Tapping Away Stress with EFT - Stacy Marx, FDN-P

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Don't you wish you had the ability to ditch stress, anxiety, phobias, limiting beliefs, and even physical pain, right at our finger tips?

Well, you do!

It's called EFT,  which stands for Emotional Freedom Technique, and also known as tapping.

Whether you're a tapping diva or a newbie, in this episode, EFT practitioner Stacy Marx, who is our official first repeat guest (see Episode 6 on Sparking Joy), shares amazing EFT success stories, pro tips, and how to even "stealth tap!"

Not convinced it works? Stacy also shares the subtle signs it's working, which people often miss, and a technique to give you visual AND physical proof that it works! This is a pearl I will definitely be using!

Want to learn to tap?  Here's a video I created for my mini-course to get you started: https://youtu.be/OaXC61EWDpM

Want to tap with an awesome practitioner? Connect with Stacy at:
Instagram @gritwellness (MUST SEE- fun, joyful artwork!)
www.gritwellness.com
stacy@gritwellness.co

Happy Tapping! :)

Transcript

Hi, Stacy. 

Welcome back to the podcast. I am super excited that we're going to be talking about something that,  I think a lot of people have heard about, but actually, as I started speaking to clients about it, they have no idea what it is. And so today we're going to be talking about EFT and I was wondering if you could share with listeners how you found out about it and why you decided to become a practitioner.

Yeah, I would love to talk about EFT. And I think you're right. Sometimes people haven't really heard of it, right. They, or they don't know EFT. They know the name tapping, you know, sometimes they've heard one and not the other. They don't recognize that it's the same thing, but I got into it because,  when I was doing my FTN health coach training, it was mentioned as probably part of the like stress management section.

That's what I'm going to chalk it up to. And it led me to investigate a little bit further. It sounded pretty interesting. Um, I did a few, I don't know, like, um, I must've seen a video or something, you know, to like trial it and I thought, oh my God, that is amazing. What is that? And very quickly I decided it went along really well with everything I wanted to accomplish an offer to clients.

So I. Trained in EFT the year after I finished my health coaching certification. So pretty close to the same time. Um, yeah. And it's, I love it. I love it. 

So what were some of your wow experiences with EFT? 

Um, some of them have really come from working with other practitioners as weird as that sounds.

But for example, in one of my trainings, we were paired up to, to practice, right? When we were learning the technique. And I was paired up with someone who I think he was,  a psychiatrist , you know, uh, and he was learning EFT to, , Compliment that, but he was having, , really severe pain in his toe.

And we were tapping about the pain in his toe and it was so bad. He'd been to his doctors and he was looking at having surgery, like debilitating recovery time to have his, , , toe removed because of the.  It was going to put him out of action for weeks and weeks. Cause you know, it takes a while to recover when it's your foot.

And  and as we tapped on it and went through the whole process of, you know, where the pain was coming from and what he was going to do, how he was going to recover when he lived on his own in an apartment that was up a few flights of stairs. , it became more and more and more about the apartment.

Like, as we went through talking about this pain, it became something more like a wait I'm heartbroken because I have to move out of my apartment, which was a whole additional story that, that wasn't wasn't even when we were talking right about. But that's where it was. And, um, the course was more than one day long.

So the next day, you know, I checked in with him inside. Oh, was your foot still hurting? And that was really interesting breakthrough yesterday, you know, talking about your apartment instead of your toe. And he said, I haven't had any pain at all. 

Whoa. That's crazy. Crazy. Oh, I love that. I lose. Yeah. Yeah. 

So that was a really good one.

And then, there was another one that I think was amazing, , with somebody in a group setting who was absolutely terrified of Heights, we were talking about our fears and tapping on fears. And, um, you know, the whole group broke for lunch and we were all sitting around talking and, you know, some people were sitting in one area like outside and some people wandered off and, and this guy eventually showed up, you know, where the rest of us were sitting.

And we were like, oh, where have you been? You know, did you go for a walk or something? And he said, no, no, no. I went up on the roof. I'm like, wait a minute. We were just all in a room. And you were telling us how terrified you are of Heights. He said, yeah, there's no railings up. But it's a great view. Like all of us were just like shocked and he couldn't, he couldn't understand the looks on our faces.

Like why all of us were like completely mind boggled. But yeah, I I've seen some very quick hits like that, which is a huge thing. Um, and I think that's pretty motivating and inspiring to know that. That you can make such a shift. It might not be that fast for everybody, you know, of course not. You know, we all react differently to different things, but to know that a shift of that magnitude as possible, I think is phenomenal.

