Resources by Terri
What is Tapping
The video below has Terri Mays discussing what Tapping is and how you can begin to use this tool immediately. Press play below to watch this interview now!
Tapping with Terri
I have developed a system to help educators’ personal stresses using Emotional Freedom Technique or (EFT Tapping), so that they can better manage stress in and around the classroom. Educators today are managing more stress than ever before, both in and outside the classroom. Dealing with student challenges over and over, from outbursts to meltdowns, parent conferences, broken copy machines, technology issues, mandatory meetings, the list goes on and on.
Individually these are just another inconvenience in the day, but accumulative can feel exhausting and become toxic stress contributing to burnout. The latest figures from the US Dept of Education states 40% of teachers will leave the profession within five years. This creates stress and pressure on all the districts’ departments. Educators that know EFT Tapping cultivate resilience helping them manage physical and emotional stressors, enjoy life more and fulfill their original desire to teach our youth for the future.
EFT Tapping has been proven to help reduce anxiety, stress and improve self-esteem both for the educator and the student. It can be used with specific emotional intent toward your own life challenges as educators as well as used in group settings with students at the start of the day or special event. EFT Tapping is effective, simple, safe and can be learned as young as four years old. You can apply it to yourself whenever you want and wherever you are. It’s less expensive and less time consuming than many other stress reducing methods.
There have been over 100 clinical trial studies with EFT Tapping showing positive results, 51 of them have been the triple blind gold stand study. As research is increasing in the application of EFT Tapping in the classroom Neuroscientist Dr. David Feinstein says, “…it is not a question of IF we use Tapping in our schools but When we will start using it”. It’s Time! The research is in, we can’t afford to waste any more time not teaching EFT Tapping to our Educators and Students.
Frequently Asked Questions
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EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques, it works with the body’s energy system. Just think about the name, you are literally freeing yourself from negative emotions like hurts or fears. The Chinese discovered, we have a subtle energy that runs through the body carried through tiny pathways called meridians, they call this energy “Chi” and you can access the meridian through its endpoint. Tapping is relatively new as it was in 1979 when Dr. Roger Callahan, a psychologist first discovered success with patients using tapping on meridian points while addressing different issues. Today EFT Tapping has been researched in more than 10 countries by numerous gold standard studies proving its effectiveness in lowering cortisol levels and reducing stress and anxiety and other negative emotions.
Simply stated, it works on the body’s energy system and meridians. Meridians are our body’s electrical circuits. They are the roads our energy uses to travel from all parts of our body to and from our brain. Meridians are what Chinese health practitioners discovered some 5,000 years ago, and form the basis for acupuncture. But with Tapping, we don’t use any needles! You can stimulate these meridian energy points by tapping on them with your fingertips. I like to call these points, “special bundles of energy that can help you feel better”.
You probably already do some of them without even knowing. Have you ever noticed that when you feel stressed or upset about something you might put your head in your hands? Or if you feel a headache you may want to rub you head or neck? Or if something suddenly startles you, you may grab or put your hand on your chest? Those are things we intuitively do to feel calmer and in-control of your emotions. Because EFT is done by literally tapping on specific points with your fingertips, it is commonly called “Tapping” for short.
As Tapping is being introduced to students of all ages, research demonstrates Tapping can improve academic performance, decrease negative emotional states, improve self-esteem and resilience and better solve negative social interactions. According to Harvard Medical School “Tapping is proving to be a powerful, well-researched technique”.
Be open to Possibilities. It’s Time for a New Normal.
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It’s easy to do ‘Tapping’! Let me warn you, at first it might look weird because you’re going to be tapping on your face and body with your fingers, but just play with it for a while. You’ll be surprised after Tapping how big-deal things just won’t bother you so much, it’s amazing. Express your feelings as you Tap solidly yet gently on the energy points explained below, using two or three fingers with either hand, or both hands. As long as you stimulate the points, it doesn’t matter. This is why Tapping is called “acupressure for the emotions.” Use the same amount of pressure you would use if you were to tap your fingers on a table, knock, knock, knock … You want to make contact, but not cause discomfort. Tap roughly five to seven times on each point. While there are many more Tapping or energy points you can use, I will just describe the most commonly used points. If one point is uncomfortable to do (like the one under the arm), then just skip it. You can Tap on either the right side or left side it doesn’t matter. The order is not crucial either and you can even do the points in reverse. The good news is, Tapping is very forgiving. A great thing to remember is this, you can’t do Tapping wrong. So, just do it!
