If you can DIY, why pay a practitioner?
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), or clinical EFT, is an evidence based form of cognitive (mind), somatic (body) and exposure therapy with over 100 peer reviewed research articles.
It involves lightly tapping on acupressure points along the body, which are based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) meridian lines. This sends a calming response to part of our brain called the amygdala, shifting us from a state of stress, into a state of calm.
EFT can be used to address a range of complex emotional challenges including stress, anxiety, trauma, fertility & hormone health, disordered eating, body confidence and self-esteem.
It is one of my favourite tools to support clients as it teaches them how to understand and work with their body, rather than against it. One of the most frequent questions I receive is:
“If I can do EFT tapping with myself at home, then what are the benefits of working 1:1 with a clinical practitioner?”
There are many different types of EFT tapping out there and not all of them are ‘clinical.’ I firstly want to point out the difference between Clinical EFT Tapping and what I call “pop culture" tapping. This form of tapping is what you may frequently see on the internet, consisting of videos filled with affirmations or positive tapping such as “I am enough,” or “I am calm.”
This form of tapping may be helpful in the moment, but it doesn’t provide long term results in the same way clinical EFT Tapping does. This is often the reason that some people report that EFT tapping didn’t work for them.
When we use clinical, or evidence based EFT Tapping we focus on what is real and present in the moment. This is the type of EFT that has been used across numerous research studies and has evidence to support its effectiveness for reducing stress and emotional challenges.
Using EFT as a self-led practice can lend great results but if you are new to tapping, I have an analogy for you.
Imagine you start at a brand new gym, you’ve never really trained before, but you have big goals to get strong and lean. You walk into the gym, and are suddenly daunted by the amount of machines, where to start or how to exercise effectively to reach your goals. It all feels too hard and you end up leaving the gym feeling confused, frustrated and exhausted.
Now imagine knowing you’ve hired a trainer.
They walk you into the gym, set your expectations for what you’ll do during the session and how this is contributing to your bigger goals ahead. They provide clear instructions and support you throughout the session. Feels like a sigh of relief right?
Working with stress, emotions and trauma is by far much more complicated than going to the gym, but hopefully you get the gist. Although you can still apply clinical EFT tapping with yourself at home, here are just some of the benefits you can achieve when working 1:1 with a clinically trained practitioner:
Personalised guidance tailored to your specific goals, challenges or beliefs.
Accountability to stick to the practise that can enhance your motivation or keep you focussed in between sessions.
A safe space for deeper exploration. Depending on the challenges you currently face, your body may not feel safe entering this alone. Having the guidance and support of a practitioner ensures your overall safety and exploration of the more painful experiences in life. It is only recommended to do self-led EFT on relatively small problems or emotional situations.
Faster and greater results: With the guidance of a qualified practitioner, you may experience faster and more effective results. A practitioner can help you identify and address underlying issues more efficiently. There are also numerous techniques a trained practitioner uses within a session to support you.
Some of our issues are hard to face and our brain will do everything possible to distract you from going there. The support of a practitioner helps you to slowly and gently explore these challenges whilst ensuring you feel safe.
If you've tried self-led tapping or experimented with the Introduction to EFT Tapping guide and just aren't seeing the results you want, I encourage you to book a 1:1 session together!
Big love and I can't wait to support you in getting the results you truely deserve!
Sarina xo
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