EFT Tapping Can Bring Painful, Repressed Emotions to The Surface
Hope can be found on an app and in a prayer
TW/CW: The use of tapping for highly destressing emotions, such as panic or PTSD, would best be done under the supervision of a healthcare professional as a safety precaution, at least at the beginning of your practice. Remember to be gentle with yourself and practice self-care when trying new holistic techniques.
Tapping, also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), combines acupressure with modern psychology. You simply tap on acupressure points while first stating the problem and then positive affirmations. It is a great way to lessen symptoms of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
But be warned that initially, it can bring up painful emotions.
Nick Ortner, the founder of the app The Tapping Solution, states in his book that you’re on the right path if emotions worsen when you begin tapping, bringing repressed material to the surface.
Try not to get discouraged; it’s your body’s way of telling you exactly how much emotional energy it’s been storing around a particular issue. If you keep tapping, you keep clearing it. The results you can achieve in those cases, whether in minutes, hours, or weeks, are truly life-changing.
— Ortner, “The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living”
Tapping is a process
You can’t release an emotion unless it comes up and you allow yourself to feel it. I started tapping in early May 2020. Since March of this year, a deep sense of sadness comes up before a tapping session. I think that daily tapping gives me a sense of safety and that in turn releases sadness I buried as a child.
I find that closing my eyes for a few minutes and letting the sadness wash over me takes away any sense that a painful emotion, no matter how strong, will harm me. I am then ready to do a tapping session on releasing sadness, which lessens the sadness. I know that the sadness I feel, that I have carried since childhood, will not release in one tapping session. It takes time to release emotions you buried as a child.
I find that closing my eyes for a few minutes and letting the sadness wash over me takes away any sense that a painful emotion, no matter how strong, will harm me.
Tapping can produce real results
Research shows, however, that tapping is an effective way to deal with anxiety, PTSD, and depression. One study found that participants who practiced tapping had a
- 40 percent decrease in anxiety
- 35 percent decrease in depression
- 32 percent decrease in PTSD
The key to experiencing less anxiety, PTSD, and depression is to continue practicing tapping every day.
Starting your tapping practice
Starting a tapping practice is easy. Download The Tapping Solution app on your smartphone. Watch the video that explains how to tap and then search for a tapping session that fits what you feel.
Be persistent. Practice tapping when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed. According to Ortner, “it’s the ongoing commitment to tapping that yields the biggest, most profound breakthroughs.” In other words, if you are persistent and practice tapping daily, a breakthrough will come.
[I]f you are persistent and practice tapping daily, a breakthrough will come.
Ready to tap?
If you are ready to start a tapping practice, pray this prayer:
Oh Lord, I lift myself up to You. I ask You to empower me to begin tapping. If I become discouraged about the results not being quick enough, remind me that it takes time to experience a breakthrough. I choose now to commit myself to tap and I trust You to help me.
For an in-depth look at tapping and The Tapping Solution app, watch Nick and Jessica Ortner’s discussion on YouTube.