Here’s the basic Tapping Points:
Karate Chop – the outside edge of your hand, below your little finger.
Inner Eyebrow – on the end of either eyebrow, near the bridge of your nose.
Side of Eye – the outside of either eye, on the bone.
Under the Eye – about an inch below either eye, on the bone.
Under the Nose – above the lip.
Chin – below your lower lip, where your chin starts.
Collarbone – the inside end of either collarbone, below your throat.
Under Arm or Armpit – about four inches down, on the side of your rib cage.
Top of the Head – in line with your ears on the top of your head.
When you feel like you’re done Tapping take a Deep Belly Breath. (Stick out your tummy and breathe down deep then exhale).Simply stated, it works on the body’s energy system and meridians. Meridians are our body’s electrical circuits. They are the roads our energy uses to travel from all parts of our body to and from our brain. Meridians are what Chinese health practitioners discovered some 5,000 years ago, and form the basis for acupuncture. But with Tapping, we don’t use any needles! You can stimulate these meridian energy points by tapping on them with your fingertips. I like to call these points, “special bundles of energy that can help you feel better”.
You probably already do some of them without even knowing. Have you ever noticed that when you feel stressed or upset about something you might put your head in your hands? Or if you feel a headache you may want to rub you head or neck? Or if something suddenly startles you, you may grab or put your hand on your chest? Those are things we intuitively do to feel calmer and in-control of your emotions. Because EFT is done by literally tapping on specific points with your fingertips, it is commonly called “Tapping” for short.
As Tapping is being introduced to students of all ages, research demonstrates Tapping can improve academic performance, decrease negative emotional states, improve self-esteem and resilience and better solve negative social interactions. According to Harvard Medical School “Tapping is proving to be a powerful, well-researched technique”.
Be open to Possibilities. It’s Time for a New Normal.
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So, what’s it doing to our brain? Research shows Tapping on these meridian energy points communicates with the Amygdala. Science has established that our stress response begins in the amygdala, which is one of the components of the limbic system or midbrain. It is part of what is commonly called our fight/flight response or primitive brain response. This served us well when we had to fight or flee from a tiger in caveman days, but today we don’t have tigers chasing us, we have daily stress and fears whether at school from peers or teachers, or at home. When we experience a negative experience or emotion it puts it in the same physical response as danger from the tiger. The good news is research at Harvard Medical School has shown that stimulation of selected meridian acupoints decreases activity in the amygdala, hippocampus (another part of the limbic system) and other parts of the brain associated with fear thus feeling calmer. It balances the body energy system.
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Yes, it is a great do-it-yourself tool. Tapping is simple, effective technique that can be learned by anyone. You can choose to do it anytime or anywhere you feel the need. As young as four-year-old have benefited from tapping. You don’t need to know the theory behind tapping to feel better, happier and healthier. It just works! EFT reminds you that you are in charge of your feelings. Your troublesome feelings are not the boss of you! Life’s supposed to feel good.
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We are bodies of energy. Just like Doctors use instruments to record electrical activities in your body, such as EEG or EKG. The energy in your body is just like electricity. It runs through you all the time, powering your body. EFT Tapping uses these energy meridians to clear energy blockages. If you look at the word emotion you will notice that e-motion is actually just ‘energy in motion’. The ‘E’ stands for ‘energy’ and ‘motion’ stands for movement. Think about it, we use words like I’m full of energy today or we may say, “I didn’t have my full energy in the game”. When you feel scared, angry or sad for example, the energy in your body gets stuck or freezes up. This causes a disruption in your body or interference similar to a short circuit “zzzzt” in a television set. By tapping we can smooth out the flow of energy or interference and the negative emotion can go away. At first Tapping may seem weird to you. You may even think it looks and sound ridiculous or silly. Once you try it and get results you’ll not only feel more comfortable about it, but you’ll be enthusiastic about it.
