune disorder, we want to recommend an amazing free resource that can help bring your body and health back into balance to give you lasting relief.
It’s a free tapping meditation released by our friends at The Tapping Solution and designed specifically for autoimmune disorders, called “Befriending Your Body”. Go here to access it now.
Article Summary
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), or Tapping, can benefit not just psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression, but physical healing as well.
Modern EFT techniques consist of gently Tapping along about a dozen meridian points on the head and chest while simultaneously verbalizing various phrases.
EFT is effective because it can help us “reprogram” harmful and long-held subconscious belief patterns and replace them with healthier ones.
EFT helps to heal the root cause of disease.
Adding Tapping to your daily routine can quickly lower cortisol levels overall.
Clinical trials have found a correlation between EFT and the lessening of chronic pain and fibromyalgia as well as the side effects of chemotherapy.
Thanks Ty, healing inside and out is indeed vital for cansurvivors- on the cansurviving site we also have posts about different kinds of meditation and energy psychotherapy- all these tools are great in the toolbox of those wishing to heal themselves, body, mind and spirit…
Hi Ty
I used EFT with many clients when I worked at a Hospice – it reduced pain in just a few rounds! Clients had lots of issues to resolve and once they knew the basics tackled their issues in privacy on their own. EFT gave some the confidence to refuse the medicines and treatment on offer and I met several months later as happy people living with their cancer. Laughter, EFT, aromatherapy, reflexology, head massage and meditation all boost the spirit yet still dismissed by some medics.
Joan UK
My family and I use to see a BioSet practitioner who also did EFT. It worked fairly well…but since then, I have discovered The Body Code, which clears specific emotions and much more. The results for my family, including an autoimmune issue, have been amazing. I have a wonderful practitioner who also does Biomagnetism, another great modality. She actually used The Body Code and Biomagnetism to help her husband recover from cancer, as he refused surgery and chemo. In the last 18 months that I have been using The Body Code, I have come to realize how much “trapped emotions” can affect us – mentally, physically, emotionally, energetically and spiritually as well.
Hmm. I watched the 4 minute video and have to wonder how does this not cross over the line between Godly healing and the occult? Doesn’t this fall into the category of vain repetitions? I believe that God can and does heal all diseases and gives us knowledge of how to treat our ailments, but just like muscle testing can be used for diagnosing problems, it can also lead people into areas of supernaturalism that we are forbidden to enter when the practitioner begins to “ask” the body questions. Those who wouldn’t dare touch a ouija board will nevertheless allow themselves to be led into occult practices in the name of healing. We need to beware of this slippery slope.
God brought you EFT. Don’t be the drowning man waiting for god to pluck you out of the sky while God has already sent you a boat, helicopter, or whale… but you refused because god himself didn’t show up. He sends angels. EFT saved my life and I thank god every day for it.
This is an occult practice similar to the way witch doctors work, i.e. a ritual (tapping) and chanting (the repeated verbalisation). Only a relationship with Jesus Christ can truly heal stress and emotional problems.
I think what your tapping into here is the occult. Be very careful, this is a New Age practice. I’ll leave my emotional healing to the Lord.
How do you do EFT? Would doing EFT cure a person from stage 4 cancer? EFT certainly worked on Dr. Ruth who was blind.
The occult? What? Do you guys believe that God is omnipotent (i.e. all powerful)? If so, then God has power over all things, including the so-called “occult”. I don’t see any problem with it.
I fractured my c5 about 25-30 yrs ago, but only found out about 6 yrs ago. I have had severe migraines, neck spasms, back pain for over 15 yrs. I have broken many bones from bring a very active, if at times clumsy male. I still work hard and provide for my family, but my quality of life was getting worse. About 3 yrs ago, a friend introduced me to EFT and NLP. I used EFT and had some relief of the daily pain. Then, as i have continued to use the EFT system, i have improved my daily life to the piont that, yes i am still aware of the injuries, but they do not hurt, they do not bother me. My quality of life is much much better. And i am a nicer person. Just ask my wife. If you have injuries or emotional issues or have a social hesitation, then try EFT. Comite to give it a real go. You will find what works for you.
