Did you know that tapping (also called the emotional freedom technique, or EFT) has commonly been studied and applied in trauma spaces?

I actually first learned about tapping from a psychiatrist and a psychologist who were using it to help their PTSD patients at the VA (Veterans Hospital) process their trauma. In this post, I’ll be discussing 5 different ways that tapping can be applied in trauma spaces.

Tapping is an evidence-based stress reduction technique that can also help with trauma. We tap on different parts of our face and our chest that correspond to some of the areas used in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine- where they would put needles- but instead of using needles, we use acupressure or tapping. As we're tapping and saying the thing out loud that's distressing us, it sends calming signals to the stress center of our brain, and it allows our brain to rewire the way it processes things that were previously stressful. 

EFT/tapping (also called the Emotional Freedom Technique) is an evidence-based stress reduction modality that can be used for PTSD and trauma, phobias, uncomfortable emotions, processing breakups, relationships, grief, anxiety, depression, and anything else perceived as stressful.

The tapping technique allows us to process whatever we’re feeling, and then perhaps let it go or learn something from it.  When we don't process it, when we don't sit with it and deal with it, then our negative emotions can hang around all the time. That may lead to always feeling sad (or angry, or ashamed) and spending that emotional energy in ways that we could spend it otherwise (rest, connection, joy).