And we're talking about no finger touch that you can do yourself, you know, at home, nobody needs to know you're doing it if you don't want, you know, and, and I think. That's a phenomenally empowering thing to have a tool like that, that you can access on your own or with somebody. I mean, you know, there are practitioners out there in the world for a reason, right?

 It's great to work with somebody. , I personally have gone to colleagues when I needed to work through something because someone else. Kind of pushes you in your direction that you didn't quite see coming, right? But I think it's a phenomenal tool. 

Yeah. So great.

I know it's really amazing because like you said, it's just, you're just tapping on different areas. And I like to describe it as  acupuncture without the needles, that way, like anything that is empowering, that you can do on your own, that simple. Our jam. I mean, I think that that's something that you and I noticed that we talk about a lot.

And I remember when I first heard about tapping, I went to a library and I got to see a tiny book. And,  it was by Gary Craig and I thought, this is really weird. And I always be, I was a, a body worker. I went to school. I wanted to be an acupuncturist, but it wasn't in the cards. And I thought, well, I looked up shiatsu and I looked at finger pressure.

And that's how I ended up with. Eastern Western modalities for massage therapy. And so,  I knew about in the meridians, I wanted to know everything about them. So when I saw this book, it's about reading, as I thought, this is just too weird and interesting. And, at the time I wasn't as aware of, uh, energetic.

At the time. Um, and so I felt like I don't feel anything, you know, it's like one of those situations, you just do it once and it's like, didn't work. I guess it doesn't work. I'm going to move on. But then, a while later you start hearing more about it and I had somebody that was a client. Swore by it. I mean, it changed her life.

She has had, if you think of any kind of trauma somebody could have had growing up, she had it and it was life changing to her. So I thought I really respect you. I'll try it again. Again, didn't feel like there was anything. And somebody finally told me at one point when I had a ton of living beliefs, go to a practitioner and I don't wonder if people think about it this way.

I think this is so simple. Why would I go to somebody and sit across from them and start like tapping on my face? I mean, it just sounded. Silly and pay for the pleasure. And, um, but I thought, you know what? I trust this woman. Yeah. It's things. People are talking about it. And I believe in meridians, I believe in that stuff.

And, , people I trust now, two people I trust have, has recommended it. And it did change. Like you said, when you go to a practitioner, they know what your blind spots are and they can point out like, so what do you feel? How are you feeling? I'm like, whoa, I, instead of like the thing shifting, but I'm feeling a lot of.

Uh, what did Martin, my husband explained it as sort of like the body is kind of vibrating or humming, humming. What's the word that he said, and I thought, yeah, that's happening. That's meridians. But I think that people are so, or for me not so body aware that you miss these subtle things. And , it's amazing what happens when you start being more present and aware.

Yeah. So that that's a lot of fun and. It's like with you working with your clients, how do you introduce it? Like, because it's so different. 

Yeah. And some people are so open to it because they want to try anything to feel better. And some people are like, no, I came to you because I can't eat wheat. That's all I want to talk about.

Right. It's different for different people.  But I always say that I offer it, you know, like. If this is something I do, we can explore it if you want. I may recommend it for you, depending on what comes up, you know, in the course of our work together, I kind of presented as an option, not as a definite.

, and I would say I do that with all the different modalities I offer. You know, if someone has a specific goal in mind, sometimes. A really specific idea of how they want to tackle it too. Right. That's why they've chosen a particular practitioner. Um, and I'm happy to start where they're at and I'm also really happy to say, you know, we've got these other tools available and here's something I can show you even just a little taster.

So we'll do that a lot of the time is give someone just a little taster session. Um, working on something quite small, you know, that's not building to something they're not necessarily there, you know, whatever the whole situation is, um, so that they can experience it themselves. And I always tell people, you know, at the very least you're going to feel relaxed at the end of this, and , It's not so much about like convincing them that they must do this, but it is giving them a tool that they can take home and do themselves.

So I will often give people only one or two points to tap, um, versus the full range, you know, instead of saying to them, you have to remember to do it in this order, in these points. And you need to say these things, I try and break it down to just try this and see. How you get on with it, does it make a difference?

So do you feel better? And really very often the one that I start with is I'll say to somebody, um, you know, this is great for tapping you is great for relaxation. Um, it can help you just kind of take a couple notches down when you feel anxiety, when you're upset about something. So. I will say to them, you know, when you're watching a movie or you're, you're seeing something upsetting and you automatically put your hand to your, your, your lower throat, like on your collarbone, you know, in a bit of shocker or, or if it's something heartwarming to like, sometimes that's just where your hand goes is right there.