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By the nature of their professional training and practice placements, social work students are prone to situations provoking the onset of anxiety. A programmer of academic and placement support, termed the ‘Skills Lab’, provides help and support for students to develop their communication skills and prepare for their practice placements and transition into professional social work practice. Skills Lab evaluations indicated a high level of appreciation, linked with a strong sense of apprehension and anxiety, which some students report has negatively affected their performance. To address student anxiety, a pilot study using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) was developed. EFT is an intervention, which may potentially be effective in reducing academic anxiety and enhancing public speaking. This mixed-methods pilot study measured participants’ (n = 45) subjective distress and anxiety before and after using EFT. Subjective distress/anxiety was invoked through a 15-min assignment lecture. Twelve of the 45 students also participated in one-one interviews to elaborate on their experiences of EFT. Quantitative findings indicated participants reported significantly less subjective distress and anxiety after using EFT. Qualitative findings indicated three themes whereby participants found EFT calming, relaxing and helpful; considered the transferability of EFT in other settings; and proposed some of the mechanisms of EFT’s action.
CLICK HERE to Learn More
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Previous studies have demonstrated that Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is an evidence-based method that relieves stress and a variety of psychological conditions. EFT combines techniques drawn from conventional methods such as cognitive therapy with the novel ingredient of acupressure. The goal of the current study was to determine whether or not EFT could quickly reduce stress symptoms in college students, and to compare the efficacy of acupoint stimulation to the stimulation of sham points. Participants were 56 university students randomly assigned to either the EFT (n = 26) or sham group (n = 30). They were assessed for nine common stress symptoms before and after a single 15–20 minute group treatment session. Sessions occurred on campus in groups of five to 10 students. Participants in both groups repeated statements from a script containing eight sets of stressful cognitions centered on feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, and ending with positive affirmations. Those in the EFT group stimulated the points described in manualized form of the method, while those in the second group stimulated sham acupressure points. There were no significant differences in stress symptoms between the two groups at pretest. Posttest, symptoms were reduced in the EFT group by 39.3% and in the sham acupressure group by 8.1% (p < .001), demonstrating that the stimulation of actual points is superior to sham points even when all other components of treatment remain identical. The results of this study are consistent with previous dismantling studies demonstrating that acupressure is an active ingredient in the EFT protocol and not a placebo or inert component of treatment. Clinical EFT is an effective immediate treatment for common stress symptoms.
CLICK HERE to Learn More
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Clinical EFT (Emotion Freedom Techniques) is an evidence-based practice that combines elements of exposure and cognitive therapies with the manual stimulation of acupuncture points. The research literature indicates it to be efficacious for a number of psychological conditions in a variety of treatment time frames. Randomized controlled trials demonstrate that EFT effectively treats phobias and certain anxiety disorders in one session. A single session also results in a significant drop in cortisol and normalization of the EEG frequencies associated with stress. EFT has the client focus on specific traumatic memories; the emotional intensity of these memories usually diminishes rapidly during treatment. This makes EFT an efficient single-session treatment for emotional distress associated with episodic memories. For conditions such as complex co-morbid PTSD, combination treatments and longer courses are indicated, though even treatment-resistant clients often experience some relief after a single session. Psychological symptoms of PSTD, depression, and anxiety typically reduce simultaneously, along with physical 2 symptoms such as pain and insomnia. Clinical EFT also offers a suite of techniques developed to address treatment barriers such as dissociation and overwhelming emotion.
This review and case series examines the conditions for which a brief course of EFT treatment is appropriate, when it is not indicated, when it can be taught to the client as a form of self-care, and when professional administration is required. It also cautions against generalizing EFTs rapid efficacy for certain conditions; this may contribute to unreasonable expectations in therapist or client. EFT is recommended as a front line primary care intervention to improve mental health and physical symptoms.
CLICK HERE to Learn More
Research on EFT Tapping
The State of EFT Research
EFT has been researched in more than 10 countries, by more than 60 investigators, whose results have been published in more than 20 different peer-reviewed journals.
These include distinguished top-tier journals such as Journal of Clinical Psychology, the APA journals Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training and Review of General Psychology, and the oldest psychiatric journal in North America, the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
EFT research includes investigators affiliated with many different institutions.
