EFT and Emotional Wellbeing - The Bottom-Up Technique
The sun streams through the window on a beautiful afternoon. I find the room has fallen silent. I look up and I notice the psychiatrist has put down her pen and is gazing over her glasses at me and as she says “Wow!”. I have just recounted my traumatic childhood to her in an effort to determine the cause of my repeated panic attacks. This moment along with other experiences has set me on the journey of introspection and self discovery. That journey is what compelled me to study and become a certified EFT/TFT Master Practitioner.
These are methodologies of treatment called the Emotional Freedom Technique / Thought Field Therapy.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping has emerged as a promising alternative therapeutic intervention for addressing anxiety, phobias and trauma in our stress ridden modern world. These techniques combine traditional Chinese acupressure principles with modern psychological strategies to help individuals manage emotional distress.
Understanding EFT Tapping
EFT tapping involves gentle tapping on specific meridian points while simultaneously focusing on and verbalizing psychological concerns. For men experiencing anxiety, this method offers a non-invasive, self-administered approach to emotional regulation. I refer to it as “The Bottom Up” methodology as it goes beyond traditional cognitive talk based therapies and helps to resolve the anxiety of trauma where it resides, in our bodies as well as in our thoughts. As we enter an age when men are relied upon to resolve their own problems independently, techniques such as EFT tapping become much more relevant and a necessary skill to acquire.
Several studies have demonstrated EFT's potential in reducing anxiety:
1. A 2019 meta-analysis revealed that EFT significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in 80% of male participants studied.
2. Clinical trials suggest EFT can lower cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone, by up to 43% after consistent practice.
Key Benefits for Modern Males
- Provides a discrete, self-managed anxiety management technique
- Requires minimal time investment (typically 10-15 minutes per session)
- No pharmaceutical intervention needed
- Can be practiced independently without traditional therapy constraints
How To EFT Tap:
Step 1: Identify an issue that bothers you, such as feeling anxious about work or sad about a breakup, and rate how bad you feel about it on a scale from 0 (not bad at all) to 10 (as bad as possible). Write this number down.
Step 2: Create a statement that acknowledges your issue from Step 1 while affirming self-acceptance. For example, if you're feeling anxious about a work presentation, your statement could be, "Even though I feel anxious about my presentation tomorrow, I deeply and completely accept myself." This statement directly connects your current emotional state (anxiety about the presentation) with a message of acceptance and self-love. This your mindset from one of distress to one of acceptance and self-compassion.
Step 3: Tap these points with your finger three times, while repeating your statement (reference photo):
- Outer Palm
- Center Top of Head
- Inner Eyebrow
- Outside Edge of Eye
- Below Eye
- Below Nose
- Below Lip
- Below Collarbone
- Under Armpit
Step 4: After tapping, rate your feelings again. If your score is still high, repeat the steps until you feel better or your score is lower.
The Future:
Today for me the panic attacks are just a memory. Resolving the trauma and associated anxiety from the bottom up, from the gut, Vagus Nerve, the brain and mind is a necessary holistic intervention. I have worked with others since then in helping them to navigate an increasingly stressful world and associated stress. Self care demands more than ever that us men have efficacious methodologies and tools available to us to navigate the world with a semblance of independence and agency over the direction of our lives.
I compel you should you feel the need to learn these techniques, or ideally to work with a certified practitioner to remove subconscious barriers that may prevent us from feeling fully alive with a strong sense of autonomy and self regard.
Christopher - Certified EFT / TFT Master Practitioner
References:
Staff, Healthwise. “Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).” HealthLink BC, 20 Oct. 2022, www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/emotional-freedom-technique-eft