Well, you're right on a tapping point. So I say to them, use one or both hands, right. Where you would not a tie on your collarbone and just tap there and only do that one. If that's all you remember, and that gets you started, then I think that's okay. Right. It's going to call me down. It's still sending that signal to your body to relax.

And, um, and I, I think that is like a bite size piece, right. That, that makes it doable. So people will know. 

Yeah, that's a really elegant way to introduce it because sometimes going through the entire thing, it's a lot to remember, and it seems overwhelming, even though it's like a little thing and, um, it's like people who come to us sometimes they're already overwhelmed.

So you're giving them this entire new, different thing and a leap of faith on top of that. Yeah. Um, something that they're already doing and this, you just explain it and do it so elegantly. So I really love that. Um, so yeah. How, how do you explain to them how it works if they're asking. Really? What is it about, 

um, well, similar to you, I would say that it's like,  acupuncture without needles.

You know, I think that's a good place to start when people don't know at all what it is. And I will say to them, , if you're familiar already with acupuncture, shiatsu, those are based on really ancient forms of medicine, the deal with our meridians, our energy channels that run through our bodies.

And the idea is that if we are not feeling well, there's a blockage somewhere in those channels. We're just going to try and clear that that's what we're going to try and do. And if we can clear those blockages, then we relax our body and then we get healthier. We can focus on the things we need to focus on.

Um, and, and that is sort of the starting point, right? To explain like how it, how it works is what we're doing. Um, and why we're doing it right. People want to know what's going to make them feel calmer and, and, um, and then I'll say it's, it is something that you can take and do whenever you need. So if you need to go lock yourself in the loo, when you're at work, sorry, I should say in the bathroom, I'm in England.

So I say name a lot nowadays.

Um, yeah, you can lock yourself in the bathroom at work, right. And you can tap on your points for just a few minutes, if you need to step away, because work is where your stress is, for example, or, um, you know, if you are sitting at, in a meeting and you can have your hands under the table, I will show someone that's happy points on the size of their fingers so that they can sit there and, you know, really discretely, calm themselves down and give themselves something.

To actively do to feel a little bit better in that, that moment. Um, and so I'll say to them, you know, it doesn't have to be that you've set aside an hour to really focus on your tapping and that you're going to go through the whole rigmarole and you're going to figure out exactly what the perfect thing is to say.

It's not about any of that. You know, you can use it in little pieces throughout the day or when you really need it. And there are ways to do. This great thing or, um, you know, that's not to say that doing the whole routine is not necessary. I think that's really important too, but, but there are ways to make it accessible.

Yeah. It's actually somebody who's new to it. He just wants to, like you say, get a taste of it and see how it changes things. And then if they start thinking, oh, you know, let me learn more. And then you're, you're just meeting them where they are in the whole thing. And so they're able to pace themselves with it.

Yeah. So do you feel like there's any situation where, um, it's not a good idea to tap or maybe a better question is like where it makes sense to work with practitioner?

I think it's important that people know that. Both are an option to work on your own by yourself and to work with a practitioner. And I would say that even if you're working with a practitioner as a practitioner, I think it's our responsibility to make sure that our client knows to go off and practice and do it in between sessions.

So that  even if you're working with someone. You have that power and you have that responsibility to take some time yourself to keep working on it in between sessions. And I think it's a huge benefit to have a practitioner help you because of the training and approach that we all have to help get someone.

To the points that they need to be at to work through whatever it is that they're trying to achieve. I think a practitioner can do that, really knowledgeably right. Really safely and on help someone. Um, but I do also think that, you know, everybody reacts differently. If somebody wants to work on their own for a while and get used to it and then go seek.

' cause they feel like they are not getting far enough with it, or they want to try something different and they don't know that there is another way or another layer or another technique then. Yeah, absolutely. Going to a practitioner is, is a great way to move things along in a different direction or, you know, to make progress.

I think both are really important doing it alone and doing it with them. I mean, I will go to a practitioner myself, you know, I am a practitioner, I love doing it, but I will go to someone else if I feel like I need support because I'm too, I'm too emotionally connected or I can only see one thing or, you know, I feel like maybe I'm not making the progress that I want to make.

And someone else outside of my brain is going to see things in a different light and it's going to prompt me perhaps. To challenge some little aspect of it that I hadn't already looked at myself or didn't want to look at like a little nervous about it or something. Right. But I think that that is the benefit that it was that someone else has that insight and knows to look for those extra pieces.

Yeah. That's exactly the benefit that I had working with practitioner. And then. As with you. I, I become a practitioner, but I think that, there are certain things that are beneficial in doing it on your own. Um, and then with somebody else, like you were saying, they can see, oh, well you just said, or I just noticed, or, you know, they might point you in like, how does it feel.

