In the simplest version of the classic EFT application, we briefly connect with a negative feeling while tapping on the points and gently expressing the feeling.

Let’s say we are tapping for “When the grocer let me down last Wednesday.” We play as follows.

Setting

“Even though I have this feeling from when the shopkeeper ripped me off last Wednesday, I deeply love and accept myself.”

Reminder

“When the grocer ripped me off last Wednesday.”

And we keep tapping this way ideally until the sensation is reduced to zero.

Sometimes a feeling is stubborn. Progress can be slow. That’s why we’re all looking for ways to speed up the process in the safest and easiest way possible. But with EFT as with anything else, you have to learn to walk before you can run. One of the biggest mistakes newcomers to EFT make is trying sophisticated approaches before practicing the basics thoroughly. This often works, given the robust nature of EFT. Sometimes it goes wrong. One mistake is to pack as many negative emotions as possible into one round of EFT in the hope of getting a quicker result. For example, playing “fear” at one point, “terror” at the next, “shame” at the next, then “anger”, “guilt”, etc. Or maybe I “saw” it at one point and “it terrified me” at another and then at each point describing in heartbreaking detail another part of a very traumatic event, a terrible pain, or a very strong desire. While this sometimes works, usually the effect is to overwhelm the person, who then feels worse and may stop tapping altogether. This is especially so when the SUDS or numbers are still above 3.

It is an easy mistake to make. It’s easy to be shocked to see EFT tappers give stream of consciousness style statements and think it’s totally random. And I’ve learned the hard way that I almost never do this in an introductory EFT or Level 1 tapping class and to discourage its use in a Level 2 tapping workshop. The reason is that this seemingly easy transmission of stream of consciousness is the result of serious study and application of NLP and should not be attempted by an enthusiastic tapper with no knowledge of the subject, no matter how enthusiastic or well intentioned.

EFT is like many skills. First you learn the basics. Then you practice them until they are second nature. Then you learn a few more refinements and practice them until you master them completely. Learn one step at a time; Step by Step. You may be pleasantly surprised at how good a solid grounding in the basics can be; and how good you can feel practicing them.