Tips to tap into calm: how emotional freedom technique’s tapping can help people with stress, depression

Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)

Did you know tapping parts of your body can help you to feel less anxious? It is called the emotional freedom technique, or EFT.

How can tapping help?

Ken Fung, a clinical psychologist, explained how EFT tapping is based on ideas from Chinese acupuncture. He believes touching certain points of our body can improve the flow of energy.

“This can improve our mental well-being,” said Fung, who is also the director of therapy and counselling at Jadis Blurton Family Development Centre in Hong Kong.

While more research is still needed on the effectiveness of EFT tapping, Fung said some studies have shown it to help people with a lot of pain, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“While it is mostly used by mental health practitioners, EFT tapping is also a form of self-help, and you can do it at home,” he said. But he added that it is important to talk to a doctor or mental health professional before trying this treatment on yourself.

Guide to practising EFT

First, get into a comfortable position – either sitting or lying down. Identify the issue that is making you feel stressed. On a scale from zero to 10, rate how worried the issue is making you feel. A score of 10 means you feel really bad.

Next, come up with a short statement about how you hope the issue will get better. For example: “Even though I am worried about the exams next week, I believe I can do well.”

Follow this by tapping repeatedly on the edge of your palm, below your little finger. While you tap, say your statement out loud three times.

Repeat your statement out loud and tap these points on your body in this order: the top, centre of your head; the inside edge of one eyebrow; the outside edge of one eye; the bone underneath one eye; between your nose and your upper lip; between your lower lip and your chin; the area where your breastbone and the collarbone meet; finally, tap about 10cm below the armpit.

“You can use your index finger and middle finger together and tap about five to eight times gently on each point, around two taps every second,” Fung said.

When you finish tapping these points, ask yourself how you feel using the zero to 10 scale. Repeat the entire process until you feel better.

Find the words in the puzzle below to test your understanding of the vocabulary in this story.

Suggested answers

• Quick question: pain, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder

• Think about it: taking deep breaths, meditation, talking to someone we trust, or doing something relaxing like listening to music or drawing