Where do you feel it? , just certain things, because we know our tools in our toolkit, but then they'll see like where maybe you can apply it because you're already in this space. It's like you're in the frame. And so you can't see, it's like a personal trainer, your form is off. Or maybe there's this other thing, or looks like there's an imbalance on this side.

Maybe you need to strengthen that, you know, like a mirror mirror. I think, you know, one of the things I like to say, and I was wondering if, what you think about it? I think one of the reasons if he doesn't work is people don't use it because they don't think to until after the fact or so for me seeing a practitioner and having it on the calendar, I wanted to have something to say about it instead of I didn't do it.

So, um, it helped me be able to. The in practice and be excited to have something to say. Cause sometimes you just notice a difference and you forget, because like that guy who was on the rooftop, some of, I think this work, it, you restore something back to balance. So it's. And so you think nothing happens kind of like, you can't even access the thing anymore because it's not even in your space.

And so I'm having somebody else say, well, remember the progress you made when you came in, this was going on, but now, and so it's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. I didn't even realize that, but it's so true. So it's like this external media. Because I think energy, energy, meridians and balancing is,  it's very subtle sometimes.

So with those kinds of things, you tend not to stay the course, but when you have somebody see the shifts as a result of those things,  it really helps motivate you to be able to continue. 

Yeah. Yeah. And a practitioner is going to be tracking all of that. So if you're working with somebody, they're going to say like, just like.

Hey, do you know, we started here and now you've moved along. All these other steps is that original thing, still an issue. And you know, they're going to be like what? That was never a problem, you know? Not that didn't happen. Oh, right. It did actually. Yeah. I have his wife started see you. Okay. And yeah, I think that, um, it's, it's a valuable, uh, bit of working with a practitioner that they can help you see that progress.

I mean every health journey, doesn't it. Like someone else reminds you just how far you've come and you think, oh, I did. Oh yeah, 

that's true. That's right. Because we're such creatures, especially in this day and age of accomplishing and doing that, I think that it's stopping to celebrate and realizing how far we've come.

, doesn't happen often. So we're always in the space of. Striving and not ever feeling like something good has happened, so we don't get to celebrate or acknowledge and feel like this is great. I'm really proud of myself. And so it's nice to have somebody external to remind you of that. And that's such an important piece of it, like you said.

Yeah. Yeah. And if that ties in with, you know, my whole perspective of joy, right? Like, so you don't remember to celebrate something. Well then. Where's the funding that, 

yeah, I think, , just celebrating it makes me happy and wanting to do more of something and be excited about it. So yeah, otherwise it's invisible and you've just bypass something amazing.

And I think people do it more. I know I do it more than I really realized until being mindful about it. So, I, I know as a partitioner you've seen, like, what are some examples of it working like energy, moving in a client? What do you see happening that they may miss? 

Yeah. And certainly their posture will change, I think, pretty dramatically.

Um, so let's say we're, we're talking about.  A teenager, who's got to work on their like exams in order to move on to their next grade or to get into college, or what do you need to whatever level they're at. And they're so wound up with that worry that they're kind of like, like almost like shrinking in on themselves, you know, like kind of hiding like, oh, I just have to like lean over the desk all the time.

Even when there isn't one in front of me, I'm just going to pretend I'm. Here. And then, and then the posture will change as, as you tap because confidence, they'll say that's what we're working on. If confidence is restored and they're feeling more relaxed, they'll start to sit differently in the chair they'll they might have been tapping their leg or bouncing their foot or something.

And then that shift will happen and that nervous energy is dissipating. And so. As a practitioner, you can physically see these changes happening in front of you. And that makes a really big difference.  But if you were sitting at home alone, yeah. You might not notice that you've just done that, that you've,  sat up straighter or, stopped tapping your foot.

It's kind of nice to be as a practitioner, helping observe that and let them know that this is happening just because it's something that they might miss, but it's neat also as affirmation, as practitioners, especially, you know, that you're seeing these kinds of things happening.

It's amazing every time seeing that,  energetic shift, for me, I often see they start to yawn.  Yeah. And like you said, their posture changes and then the other thing is  they don't want to talk about anymore. It's so not a thing anymore that they just kind of like, I don't really feel it anymore.

Yeah. And then, and then, you know, you're on the right track, right? Like that's the goal and that, and that's great. But yeah, seeing those physical cues, I think is a really, it's pretty fascinating. How, how quickly. There are different shifts, you know, different that you're looking at someone sitting differently.

 If they're sitting right there in front of you. 

