Summary
Polly and her friend Lucy explore tapping (EFT) as a personal growth tool in this casual Thursday Thoughts conversation. Polly, who has trained in EFT, walks Lucy through a live tapping session targeting feelings of overwhelm, demonstrating the setup statement, the meridian points (karate chop, top of head, eyebrow, side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin, collarbones, under arm, wrists, fingertips), and the reframing process. Lucy's self-rated overwhelm drops from an 8 to a 6-7 within minutes. The conversation covers how tapping works by stimulating meridian points to release stuck energy, referencing Chinese medicine principles and research showing a 43% reduction in cortisol after one hour of tapping. They discuss its applications for anxiety, PTSD, pain management, and emotional stuckness, noting that signs of release include yawning and burping. Polly emphasizes that EFT is a self-administered tool you can learn once and use anywhere.
Key Points
- Tapping (EFT) stimulates meridian points on the body, working like acupuncture without needles to restore energy flow
- The setup statement follows the format: "Even though I feel [issue], I choose to love and accept myself anyway"
- You tap 5-7 times on each meridian point and do at least 3 rounds per session
- Rate your emotional intensity from 1-10 before and after to track progress
- Research shows tapping can reduce cortisol by 43% after a one-hour session
- The technique has been shown to help with PTSD, anxiety, stress, and physical pain
- Signs the tapping is working include yawning, burping, and feeling calmer
- The first round focuses on tuning into and naming the emotion; later rounds shift to reframing and releasing
Key Moments
What EFT tapping is and how it works
Polly explains that tapping involves gently tapping on meridian points 5-7 times each, similar to acupuncture without needles, to disrupt the body's energy system and help release stuck emotions based on Chinese medicine principles.
"a technique which you tap yourself on various meridian points on your body so it's a little bit like acupuncture without the needles so we have these different meridian points on the body and what you're doing when you tap on them but you're tapping on them relatively gently not with hardly any force you tap on about five to seven times for each meridian point"
Research showing 43% cortisol reduction from tapping
Research cited shows that after one hour of tapping, stress can be reduced by 43%, bringing down cortisol and adrenaline levels, with both psychological and physiological benefits demonstrated including effectiveness for PTSD.
"there has actually now been quite a lot of research on on tapping on EFT and it has been shown to be able to reduce stress there was a study where they after an hour session of tapping it's they reduce stress from 43%, which is really brings down all your cortisol levels, your adrenaline levels"
Live tapping demo - setup statement and first round
Polly guides Lucy through a live tapping session for overwhelm, starting with the setup statement on the karate chop point and moving through the first round of meridian points while tuning into the feeling.
"even though I have this feeling of overwhelm in the pit of my stomach. I choose to love and accept myself anyway."
How tapping calms the amygdala and nervous system
Polly explains that tapping calms down the nervous system by signaling the amygdala that you are safe, allowing the whole system to relax and release stuck energy, which is when yawns and burps begin as signs of release.
"it's calming down your nervous system because it's telling your amygdala which is kind of like your alarm system in your brain it's like that's what helps you to feel safe because the tapping is helping your amygdala know that you are safe"