Yes God has power over the occult but he has told us to avoid it. If we disobey then we separate ourselves from God and will go to Hell if we don’t repent before we die,
Scientists use to think that the power of prayer was balogna. Like faith, what is not seen with the eye is often doubted by science, what cannot be proven in a lab is hogwash. Yet thoughts are an example of energy in motion. An example is prayer. A power greater than us. An intention ( thoughts) and an acknowledgement of a power greater than us is real. Call it god call it what you want it is still real. It is unseen but just because it is unseen by the naked eye does not disqualify its existence. This taps into quantum physics. Energy. Vibrational medicine. Chi is an example. Accupuncture another example. They tap into energy meridians this is a healing modality thousands of years old. Believe it or not. Scientists now realize as it evolves that there is infact something to the power of prayer. There is something to energy and prayer! There is something to energy centers in the body to accupuncture. Just as we are learning there is an old knowledge that is re-emerging. As scientists develope the tools to see the unseen. The Bible says as a man thinketh so is he. These are our thoughts a vibrationsal frequency that influences and affects physiology. We can’t see our thoughts but does this mean they don’t enhance or restrict healing? Even dr Emoto shows how thoughts change the structure of water as witnessed under a microscope. Many thought it was not true or real. Is that an occult? Being around negative people constant bad news on television deplete our life force, can suck us dry. No it is science witnessing the truth that god has revealed. Vibration is real. Thoughts and prayer have a frequency. Color has a frequency. Organs have a frequency. Aromas or essential oils have a frequency. Sound has a frequency. Light has a frequency. Frequencies affect physiology. Plants and live food have frequencies just as microwaved foods life force has been killed ( Kirlan photography shows and proves this yet in the past we were taught it was hogwash rather it is balogna because we couldn’t see it with our eye. Does it mean it doesn’t exist? No. What is a miracle? Often hard to believe? Jesus performed many miracles and even witnessed with the naked eye some still choose to not Believe. But what does God teach but to beleive. Faith is belief in what is unseen. When we tune into our body we learn to listen to the healer within. Who is that? God is in all of us. Is it him giving us Devine guidance? Or an occult? He provides tools to help us rebalance our physical body some call it intuition, our inner voice i beleive it is his communication tool. When we learn to tap into the tools to help rebalance our body we tap into a Devine wisdom. A god energy. Some may say it is an occult. Many diseases have a root. We can do everything physically to rebalance but sometimes lack of forgiveness hinders the process old hurts some we have blocked out is the origin. Here in lies a root. I’ve seen it with cancer patients experienced it as having been touched with cancer myself. Are we teachable? Do we have ears that hear eyes that see? What is the blessing in the nightmare? Can you find it? You can’t take god out of the equation not in my opinion but does it always gaurentee a spontaneous healing? No. Yet there may be healing on other levels and for other people besides ourself even if not ourself physically. Yet often with his grace miracles can and do still occur. Jesus gave us tools through his word and teachings as well as through people we meet or experiences we have had. Information that comes to us via a book. An article an experience, someone who crosses our path as a result of that experience. Tapping is simply a tool that interrupts patterns, restructuring energy systems out of balance. Is it the only tool? No. This is what we call holistic. Healing is multifaceted our faith a foundation for it. This entails our thinking our ability to forgive our opportunity to connect with the maker who created the amazing carcass we ride around in from birth until death. We are often not reachable or teachable until we are desperate. Using gods tools to Assist our body in healing or reatorizng balance does not disqualify his existence or role in the process. Something as simple as drumming helps healing on a frequency energetic level. Science can prove it. Is it occult? Healing is a head game whether healing from cancer or any other affliction. It is also a heart game both can be influenced by our maker. I have learned people are down on what they are not up on. Ultimately we must choose. Because we “tap” into the tool of tapping does not disqualify gods role in our healing.
I just started tapping. Just heard of it recently (EFT). I LOVE it! I think it’s powerful and I’m planning to attend the Summit.
Bravo. Well said.
Read The Emotion Code by Dr Bradley Nelson. The Emotion Code and The Body Code are definitely of God and if the light. It would be wonderful if you did an article about this healing modality and an interview with Dr Nelson. I have met him and he seems to be a very humble and Godly man.