Yeah. I mean, it's something they wouldn't notice on their own. So it's  needs to say, did you notice that you're  sitting differently or, and isn't it funny how our postures impact our emotions?

Aren't any emotions? Affect our posture. It's just kind of this mind, body thing that is right in front of your eyes as you're working with someone.

Yeah, absolutely. There's a visible difference in people, I think at the beginning and end of the session.

Yeah. So how do you incorporate tapping or EFT into your own life?

What is an example of how you navigate through your life with it?

I use it to calm myself down quite a bit because I find that I'm a planner. I like to really get in there and overthink things. And so if I can just get myself to focus on my first step or. You know, the, with a big picture is like, w why, why am I thinking this through over and over and over again?

Why am I practicing this conversation that I'm not, I don't think I'm worried about, like, why am I having, why am I having rehearsal conversations in my head? I need to kind of just bring everything down, bring the intensity down. And, um, and so I will use tapping for that myself quite a bit. Cause I, cause I know that that's a habit I have.

Right. Um, And for me, I will kind of do it anywhere I am. So if I'm out in public, I might not do the  full routine. I might tap on my fingers while I'm walking along. I might have my hands in my pocket. And tap on my fingers that way. Um, but I have been known to practice walking down the street and T you know, tapping all the points to top of my head and under my eyes and everywhere else under my arms.

Like, I, I will, I will do that if, if I feel that that's what I need at the time. So I try and do it as much as I can really. I wouldn't say that I, you know, I'm not perfect. I don't do it every day. , But I know it works so well for me that I need to keep using it. Right. Like I've had success with it.

So I know that I've been something that I want to keep remembering to use so that I don't forget when I really think. 

It's true. Isn't it. A lot of times we'll find something that really works well, but like it's in the way. And if you let it go and that's like, exactly, , I want to be able to have it be a thing that I go to.

Pretty automatically. So like with you, I try and dose it in through the day I've been also, no, we should do that. Like, let's start a trend, but yeah, I was at the cafe early and I was just like, whoa, I know we don't have video, but I was like doing this now, always like the under armpits. That's when you're like, kind of, and on the top of head, I'm kind of like ginger about it.

Those are the funny parts. Right? I had one, I think is pretty obvious that you're doing something or people think you've got like some. It just way that gives you a plate. I mean, obviously people listening can't see you, they don't know that you just say they're very discreet, underarm, tapping area. Like you, you kind of lifted your elbow out to the side.

Whereas when I do it, my hand goes up to the ceiling. I don't know why.

Yeah, no, I just, I just constantly embarrassed myself. I don't even eat, like hasn't even occurred to me to try and do that. Although if I'm working with a client, I would never, and I'm tapping on them. You know, if, if that's the situation at the time, Like I would lift their arm, but I would never lift their arm all the way up to the ceiling, like I do with my own.

So I don't know why apparently I have to get it all the way out of my way.

Right. I know. Cause it feels right. So yeah. So you can tell I'm used to the self tapping but  I also like picking out specific meridians   where they all start, like under the eye.

, anxiety. It's a stomach Meridian. So if you feel like you're queasy and your stomach or something, and actually you can tap and breathe. I mean, not tap every, you can touch and breeze too. So you take an inhale exhale. So you're holding on your eye and people aren't going to think anything of it, but.

Yeah, I I've tried to incorporate it into my day to day, but  like with you and I appreciate,  you're just saying, this is not always the thing you go to or remember every time.  Cause nobody's perfect. But, um, as with you, I mean, I want to be mindful and not forget, like this is something that's really powerful and can help.

 The worst kind of happened. Like you said, you'll be a little bit calmer because sometimes there's more to it. There's more nuance. There's more  there's an aspect to it. Or, you know, you're not getting into the core issue and those kinds of things, but then it will calm you down at the minimum.

So it's who doesn't want that ? 

Yeah, absolutely. I don't think that's a bad thing, right. To have a little bit of peace and calm. Yeah. It's a good thing. 

Yeah. Yeah, more perspective. Uh, the thing I like to use it for is  limiting beliefs because I find that,  it's endless. So if I, like you said, I like what you said, what did you say?

The internal questioning.  But that's when, you know, there's some kind of  trigger or limiting belief or something going on.  If you keep asking yourself something over and over again, or ruminating over something, rehearsing something in your brain. It's that whole thing about tapping to release that because it's in a loop in your body and you just want to let it go so that you can move on and do something else or like, let go of that fear anxiety, because, it doesn't really serve you.

So I really liked that as well. 

