Our mission is to give you tools and strategies that will help you move from being stressed to feeling your best.
In this episode we continue our series on mind body therapies that we have found helpful in our healing journeys. In this episode we explore Emotional Freedom Technique.
Co -hosts Deb Timmerman and Barb Fletcher, are certified HeartMath® Trainers, and certified stress educators, who are skilled at helping people discover the power of living form the heart. To take the Stress and Wellbeing Assessment in Canada, click here. To take the Stress and Wellbeing Assessment in the US, click here.
Our mission is to give you tools and strategies that will help you move from being stressed to feeling your best.
In this episode we continue our series on mind body therapies that we have found helpful in our healing journeys. In this episode we explore Emotional Freedom Technique.
Co -hosts Deb Timmerman and Barb Fletcher, are certified HeartMath® Trainers, and certified stress educators, who are skilled at helping people discover the power of living form the heart. To take the Stress and Wellbeing Assessment in Canada, click here. To take the Stress and Wellbeing Assessment in the US, click here.
SPEAKERS
Deb Timmerman 00:00
You're listening to the less stress in life podcast. Your hosts, Deb Timmerman and Barb Fletcher are on a mission to help individuals and organizations manage stress and change. Together, they bring you real conversations, inspirational stories, and strategies to help move you from being stressed to feeling your best.
Barb Fletcher 00:25
Hello, everyone. I'm Barb Fletcher. And welcome to our series of 52 practical tools for less stress in life. And today is episode 26.
Deb Timmerman 00:35
Good morning, everyone. I'm Deb Timmerman. Our goal is to give you tools and strategies to help you move from feeling stressed to feeling your best. We're continuing our series on modalities we have used and loved as part of our healing journey. Today, we'll be sharing our personal and professional experience using Emotional Freedom Technique, or sometimes it's called tapping. Barb, can you start us off by sharing what Emotional Freedom Technique is?
Barb Fletcher 01:07
EFT or tapping is a simple tool to bring your mind back online. And we know that just like us trying to get on the internet, sometimes we need a little help to do that. And it also can act to ease anxiety so that we can have clearer thought we're able to figure out exactly what it is we need. So, it's really safe, and I have only had positive experiences with it.
Deb Timmerman 01:46
How did EFT come about...where did it originate from?
Barb Fletcher 01:51
It had its roots began in the 70s when a number of doctors began by stimulating acupressure points, primarily on the head, chest and underarm to help their patients deal with stress, fear, and phobias. Dr. Roger Callahan had a technique that he called the thought field therapy and later, Gary Craig simplified the process somewhat and it was later called EFT.
Deb Timmerman 02:26
So how does it work?
Barb Fletcher 02:28
So are tapping on Chinese acupuncture points to allow the body to release thoughts and beliefs that may be held. And you know, studies show that these acupuncture points are effective in solving some conditions, such as stress, fear, and anxiety. It also believes that it stimulates the nervous system to find that neutral space that we've been looking for. And we've talked about quieting the nervous system in some of the work that we've done with Heart Math.
Deb Timmerman 03:13
What does a session look like when we say tapping? What is that like for the person that is receiving the modality?
Barb Fletcher 03:25
So, when I'm working with someone, and I'm doing tapping, I'm listening to the words that they're telling me, I'm listening for clues as to what their stress looks like, how they're actually feeling about particular issues? And what are the beliefs that they're actually holding? That may or may not be true. And of course, if they're not true, they're not necessarily serving them well. So, I always jot down a lot of random thoughts. And then we proceed to tap on these acupressure points, using, you know, setup statements that I will create. And they'll just follow along after yesterday, I was working with a client who had some beliefs and fear about an event that was out in the future, a month away. And we all have experienced that situation where, you know, we can get ourselves pretty wrapped up in a whole series of beliefs that are unlikely to ever be true yet. The more momentum they get, the more difficult it is for us to calm that down. And so, she and I spent about 15 minutes actually tapping through some of those statements, some of those beliefs that she was holding about a future event. And when we were done, she's said to me, like, I don't know how that works, but you know, I'm not feeling any more anxiety anymore towards it. And when we began, you know, one of the things I asked people to do is rate, that emotion that they're feeling on a rate of zero 10. And so, after the first round of tapping that we did, we she was, you know, she started out as a seven, the second round, she was the three, and then we were good to go.
Deb Timmerman 05:30
So, for those who have not done tapping, before, talk more about what a setup statement is.
Barb Fletcher 05:39
So, the setup statement really identifies the issue. So, it's, it's really about a belief that we're holding. So, for her, it was, I'm not good enough, I'm anxious about the delivery of the content that I'm going to be, I'm going to be letting them down, I'm going to be letting myself down. So, you know, it's, it's, it's a belief that we're holding.
Deb Timmerman 06:10
And when we say a tapping sequence, or a round of tapping, that means that you use that setup statement while you're tapping on these different acupressure points. So that is a sequence.