In the US, these range from Harvard Medical School, to the University of California at Berkeley, to City University of New York, to Walter Reed Military Medical Center, to Texas A&M University, to JFK University. Institutions in other countries whose faculty have contributed to EFT research include Staffordshire University (United Kingdom), Lund University (Sweden), Ankara University (Turkey), Santo Tomas University (Philippines), Lister Hospital (England), Cesar Vallejo University (Peru), Bond University (Australia), and Griffith University (Australia).
The Science Behind Tapping
Energy Psychology has been called “acupressure for the emotions.” It is a self-empowerment approach that draws from ancient spiritual practices and healing traditions. It provides simple methods for shifting brain patterns that lead to unwanted thoughts, actions, and emotions, such as fear, anger, anxiety, jealousy, shame, and depression. By tapping energy points on the surface of the skin while focusing the mind on specific psychological problems or goals, the brain’s electrochemistry can be shifted to quickly help:
- overcome fear, guilt, shame, jealousy, anger, or anxiety.
- change unwanted habits and behaviors.
- enhance the ability to love, succeed, and enjoy life.
The approach offers powerful tools for the clinician as well as potent back-home tools for the client. This class is a hands-on introduction that will teach you the basic principles and enough technique that you can immediately begin using Energy Psychology in your own life and make informed choices about how it might be integrated into your practice if you are a clinician.
Energy Psychology combines tools from conventional psychotherapy, such as focused imagination, with tools from healing and spiritual practices that understand the ” vital energies” that are at the foundation of physical and mental health. It works by stimulating energy points on the surface of the skin which, when paired with specific psychological procedures, send signals to the brain which may impact stress chemicals such as cortisol and DHEA, deactivate limbic system arousal, and rapidly alter neural pathways. In brief, undesired responses can rapidly be uncoupled from their triggers, providing you with greater ease and freedom to live your life more effectively and joyfully.
Energy Psychology is still a controversial development within the mental health field (the techniques look quite strange, are adopted from foreign ancient cultures, and the claims of a growing number of practitioners seem almost too good to be true), but evidence is mounting that these techniques are significant, powerful tools for both self-help and clinical treatment.
Read more by clicking HERE to be redirected to Dr. David Feinstein’s article.
EFT Student Evidence Research
Here are just a few of the studies:
Boath, Stewart, & Carryer (2013) – Is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Generalizable? Comparing Effects in Sport Science Students Versus Complementary Therapy Students. Following a 15 minute EFT workshop and 15 minute lecture on EFT, 46 students suffering from public speaking anxiety experienced a significant reduction in subjective units of distress and anxiety, however no effect on depression was observed. Qualitative reports from students revealed the students believed EFT assisted in reducing anxiety by helping them stay calm and focused. Sezgin, Ozcan, & Church (2009) – The effect of two psychophysiological techniques (Progressive Muscular Relaxation and Emotional Freedom Techniques) on test anxiety in high school students: A randomized blind controlled study.
Of 312 high school students, 70 students who were identified as having a high level of test-related anxiety were randomly assigned to a control group who received progressive muscle relaxation techniques or an experimental group (EFT treatment). Both groups observed a significant decrease in student anxiety, however a significantly greater decrease was observed for students who received EFT.
Both groups scored higher on test examinations following the treatment, however greater performance was observed for the EFT group (though the difference was not statistically significant). Jain & Rubino (2012) – The effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for optimal test performance: A randomized controlled trial. 150 undergraduate students from three different universities with debilitating test anxiety were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: – 1) EFT treatment (2 x 2 hour treatments), 2) diaphragmatic breathing (2 x 2 hour treatments, 3) or no-treatment control group. Significant improvements in optimal test performance were seen for both diaphragmatic breathing and EFT on most assessment measures, with gains/improvements maintained at the end of the university semester when students were re-tested. Fitch (2011) – The efficacy of primordial energy activation and transcendence (PEAT) for public speaking anxiety
This study randomly assigned 82 university students experiencing communication/public speaking anxiety into two groups: 1) primordial energy activation and transcendence (PEAT) treatment (20 minutes in duration) or 2) no treatment control group. Overall, a significant reduction in anxiety was observed for individual who received the PEAT treatment compared to the control group. Qualitative reports from participants also identified themes of effectiveness for the PEAT intervention in reducing public speaking anxiety. Jones, Thornton, & Andrews (2011) – Efficacy of EFT in reducing public speaking anxiety: A randomized controlled trial.