Yeah. Yeah. We don't need to carry around the things that are just like heavy and not, not serving us or serving anyone around us. Right. Like get rid of it. And that's not always that easy, right? Somebody it's a lot easier said than done a lot of the time, but, but if a tool like this is so accessible and you can learn to do it for yourself, if you need to in a pinch right.

Immediately. And why not have that at your disposal? You know, I think. It's empowering, right? To know that you can make yourself feel better like that. And, um, I mean, I tend to work with adults rather than children, but I'm very aware. Of how well it works with kids. And I have a lot of colleagues who work with children or who talk about, tapping on their children, from birth so that their kids are like used to it.

They, they expect it, but it's such a great thing I think, to give to children, to use for themselves. You know  

yeah. I mean, it doesn't cost anything. And they're just a more, especially as you're younger, more open and more in tune, I think as time goes on, I keep talking about the idea that we're not in our normal habitat anymore.

We've become overly domesticated, um, kind of in captivity if I want to get extreme about it. But like in that natural state, they're more in tune with what's going on with their bodies and their. Open to what it's capable of and wouldn't it be great to have it be a part of,  normal living? 

I mean, it doesn't cost anything. And so I guess if this is, I don't know if like, um, this curve ball question or not, but how would you compare, um, EFT to maybe psychology? Like what's, what's the difference or how would you make a distinction for one versus another.

Well, um, if it was a client asking me that my, I guess my answer is the same. It's what works for you, isn't it. So I think if going to a psychologist or a psychiatrist is what you feel you need, and that works best for you. Carry on by all means. Absolutely. If, but I think that there are, there are always different ways to look at something and they're always options for how you, I guess, in quotes, treat whatever is happening in your life.

So, you know,  there are always times when we feel we need an authority figure or we feel we need, a practitioner, someone who can guide. In whatever format is that feels best for the individual, then I think go for it. Um, but I would say I see it as an advantage to be able to go home and practice yourself with EFT or to do it in conjunction with the psychologist or psychiatrist that you're seeing.

There's it's not gonna interrupt or, you know, Contradicts anything that you're doing. I think there are advantages and strengths to using everything that's at your disposal. As long as it's not overwhelming you, if it's helping you achieve what you want to achieve, then by all means try it. All right. And, and in that respect tapping is, um, you know, it's such a great option.

Because you can do it with something else because you can do it for free because you can do it at home in addition to whatever else you're also using, doing whoever else you're seeing. So yeah, I think it's use it all if you can. And if it makes you feel good or don't, you know, I think having those options is really important.

As you said, it's a good complimentary, , if that's how you want to use it, because it's not something that's going to compete with what you're doing in terms of health and wellness. And so it's like, drug-free, it's safe. It's something you can do yourself. It's empowering. It's not hard to learn. So, yeah, there's just like so many different ways that you can use it too.

And even, I guess, after a session, I, I hear about people having brought something up and they feel a little bit triggered by it. And so I feel like it's a way to go and instill process it, but not being in a place of having it run and kind of rewire a body into a state of, um, retraumatization. 

And it's not going to undermine. Somebody's work that they're professionally doing with you. , it's not gonna make you, see that there's no value in what they're doing. You know, like it's not gonna, yeah. It's not going to change whatever you're accomplishing there in, in a direct way.  It works alongside.

Really smoothly and easily.

Would you say that same for like, um, with doctors and any, any kind of therapy? Really? Yeah, I think so. And I think it's not. You know, if you're, if you're seeing a conventional doctor, who's not aware of tapping, you know, and it doesn't even have to be conventional if you're seeing somebody who doesn't know about tapping and, um, and you have put your trust and your faith in that person, and you enjoy working with them and you're getting, you're making progress and, you know, the that's all going well, tapping.

Isn't going to, it's not going to undermine what you're already accomplishing. It's only going to strengthen it and. That practitioner might not be aware of how well it works, but then you've just opened the door for introducing them to have great. It is right. Oh, you know, I love the work I'm doing with you, Mr.

Doctor. But, or in addition, I'm also trying to stamping and you know, I'm having some great success. Can I tell you about it? You know, we're all curious, right. We are all like, Ooh, what's that? Okay. Then I S yeah. So I think it's, I think it is. In so many different situations,

I'm trying to play devil's advocate and think about any

yeah. Uh, what would people be asking if they didn't know? Like, okay. So do you have to believe in meridians to have at work? 

No. No, not at all. Which,  is why I very often will say to people, worst case scenario, we're gonna spend our time tapping and you're just going to feel. That's the worst thing that's going to come out of this.

You're not gonna, you know, not gonna implode, you know, nothing. 

