“I release, relax, and receive.”
I wrote this little affirmation to use while I do my Emotional Freedom Technique or “tapping” rounds, and I find it to be really helpful, as it covers a wide range of topics.
The 3-minute video above gives you a quick overview of the standard tapping method, which is easy to do, and very effective.
When I initially started trying it, though, I found that focusing on my issues or anxieties, etc., tended to increase them despite the tapping. This seemed to be interfering with the relaxing effect of the method, for me personally at least.
Even the word “anxiety” (a pointy, nasty little yellow-and-grey word that feels like a wasp inside my head) made me even more anxious, so I completely stopped using it after a while. I thought it might be better to focus on positive emotions for the most part.
I find that the tapping works great on a purely physical level (it seems to be a form of acupressure), so now I either use affirmations, general statements, or no statements at all.
I’m quite casual about the whole thing, in fact. I figure I’m more likely to keep doing it if I don’t make a big formal deal of it, but just go for it whenever it seems useful.
Which is a lot, as far as I can tell!
So I just tap as I feel like it, and often not even using full rounds. I have a couple of “shortcut” spots that I use whenever I need them – my favorite is under my cheekbone, which isn’t even on the standard tapping map!
But it works for me – it always makes me yawn, which is a sign that I’m releasing tension. I like the spot right under my nose, too.
I also find that I tap faster and longer than is typical – my goal is to elicit that relaxing yawn, so I usually tap on one spot very quickly and lightly until it happens.
And I’ve noticed that the more I need the tapping, the stronger my physical response is to it. If I really get into it, my eyes will start to water as well, which cuts down on my need for eyedrops.
Good thing, too, since the ones I have to use are expensive!
Using these shortcuts makes it possible for me to tap less conspicuously in public, (i.e. in restaurants or crowded places), without looking so much like a monkey, as Nick points out above.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
When I eat, I say things like “My body will react calmly and peacefully to this food and respond with perfect health,” and I tap a little before, during, and after meals.
It seems to work really well, and I’m feeling tons better, and able to eat a lot more normally now. The reactions I have to food are greatly minimized, or sometimes eliminated entirely, and it seems to be getting better with time.
I couldn’t be happier!
This honestly seems like a miracle to me (and to those who know me), after twenty-some years of increasing problems with my diet. I had literally tried everything else, with only moderate results, and I was getting thinner by the year as my food options contracted to practically nothing.
I really felt as though I was starving (not to mention deprived), despite having plenty of food all around me.
Now life is opening up to me again, and I feel really hopeful for the first time in decades. I also have a lot more energy in general, which I have been using to great effect in other areas of my life (more on that some other time).
This technique is useful for virtually any issue, so please give it a try if you haven’t already. I do encourage the casual approach, though, since your body may be more likely to respond positively that way, and it’s a lot more fun besides.
Tap into your highest potential, and let me know how it goes for you!
