About TappinG

What is Tapping and how does it work?

Originally called TFT or Thought Field Therapy, it began in 1980 by Psychologist Roger Calahan. He was able to cure a patient’s intense water phobia with a few seconds of “Tapping” under her eye, which is the end point of a Meridian or energy channel in the body. These Meridians are the basis for acupuncture, and have been used in Chinese medicine for over 5,000 years. After that experience, Dr. Calahan furthered his education about Meridians and began teaching classes which he called The Calahan Techniques or Thought Field Therapy.

As Dr. Calahan was a psychologist, he used this method for emotional issues only and he taught different Tapping patterns on different points on the body for various psychological conditions.

One of his students was an engineer from Stanford, Gary Craig. As Gary listened to Dr. Calahan, he felt the process could be made simpler. Gary discovered that Tapping on the same 9 points in the same pattern could be used for everything. His belief was “The cause of all physical and emotional pain is a disruption in the body’s energy channels”, also known as Meridians. By physically “Tapping” on these specific points on the head and chest, while addressing the particular issue, the disruption clears and physical and emotional pain resolve - often very quickly.

Gary named his process EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique or Tapping. Later, as this technique became more widely known, Tapping became the common vernacular used to describe the process.

The second explanation for the often astounding results is due to the response in the Amygdala. The Amygdala is our “fight or flight” gland. It is almond shaped, located in the primitive portion of our brain at the back of the skull. It protects us when we are in danger by secreting hormones such as Cortisol to help us fight or flight. When the Amygdala is activated it also sends all the blood to the extremities, taking blood away from the frontal cortex, our “thinking brain”, so we can run from dangerous situations without having to stop and analyze. The problem is, in our modern way of living, the Amygdala can get activated frequently, even though we are not in those same dangerous situations. This is what we call our Stress Response.

When Tapping on these acupressure points, it sends a calming signal to the Amygdala, which then allows the body and mind to enter into a state of calm and relaxation, allowing healing to occur.

Tapping can be used to heal physical or emotional pain, traumas, phobias and PTSD. It is incredibly fast and effective, so much so that it’s hard to believe until you have experienced it for yourself!