I think, I think when people aren't sure about it, there are some very,  like general ideas. Or concepts that you can tap on that are great examples, you know, for, for people who haven't been introduced yet.

So in addition to reassuring them that they'll feel relaxed

  And, or whatever is their problem might go, you know, be reduced or go away.

Um, I think like, like I've talked with someone, back when I used to sit in a big office, lots of people, one of my colleagues had a really bad headache and I said, well, let's go tap for 10 minutes. We'll go sit in a quiet room and I'll show you. And she was, she was so not interested. She was like, that's ridiculous.

Like, well, I don't know what this nonsense is you're talking about. And I was like, okay, well, you don't have to believe in it, but just give me 10 minutes. And when we came back, everyone was like, how'd you do? And she's like, my headaches gone. She's like, I didn't want to believe it, but actually I feel so much better.

And I was like, gotcha. Okay. And so physical pain is a great one, right? For, for quick win, you know? And that's not every situation is it, but. But in this case, for example, she had a headache, it was gone very quickly, literally 10 minutes. And, when people don't quite believe it, there's , a good like tester, taster kind of thing that you can do.

You can have someone, bend down to touch their toes.  See how far they can get and then tap on being able to touch your toes. And invariably, most people will go so much further. They'll be at the top and it's crazy. Right? Like that seems ridiculous. And how is that going to make a difference, but it does, you know, like, you're you loosen up, you you're saying, oh, I'm never going to be able to do that.

And then how, like. It makes. Yeah. And that is a great introduction. Isn't it? It doesn't take long. You don't have to believe in it. What have you got to lose? You can't touch your toes now. And you know, so if you do it and you still can't touch your toes, you didn't lose anything. Right. 

That's right, but it's nice because you get a visual and you're right.

Physical pain. One of the things I experienced is that with physical pain too, it moves somewhere. Um, so it might move from one place to another because you're holding. And I guess with what I know about. I was a body worker. I am a body worker, but everything is interconnected. So when one thing loosens up, it's like a cable, right.

When one part loosens up, the other part starts getting tight. And so it's like, that's really interesting. Cause you're moving things as you're tapping and then different areas, but that's also, still, even as it moves, that's still evidence that something has shifted. By, you know, tapping the point.

So that's, you're right. Doing things like that. It's really something that opens their eyes. 

I think physical pain too, is like maybe to touch on that a little bit more, you know, you said it moves sometimes it's moving to distract you, right? You're you, um, you might be focused on, you might be tapping on the pain or you might be tapping on something emotional and suddenly you're aware of.

And so you with a practitioner, a practitioner is going to switch you from whatever that first topic was over to this new pain, right? Like, oh, we were talking about maybe a bereavement and now suddenly you've got pain in your shoulder. We're going to tap on that shoulder. So you're comfortable again. And then once that dissipates a bit, something else might crop up, right?

Suddenly it's a pain in your knee. And it could be a distraction that your body is trying to keep you from talking about the bereavement that's so upsetting or, you know, there's so many different layers to it. So again, like back to the beginning, when we were saying, what are the benefits of working with a practitioner or practitioner is going to move back and forth between the emotional and the pain, right.

The physical and emotional. But, um, but it is a really great way  for people to experience it when they haven't tried it before. Aren't sure they believe that it's going to do anything that, that pain that works.

Yes. And it's literally palpable, right? So, can definitely pain or no pain, pain or pain move can't touch. Toes can touch toes. It's like more quantifiable. So it's, that's what a lot of people need to be able to feel like something's doing something that is a Pearl. I didn't actually think about that.

So thank you. I'm going to,

nah, I love like that. I, I mean another one. Is, it takes a little more imagination unless you physically have it in front of you, but let's say you can't get through the day without chocolate, or you have to have your glass of wine at the end of the day to unwind. And you want to change that habit. You can have it in your hand.

You can talk, you know, look at it, think about it, smelling. You're not supposed to eat it. You're supposed to, just to, you know, like your attempt yourself with it and then tap on it about how you can't do without it. And it shifts, it shifts quickly where suddenly you're like, actually that kind of turns my stomach.

I don't want that now. . And that doesn't mean you'll never want it again, but you've just inserted a new idea about. That habit and how you have to have it. Maybe you don't have to have it. Maybe you feel really good without it. 

So, yeah, I work with stress and cravings is one of my programs and it's really true because it, it, people feel like when something like a craving hits or an addiction hits, they are powerless.

And even if they decide to do it anyways, there's this  this space of decision that you have, that's so important to people who are kind of, you know, in. Experience. And so just giving them that pause or that space, but if they're able to do it once, then they can continue to do it. And it's something that is super empowering because it just shifts that like you're saying it relaxes you, but it also just gives you that sense of like, um, whatever the anxiety is, whatever the trigger, whatever it was.

