Clear Your Emotional Clutter – Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Adapted from the book Activate Your Abundance

“Most of our emotional and physical problems are caused (or contributed to) by our unresolved specific events, the vast majority of which can be easily handled by EFT.”
—Gary Craig

by Kim Caldwell

The most important skill we can develop is the ability to identify and release unwelcome thoughts and emotions from our mind and body. Once we understand that our thoughts and beliefs are creating our reality, it is common to become afraid of our negative thoughts. EFT, also known as tapping, is the perfect enhancement to any program that encourages positive thought because it creates vast spaces in the mind for new uplifting thought to enter. EFT is a simple and effective tool discovered by Gary Craig that releases unwanted thoughts and emotions in order to reclaim untold peace. The priceless information presented here is also inspired by Natalie Hill, an experienced EFT practitioner.

EFT works with specific energy meridians we have throughout our body. We may tap on these points while holding an unpleasant thought with the intention of releasing this negative thought. Dr. Bradley Nelson, author of The Emotion Code,states, “Intention is a powerful form of thought-energy. It is possible to release trapped emotions using the power of your intention alone. I believe that the intention to release the trapped emotion is really the most important part of the equation.”

The negative programs, thoughts and beliefs we hold actually start to drain our energy and create physical problems. Most people carry around these negative emotions for years without being aware that they are contributing to many of the problems and diseases they are experiencing today. It is to our benefit to clear out these self-defeating thoughts, much like clearing the clutter from our home. When we practice tapping we will start to feel lighter and happier. As a result, Divine ideas will start to come and delight us.

The intelligent practice of tapping is related to the science of acupuncture that dates back 2500 years. When we become conscious that we are holding a thought that feels uncomfortable, we can start tapping on the energy points and get relief. It feels like the tension just releases and we can think clearly again. For me it feels like an actual sigh of relief. The anger, depression, fear or even unwanted physical symptoms will simply become less prevalent. Be patient and keep at it. We may even find ourselves laughing as these thoughts lift and we feel relief.

Here is how to tap away your negative emotions and thoughts. Always use the tips of your fingers as they have their own energy meridians. This gives us double benefits. We may tap with our left or right hand; choose the one most comfortable, knowing you may switch hands when needed.

We want to clear on negative beliefs that keep popping up like, “I never have enough money,” “I am not good enough,” or “I need to lose weight.” Of course you have your own personal negative beliefs you want to clear. Understand this: the act of clearing out these self-defeating beliefs is one of the most empowering practices we can do. Without these negative thoughts running rampant in our minds, we will start attracting the life we truly desire.

We may also tap on physical pains such as a stomachache or headache. There is a connection between the stomachache (and any unwanted condition) and the worrying. We start by tapping on our karate chop point (shown picture 1) and saying, “Even though I have this headache, I still love and accept myself.” Now, listen for any thoughts that come up like, “Wow, this job feels like too much for one person to handle,” and tap on that. We simply want to listen for what comes up and tap on it.

Figure 1 Picture taken by Rachel Caldwell

The great thing about tapping is we are allowed to complain and vent out these negative emotions with the intention of clearing them out for good and feeling better. Our complaining actually serves a purpose when combined with tapping.

Let’s do a round of tapping here. Let’s tap on the common issue of feeling anxious. Of course, you may substitute any fear or negative thought you are dealing with and want to clear. Try this:

1. Start by tapping on the side of your hand (see Figure 1) and say the setup statement, “Even though I feel anxious, I still love and accept myself.” Say this set up statement 3 times. Keep tapping on your hand as you say your setup statement.
2. Now, move to your face meridians (all face meridians are shown on Figure 2). On the rest of these points we will just say a reminder phrase once and move to the next point. The reminder phrase keeps you focused on the issue so tapping on these points can get the energy moving and allow healing and change. The first meridian we tap on is the eyebrow point. Tap on this area while saying, “This anxious feeling.” The more you can feel the negative emotion while tapping the more effective the release will be. When you go into the deep negative feeling of the stress while tapping, this is helping to release it for good.

3. Figure 2 Created by Aaron Baker of 501 graphicdesign.com

     Now tap on the spot under the eye and say, “This nervousness feels like it will never go away.”

4. Now tap on the spot under the nose and continue to vent, “This anxiety scares me and makes me feel helpless.”
5. Now tap on the chin where the diagram shows and say, “This feeling like I will never get everything done, this nervousness in my body.”
6. Now tap on your collarbone while making another statement that comes up like, “I hate feeling so anxious.”
7. Now tap all over the top of your head with the tip of all your fingers and make another statement, “I am tired of this tension in my body that feels like it will never go away.”

You have completed one round of tapping; it should go relatively quickly. Take a deep breath and just sit with yourself for a minute. Now it is time to evaluate. How do you feel? Has the unwanted emotion or feeling calmed down? If not, you may do another round of tapping until you feel the relief.

Once you feel relief, it is time to do a round of, “Wouldn’t it be nice if…?” Be sure you feel ready before you start this round. If the tapping has not given you relief yet, continue to tap on the problem or take a break. If we try to move to our “Wouldn’t it be nice if…?” round before we are ready, the mind will create arguments. When we do our “Wouldn’t it be nice if…?” round, it should feel good like, “Yes, everything is feeling a lot better now.” Take your time. Tapping may feel foreign to you at first.

In this round we put the question, “Wouldn’t it be nice if…?” in front of desired statements. This allows our minds to accept these statements easier. Start tapping on your energy points shown below and make statements like, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could relax more often?” or “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could go with the flow and enjoy my days more?” or “Wouldn’t it be nice if I remembered my ability to attract the perfect people to help me?” Keep tapping on your energy meridians while you make these statements.

Once you feel good making your “Wouldn’t it be nice if…?” statements, it is time to move right into your definite statements about what you do want with joy and knowing, like positive affirmations. Here are a few examples: “Everything is going to be alright,” “I am managing my time better every day,” and “I am going to get all the help I need.” Now, we are commanding and back in our power.

Tapping is like anything else — the more we do it, the better we will understand how we are responding and how much we need to practice. We get better the longer we practice. If you are having trouble believing that something so silly and simple could work, you will want to tap on that. For example, while tapping say, “Even though this is silly and will never work, I still love and accept myself.”

If you find yourself in public experiencing negative emotion, there is a discreet way to tap. Natalie Hill explains that right when we feel the stressful emotion is the time to tap it out. If we are somewhere it is inappropriate to tap on our face, we may use the finger tapping technique just as effectively instead. Simply tap the right side of the nail on your pointer finger with your thumb. Tap your thumb and finger together about 10 times while saying the negative thought to yourself that is bothering you. Then, tap the side of each other finger with your thumb, just like you did your pointer finger. This way you may clear negative emotions anywhere, anytime

Natalie Hill suggests that we make a written list of anything that has ever bothered us. Try to come up with as many as possible; at least 100 are a good start. Each day, tap on three of these issues. This cultivates a feeling of peace in our lives. Give this tapping technique a try and expect miracles.