Before starting EFT, pray. Call on God’s Holy Spirit to help you where you need it. Include God in your affirmations. I believe that will bless you and EFT. If I were having pain, perhaps a positive affirmations could be “I am a marvelous creation of God; I am strong and pain free.” After all, God did create us, and he is well aware of our meridians and how our body communicates with our spirit; intelligent design.
Definitely not true! Some people are so blocked emotionally that they can’t even get to God for that relationship and healing. I tried for 15 years to connect with God and prayed for healing of my attachment disorder….and my body was not emotionally or energetically able to connect. God sent me this life line along with the body code to unlock my emotions. Now I can connect with God and people! He’s still working on me but I have come a long way! God is good and healing doesn’t always come in the same form for all people! Don’t put God in that box. Jesus is the ultimate healer and He knows what each person needs.
I heard about EFT and Z – point process in 2006. It was good. I’m thinking about revisiting the therapy. The cortisol from the fight or flight response has been stressing me out. And yes I got cancer
God created our bodies to work in miraculous ways that we are still discovering every day. Modern imaging has confirmed the existence of meridians as described in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Just because we don’t understand exactly how it works or because it isn’t part of out traditional Christian culture doesn’t mean EFT is evil. Yes, we must be careful…guard our hearts and minds…but acknowledging what is troubling us and expressing self love, self acceptance and forgiveness sounds like something God wants for his precious creation.
Seriously? Are you so fearful of trying a practice that thousands and thousands have used with no “evil effects”? Maybe you should tune into your relationship with Jesus Christ and develop a less fear-oriented outlook on healing practices. At the very least, not taint what you don’t know and haven’t used to scare others who are reading your comment.
The evil effects happen after people die – they go to hell because they cut themselves off from God by using these occult practices. Jesus is the only one we need for emotional healing.
God hasn’t told us anything Valerie. Everything we have heard has come from a ‘persons’ mind, converted to speaking or writing, absorbed by our ‘mind’, then regurgitated to ‘thinking’ it was from God. Our ‘mind’ has great ability developed by multi thousands of years of evolution. I think its power over our physical being might be able to heal, but when ‘we’ are prisoners of groups mandating ‘boundaries’, our minds are not free to explore real possibilities.
I don’t agree with what you say, as I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. The apostles and prophets weren’t writing just anything that came into their heads, they were writing what God wanted them to write, as St Peter points out in 2 Peter 1:20-21 below:-
“20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Peter believed what “came from a ‘persons’ mind (human prophets), was converted to speaking & writing, absorbed by his ‘mind’, then regurgitated” as “words from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”. All prophecy was, is, and will always be imagination of the human mind. Believing otherwise has and is what polarises people to the extent of causing wars. Unlike that, imagination of the human mind that is tested & physically proven is what has brought us out of the stone age, on to the moon – and has made it possible for you & I to debate like this!
Well there is no point in carrying on this discussion as we have no common ground to start from, so I’ll leave it there.
Question…..how would this be any different from taking a prescription drug? You take an antibiotic because you have an infection in your body. You are counting on that drug you take over and heal you. People put chemicals in their body all the time and these chemicals block feeling so your brain doesn’t know the pain is there. It sounds like EFT is helping to eliminate a blockage allowing your body to work the way God made it to work. At least EFT isn’t poisoning your body with cancer causing chemicals.
Yes!
You ,dear soul are living out beliefs from medieval times and the first testament.
Perhaps you should look at dismantling such unhealthy and unhelpful beliefs that have been artificially grafted by another through fear and control.
Love yourself, look within to find a light,trust your intuition.
Goddus is everywhere, beyond gender,omnipresent.
Blessings be.
Perhaps check history with the conference of Constantinople .
Also the Avatar process ,as devised or remembered by Harry Palmer.
Yes, Tapping is safe to use since there are no side effects. Maybe a side effect is that you remember a past trauma and your anxiety level increases, in that case, you should work with a practitioner to help guide you through it.
The story about Dr. Ruth is amazing, but I wish there were more scientific studies than anecdotes. Placebo-controlled, double blind experiments using Tapping would be great.
Ty, do you find any conflict between your Christian faith and a “guided meditation” and tapping to clear energy channels? This thread has been interesting but I’d like to hear from Ty himself about how he connects the two.