It just gives that quiet moment. So you're able to. Not do the thing or maybe do this thing. 

Exactly. I was just going to say that, that, that, like you said, if, if you decide to go ahead, like that's okay, don't beat yourself up for it. The fact that you've stopped to think about it and kind of work on it, or, you know, by tapping like, you know, kudos to you.

That's huge. Did you know, a week before that, would you have stopped or, you know, before you started tapping, would you have stopped and given yourself that breath, that moment to think twice about it or to think I know this is bad for me, but I'm going to do it anyway. Like I know I want to stop, but I'm going to do it anyway.

 That's a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

Yeah, for sure. And what I think is so brilliant about what you say is those are the victories that go unnoticed and, you give up. Right. But just to stop and think. Yeah, wait a minute, though. I, at that moment I took a pause.

Like that's the step to the next step. If they did, should choose it. It's sort of like when you're ready. Yeah, you're going to find yourself, giving yourself even more distance and you'll might get curious, like, how far can I go with this? I like to play with everything. Like, how far can I go or what's going, what's going to happen?

If, how, what can I get away with kind of a vibe? And so, yeah, I love that you say have a pause, like notice that that happened because you can just bypass that and say it didn't work. Cause I did eat the thing anyway, 

but it's not that simple as that because yeah, you should get credit for what you've done.

Absolutely. Yeah. 

So incremental steps, isn't it? 

Yeah. I had a client one time who she described it has an addiction herself, but it was to toast. Like she could not, not have sometimes, like she just had toast and. And she was ready to not be eating it all the time. For whatever reason, you know, she had, she had health issues.

It would definitely was in her best interest to limit her tennis consumption, but whatever it was, she had gotten her to that point. We. Talked about toast in detail talks about her favorite bread. How, how much, how brown she wanted her toast, you know, like how toasted, like what she liked on it when she would eat it.

What time of day? You know, we talked about like the perfect piece of toast in the perfect environment at the perfect time, maybe with a perfect cup of tea or whatever it was, she normally had it with. And then we tapped about. And she had told me when she came for the session that she was going to the supermarket afterwards and she, you know, she really wanted to tap on it.

You know, she wanted to make accomplish, not eating toast anyway, but she was going to the store. And if, if she wasn't as tempted to buy it, that would probably be quite useful to buy a loaf of bread. And. She sent me messages after that. She's like, I haven't eaten bread for a week. Cause it turns my stomach.

Wow.

I was like a whole week. Like I, you know, I expect her to say, oh, I went to the grocery store and I didn't buy any that day or I bought it, but I didn't eat it that night, you know, or something. Or I had one piece instead of five or whatever the story was going to be. I did not expect her to say I haven't eaten it for a whole week.

Yeah. So it actually lasted two weeks. And then she needed to tap on it again. Okay, great. She's accomplishing what she wanted. Right. He gave her that pause. 

Yeah. I love that story. That's amazing. It's like, it didn't even, she didn't even want it. It wasn't like she needed to fight it off. It's like, didn't really want to deal with it.

So she said she could not stomach it. Like, she was just like, I don't want that in my house right now. Okay. 

I can relate. One of my favorite foods back in the day was, um, toast with butter and eggs, sunny side up sad for me to like, find out that those are some of the top food sensitivities out there and just get some milk, butter and be good with it.

But, um, yeah, that's, that's a really amazing story. I feel like I could talk to you forever. So thank you so much. Sherry we're coming upon the hours. All like let's just wrap up and continue talking. But, um, yeah. How, how do people find you? Because I think that people are going to resonate with your other episode.

I'm going to post into the show notes about joy, but this just idea of, celebrating every time you notice a shift, they all count, you get credit for all of them and how you help people that get into tapping and  make it something that experiment with it and, , have fun. Yeah. Yeah, we'll find you.

The best way to get in touch with me is, um, either by email or through my website or just social media,  my business is grit wellness. So, um, my website is grit, wellness.com. And that is my,  name on Instagram and on Facebook as well. So that's how they can, they can track me down through that. And, um, and I do all sorts of online appointments so that I can talk to people anywhere in the world.

Perfect. Yeah. I would definitely encourage everybody to find out more about what she does so much fun talking to you. Thank you so much for joining me again on the show, Stacy.

Thank you so much for having me get, I love talking to you too already. This is great.

We'll do it again sometime . 

Dori Martin, FDN-P, LMT, CYT, CMT, Master Level 3 EFT Practitioner

www.dorimartin.com

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