What is EFT ?
We all hold stress, anxiety, and past traumas not just in our minds, but deeply rooted within our bodies. When a difficult memory or overwhelming worry is triggered, our nervous system sounds a physical alarm, sending us straight into "fight-or-flight" mode (our built-in instinctive survival mode). EFT is an evidence-based, somatic energy psychology method designed to turn off that internal alarm.
What is Emotional FreedomTechniques (EFT ) ?
Often called ‘EFT therapy’ or ‘Tapping’ it is a somatic, clinically proven technique that blends modern psychology with elements of acupressure. By combining the gentle stimulation of acupressure points with traditional talking therapy, EFT bridges the gap between mind and body to provide rapid, lasting emotional relief.
It operates on the understanding that emotional distress and traumatic memories can leave a physical imprint on the body’s nervous system.
By stimulating specific meridian points (the tapping element) while consciously focusing on an issue, or an emotion you send a physical calming signal directly to the brain.
How It Works
During an EFT Tapping session, you will use your fingertips to gently tap on a specific sequence of meridian points across your face and upper body (such as the top of your head, the side of the eye, under the nose, and collarbone). While tapping, you will voice a series of simple affirmations or statements about the emotional or physical pain or sensations you are experiencing.
What actually happens when we tap?
How EFT Tapping Works in Our Sessions together…
As an integrative counsellor, I can weave EFT seamlessly into our talking therapy work together to help you with overwhelming feelings in the moment or we can arrange dedicated EFT sessions as part of our work together to work on deeper rooted memories, trauma or beliefs you may have.
It is a collaborative process that respects your pace and focuses on your unique goals.
During a session, we will identify a specific emotional or physical stressor you are experiencing and focus your mind on that issue, we will gently tap with our fingertips on a sequence of the meridian points across the face and upper body to help reduce the intensity of the emotion associated with the stressor we have identified.
As well as calming your amygdala the part of your brain that holds your memories and experiences, tapping gives the following benefits:
-
Neutralising Emotional Sting: By speaking about the distress while keeping your nervous system calm, we break the link between the memory and the physical panic response. The memory remains, but its power to trigger or overwhelm you fades away.
-
Integrating Insight: Once the physical intensity of the emotion is cleared, your brain naturally opens up to new perspectives, deeper self-compassion, and cognitive shifts.
What EFT Can Help With ?
Because EFT addresses both the cognitive and physical aspects of distress, it is highly effective for a wide range of challenges, including:
-
Anxiety and Panic: Rapidly de-escalating physical tension, racing thoughts, and acute stress.
-
Trauma and PTSD: Safely processing painful memories without flooding your system or causing re-traumatisation.
-
Limiting Beliefs: Releasing deep-seated narratives like "I'm not good enough" or "I'm unsafe."
-
Phobias and Fears: Neutralising intense, irrational fears or situational anxieties (e.g., public speaking, flying).
-
Physical Tension and Pain: Addressing the emotional stress that manifests as chronic headaches, jaw clenching, or chest tightness and actual physical pain from an injury or a surgical procedure and treatment such as chemotherapy.
And the best part…
EFT is an empowering tool
for Life
One of the greatest benefits of EFT is that it is entirely self-empowering. Once we practice the sequences together in our sessions, you will have a portable, highly effective self-regulation tool that you can use at home, at work, or whenever life feels overwhelming.
What to Expect in an EFT Session…
If you have never experienced somatic or body-based therapy before, the idea of tapping can feel a little unfamiliar. That is completely normal.
Our sessions are a collaborative, safe, and entirely supportive space where you are always in control.
Here is what our time together generally looks like:
1. Identification and Grounding
We begin each session by completing some relaxing grounding techniques to help calm your nervous system. We then move to identifying the specific issue, memory, or physical sensation you would like to work on. We will explore how it makes you feel right now and rate its emotional intensity on a scale of 0 to 10. This gives us a baseline so we can track your progress throughout the session.
2. Creating the Setup
Together, we will craft a personalised "setup statement." This is a short phrase that acknowledges the problem while simultaneously practicing self-acceptance. For example, we might say: "When I think about all the things I have to do this week, I feel anxious, I accept this is how I feel right now."
3.The Tapping Sequence
While focusing on the emotional or physical distress, we will use our fingertips to gently tap on a specific sequence of the acupressure points on the face and upper body. I will mirror the movements with you, guiding you exactly where to tap and what phrases to speak aloud.
4. Reassessment and Integration
After a couple of rounds of tapping, we take a deep breath and pause. We check back in with your body and your emotions to see how the intensity rating has changed. We then repeat the process, fine-tuning the words we use as your emotions shift, peel back layers, or soften.
By the end of our work together, you will not only experience relief in the room, but you will also feel confident using these exact tapping sequences on your own as a practical tool for daily stress management and self-regulation.
Ready to Find Emotional Freedom?
You do not have to carry the physical and emotional weight of stress, anxiety, or past experiences alone. Through the combination of integrative counselling and EFT Tapping, we can work together to calm your nervous system, clear old patterns, and help you feel grounded in your body again.