Barb Fletcher 06:29
Exactly. And so, the, the acupressure points move about the head, and, and the face, specifically, and what when we're tapping on those, we're using those setup statements to actually release that subconscious belief, which is holding us back. And so sometimes when that occurs, people may feel emotions bubble up, because there's something's being held. But one of the things that I noticed is that when people are using other tools, for example, this individual was using some HeartMath tools ahead of time, it just really allows for an even more gentle release of that belief.
Deb Timmerman 07:19
That's amazing. So, the benefits of tapping are that we can get rid of those things that are stuck in our energy system and help to release that. What else? What other benefits?
Barb Fletcher 07:34
Well, one of the best things about it is that it's portable, we take you know, we don't have to be anyplace specific to do it, if we can find a quiet little corner, and we're feeling anxious, we can, you know, use those setup statements to do it ourselves. It's helpful if we've got a big emotion going on, to actually dial it back. You know, I've often seen people who've witnessed injuries or other kinds of things, if we can actually, you know, help them do just a quick round of tapping, it'll dial it back, and they will then be able to gain some clarity of thought is painless. You can do it by yourself. And it's inexpensive. So, it's one of those on-the-go tools, similar to Heart Math, that, you know, you can do it for yourself. Now. The biggest thing with this visit, sometimes we need a little help. It's not. I always believe that our subconscious is really good at protecting us from some of those things that may be actually holding us back. So sometimes we need others to hold space and actually just listened to some clues that we may be offering. But for the most part in the heat of the moment. It's a tool that you can use.
Deb Timmerman 09:06
And there are many, many scripts and different things are available for people where they don't really have to use a practitioner if they don't want to correct
Barb Fletcher 09:20
Absolutely, there's a wonderful app that's available that has a huge amount of free content. That's called The Tapping Solution. And I recommend that to everyone when we were beginning in in virus time and locked down. There's certainly real two or three really nice tapping sequences that people can use to lower their anxiety and I and I would have used them myself because we all know that sometimes things get out of hand
Deb Timmerman 10:02
Yeah, that's the truth, I think. Yeah, we'll just stop there. It's good invite a new topic to chat about. But I think on that,
Barb Fletcher 10:12
yeah, well, and I think, you know, every single day, we can see things on social media, we can hear things that are happening around the world that can create some emotion within us. And so, this is just another tool that we have in our toolbox that works very effectively at dialing it back and, and releasing it because, you know, our objective is not to react, our objective is to respond. And the only way we're going to be able to respond is when we're in the driver's seat. And those emotions can really put us in the backseat. That's what's your experience been?
Deb Timmerman 11:05
I like I like tapping a lot. I don't like doing it for myself, even though I can. I find that when I'm wrapped up in the points that I need to tap on, and trying to get my messaging to be natural, it feels forced. So, if I do tap, I like doing it with a practitioner, personally, that's just my experience. But I have clients that use it all the time as part of their practices, and they love that. So, I think it's a personal preference.
Barb Fletcher 11:51
And I think I have a colleague who actually does it with children, and with children out works like magic, because they don't have any inhibition. And she works in a school and she's able to, you know, they're able to describe the intensity based on a certain scale and can actually dial it back. And I think that, how wonderful that is when our little people have this tool to deal with emotions that maybe overcoming them at points in time.
Deb Timmerman 12:27
Yeah, I think it's great to and I think when we talk about the nervous system, and acupuncture, and our energy system, perhaps we need to do a podcast on that whole energy system, explaining what its role is and what it does. But in essence, if your energy isn't flowing, it's like you got a clogged drain and that energy can't get through. And we just get all stuck and gummed up. So, we hang on to all that stuff, instead of letting it go easily. And that's the beauty of kids. They're in the moment, they let that stuff go so easily. And the next minute, they're on to being their best self. And adults not so much. Because we've learned those ways and habits over time.
Barb Fletcher 13:18
Anything consistent society has created a platform for us too. Don't be sad, don't be angry, don't cry, don't be mad. It's, you know, it's encouraged us not to actually feel into those emotions, self-regulate and continue on, it's really encouraged us to, to just kind of swallow a little harder and keep on going and, and kids, kids automatically configure that I am when we can give them a tool that helps them say self-regulate, even better.
Deb Timmerman 13:57
It's awesome. So, what's our call to action this week, my friend?
Barb Fletcher 14:02
So, if you're unfamiliar with tapping, we would encourage you to test it out. And there are a number of ways. There's YouTube videos, there's that app that we spoke about, or Deb and I'd be happy to have a conversation with you about tapping into is just another tool in your toolbox. And what I know these days is that we can never have too many tools in our toolbox. So, I came across this wonderful quote by Judy Orloff. And she said the launching pad for emotional freedom is always yourself. A nice place to start.