Tapping Away Anxiety

Unveiling the Magic of Emotional Freedom Techniques

A recent study has stumbled upon a nifty little trick: a simple finger-tapping technique that could be your passport to waving goodbye to anxiety in just a handful of minutes. Picture this: using your index and middle fingers to tap on particular spots on your body for around 10 minutes. These aren’t random spots, but the tail ends of what Traditional Chinese Medicine calls “meridians,” or energy pathways. This tapping gala, combined with some mental reshaping exercises, is a part of a grander scheme dubbed Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).

A Closer Look at the Study

The study brought together 22 students plagued by specific phobias. While it kept the individual results under wraps, on an average, the students felt a noticeable reduction in distress concerning their phobias post this technique. Their anxiety levels not only took a nosedive but went below the threshold that initially made them eligible for the study! They found the eerie situations less intimidating and the objects of their fears easier to approach.

Now, stack this against merely taking deep breaths; the EFT practitioners witnessed a substantial betterment in confronting their fears. And the icing on the cake? Zero negative side effects were reported.

EFT Vs. Deep Breathing

The study, flaunted in the journal Explore, accentuated that EFT outperformed deep breathing exercises in mollifying anxiety. EFT is a concoction of acupressure, facing your fears head-on, and mental reshaping, sans any medications. Participants, harboring fears of critters like cockroaches, snakes, needles, or heights, zeroed in on their fears while either practicing deep breathing or EFT. Their anxiety levels were put under the microscope through a standard questionnaire, gauging both physical and mental symptoms tied to anxiety.

Divide, Conquer, and Assess

Participants were divvied up into two cohorts. One dove into EFT first, while the other embarked with deep breathing. Both groups navigated through five rounds of each, with EFT clocking in at a total of 10 minutes. The outcome? The ones who got a crack at EFT first saw a hefty decline in phobia-related anxiety and found it less challenging to face their fears. The deep breathing group also experienced a dip in anxiety, albeit not as pronounced as the EFT group. However, upon switching to EFT, they bridged the gap with the other group.

The Enchantment of EFT

EFT is captivating because it helps activate the part of our nervous system that brings about relaxation and a sense of calm. In the study, people gently tapped certain spots on their bodies using their fingertips.. These points are linked to the endpoints of traditional acupuncture meridians. While tapping, they echoed affirmations or reminders concerning their fears. The study spotlighted seven specific tapping targets, including spots on the eyebrows, eyes, under the nose, chin, collarbone, and armpits.

EFT: Not Just for Phobias

The charm of EFT extends beyond phobias. Recent data has shown it can alleviate stress and anxiety among healthcare personnel caring for COVID-19 patients. Additionally, a review of 14 other studies with over 600 participants unearthed a significant plummet in anxiety scores post practicing EFT. Contemporary neuroscience suggests that EFT might be tinkering with the communication channels between different brain regions, contributing to its perks.

A Ray of Hope

EFT has sprinkled a dash of hope in alleviating chronic pain and elevating the quality of life, not just curtailing anxiety. Brain scans, like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), have unveiled changes in brain connectivity that might elucidate these effects. Despite its straightforwardness, EFT seems to cast a wide net in impacting the brain, mitigating anxiety, and even chronic pain.

In Conclusion

If you’re grappling with severe anxiety, it’s a stellar idea to have a heart-to-heart with a healthcare provider. Yet, for milder bouts of fear or anxiety, like before hitting the stage for a speech or confronting a specific phobia, twirling around with EFT might be worth your while!