Significant reductions in public speaking anxiety were observed all subjective and behavioral measures following an EFT intervention. A significant reduction in public speaking anxiety (as measured by Subjective Units of Distress) was demonstrated within the first 15 minutes of EFT treatment, with further significant reductions demonstrated at 30 and 45 minutes. EFT was found to be a quick and effective treatment for public speaking anxiety. Fitch, Schmuldt, & Rudick (2011) – Reducing state communication anxiety for public speakers: An energy psychology pilot study. Speech anxiety was significantly reduced for the 14 students (out of 67) who received primordial energy activation and transcendence (PEAT). Qualitative reports revealed students who underwent PEAT reported an increased sense of well-being and calmness, both during and after the process, stating it helped them maintain eye contact and was more helpful that other anxiety-reducing strategies.
Sporting/Athletic Performance
Church & Downs (2012) – Sports confidence and critical incident intensity after a brief application of Emotional Freedom Techniques: A pilot study. significant improvements in both emotional and physical components of sports performance were seen after a single 20-minute EFT session, with all improvements maintained 60 days following treatment.
Llewellyn-Edwards & Llewellyn-Edwards (2012) – The effect of EFT
on soccer performance. Results revealed a significant improvement in goal scoring ability from a dead ball situation following a short EFT session. Church (2009) – The effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on athletic performance: A randomized controlled blind trial Following a single EFT treatment (15minutes) a sample of college basketball team members improved on average 20.8% in free throws, compared to the control group (no treatment) who decreased on average 16.6% in free throw ability, thus suggesting EFT may improve free throw performance.
Learning Disabilities/Educational
McCallion (2012) – Emotional freedom techniques for dyslexia:
A case study by the end of three EFT sessions, the client (who suffered from dyslexia) was able to read easily and fluently, and understand sentences. The disorientation associated with the client’s dyslexia had also reduced significantly to a point where it was no longer an issue.
Dr. Dawson Church’s Cortisol Gold Study Research
Although frequently overlooked, emotional health is critical for your physical health and healing. No matter how devoted you are to the proper diet and lifestyle, you’re unlikely to achieve optimal health if emotional barriers stand in your way.
Energy psychology uses a psychological acupressure technique based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture (which has been used to treat physical and emotional ailments for over 5,000 years) but without the invasiveness of needles. The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is the most popular form of energy psychology and was developed in the 1990’s by Gary Craig, a Stanford engineering graduate specializing in healing and self-improvement. I routinely used EFT in my practice, and highly recommend it to optimize your emotional health.
The method involves tapping specific points on your head and chest with your fingertips while thinking about your specific problem—be it a traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc.—and voicing positive affirmations. This can be done alone or under the supervision of a qualified therapist.
The combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the emotional block from your body’s bio-energy system, thus restoring your mind and body’s balance.
Clinical trials have shown that EFT is able to rapidly reduce the emotional impact of memories and incidents that trigger emotional distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, your body can often re-balance itself, and accelerate healing. While some still view energy psychology with suspicion, EFT has actually met the criteria for evidence-based treatments set by the American Psychological Association for a number of conditions, including post-traumatic distress syndrome (PTSD).
EFT Research/References
- Baker, A. H., & Siegel, L. S. (2010). Emotional freedom techniques (EFT)
reduce intense fears: A partial replication and extension of Wells et al.
(2003). Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, & Treatment, 2, 13-30.
doi:10.9769.EPJ.2010.2.2.AHB - Benor, D. J., Ledger, K., Toussaint, L., Hett, G., & Zaccaro, D. (2009). Pilot
study of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Wholistic Hybrid derived
from EMDR and EFT (WHEE) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for
treatment of test anxiety in university students. Explore, 5. - Boath, E., Stewart, A., & Carryer, A. (2013). Tapping for success: A pilot
study to explore if Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can reduce
anxiety and enhance academic performance in University students.
Innovative Practice in Higher Education,1. - Bougea, A., Spandideas, N., Alexopoulos, E., Thomaides, T., Chrousos, G.
P., & Darviri, C. (2013). Effect of the Emotional Freedom Technique on
perceived stress, quality of life, and cortisol salivary levels in tension-type
headache sufferers: A randomized controlled trial. Explore, 9, 91–99.
doi:10.1016/j.explore.2012.12.005