What I love about EFT Tapping for Teens
It took a while for me to really appreciate EFT Tapping (officially, Emotional Freedom Techniques). At first, I was definitely hesitant about this “new” modality as more and more novel techniques are getting discovered and shared with the world. Coming from an evidence-based background and being personally very sensitive about the fact that not all modalities work for everyone and the harm that fixating on one can cause, I definitely wanted to do my due diligence before deciding if this was truly a helpful one.
After a few years of researching, attending trainings, and discovering its reputability through practice and evidence, I was finally convinced that it could be greatly supportive for the nervous system, especially for teens. I’d seen practitioners from reputable industries and professional backgrounds use it with a variety of clients for deeper counseling purposes to self-regulation. When used correctly and with the right training and expertise, I could see how it created a safe and comfortable setting for children to feel deeply relaxed when stressed about common occurrences that occur at school. When I started using it my practice, we’d worked on everything from frustrations with teachers and assignments, low motivation, and difficulties working with peers.
EFT Tapping is considered part of a branch called energy psychology, and works by tapping on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupressure points tied to emotional areas. The idea is that negative emotions cause disruptions in the body, and we help clear them through intentional methods structured by EFT tapping protocol derived from practice and the expertise of the trainer. The results vary but include relaxation, ability to take on opportunities you would not have otherwise, or sense of freeing and spaciousness that was otherwise blocked. Although there is a lot more work completed with adults, we’re starting to see emerging research on the effectiveness with teens and children. I noticed often times teens I worked with would immediately relax in our work after using EFT gently for whatever school problem was coming up for them. It was exciting to experience this shift together, seeing them go from deep frustration, and “not even being able to talk about it“ to deep relaxation, “now I need a nap!“. I often never heard a complaint about that topic, again.
As someone who had limited support in navigating my own learning related challenges in school and limits to accessing truly good information and resources to support myself, I found this to be a deeply fulfilling option. While not all techniques can be good and helpful for everyone, it’s so wonderful to see how EFT tapping can be deeply helpful as an option in a world where we continue to face challenges globally and internally. I hope to spread the information of these effective alternative methods and create more of a conversation for efficacy of good methods.
For those who want to explore deeper, you can reach me via email anytime. Here are some links that I found particularly helpful to explore the research base:
Best wishes to your educational success,