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There are three basic areas to learn in
order to use EFT:
- the setup and positive affirmations
- the tapping (the
sequence)
- reassessment and more
tapping
These areas, as well as some advanced EFT
principles and techniques, are covered in the following
sections. Also, you may want to download a
free 79-page EFT manual from Gary
Craig's site www.emofree.com
It's All in the Fingertips
The basic EFT sequence is
straightforward and generally takes only a few minutes to
learn. You should be able to pick up these points
relatively quickly and with a little practice, you will be
performing each round in under a minute.
While it is
important to tap the correct area, you need not worry about
being absolutely precise, as tapping the general area
is sufficient.
The first thing to understand is that you will
be tapping with your fingers. There are a number of
acupuncture meridians on your fingertips, and when you tap
with your fingertips you are also likely using not only the
meridians you are tapping on, but also the ones on your
fingers.
Traditional EFT has you tapping with the fingertips of
your index finger and middle finger and with only one hand.
Either hand works just as well since most of the tapping
points exist on either side of the body. So it doesn't
matter which side you use, nor does it matter if you switch
sides during the tapping. However, many practitioners
feel there is a slight advantage in using both hands, all the
fingers and doing both sides of the body.
Use both hands and all your fingers so that they are
gently relaxed and form a slightly curved natural line. The
use of more fingers allows you to access more of the
acupuncture points. When you use all your fingers you will
cover a larger area than just tapping with one or two
fingertips, and this will allow you to cover the tapping
points more easily.
Ideally, you will want to use your fingertips, not your
finger pads as they have more meridian points. However, if you
are a woman with long fingernails you should of course use
your finger pads (otherwise you may end up stabbing yourself).
Tap Solidly - But Don't Hurt Yourself!
You should tap solidly,
but never so hard as to hurt or bruise yourself.
If you decide
to use both hands, I recommend slightly alternating the
tapping so that each hand is slightly out of phase with the
other and you are not tapping with both hands simultaneously.
This provides a kinesthetic variant of the alternating eye
movement work that is done in EMDR and may have some slight
additional benefit.
When you tap on the points outlined on the next page,
you will tap about 5-7 times. The actual number is not
critical, but ideally should be about the length of time it
takes for one full breath. There is probably a distinct
benefit for tapping through one complete respiration
cycle.
Please notice that these tapping points proceed down
the body. That is, each tapping point is below the one before
it. That should make it a snap to memorize. A few trips
through it and it should be yours forever. Again, the
sequence is not critical. You can tap the points in any order
and sequence, just so long as all the points are covered. It
just is easier to go from top to bottom to make sure you
remember to do them all.
Glasses and watches can mechanically and
electromagnetically interfere with EFT, so we advise everyone
Remove your watch and glasses before
tapping. And since bracelets can interfere with
getting to the correct wrist meridians, we recommend you
remove bracelets before tapping as well.
Using EFT in Public: Eliminating any
Embarrassment
Many people are concerned about embarrassing themselves
by using EFT in public, especially when implementing my
revision of it, which really makes one stand out in a
crowd.
After a while of using and perfecting the technique -
in private quarters, if you prefer - you will be able to use
only two fingers of one hand, and to say the affirmation
softly under your breath or silently. This way you can do EFT
in just about any social setting, and if people even notice
what you are doing at all, it will appear to them that you are
merely thinking.
NOTE: If
after practicing you are not getting the results you would
like, or you have a complex problem or a particularly
traumatic issue, please do not give up! There are "fixable"
reasons when EFT appears not to work. As an example,
being dehydrated is one of them. So if you get stuck,
consider consulting with an EFT professional. If you do not find
someone in your area on our site, please visit Gary Craig's
site at www.emofree.com for a
list of EFT practitioners throughout the U.S. and world.
The best way to learn EFT is through a trained professional
and Dr. Patricia Carrington has some guidelines on selecting an EFT therapist.
Next Page: Finding the
Right Tapping Points
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