Tapping 101 - History and Science of EFT

Summary

This video script explores the journey of truth through ridicule, opposition, and eventual acceptance, using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) as an example. Originating from Roger Callahan's accidental discovery treating a water phobia with acupressure, EFT, developed by Gary Craig, simplifies the process for emotional healing. The script discusses the scientific backing of EFT, including its ability to reduce cortisol levels and normalize brain activity, ultimately promoting emotional balance and openness to positive life changes.

Takeaways

• 📚 Schopenhauer's stages of truth acceptance: ridicule, opposition, and eventual acceptance as self-evident.
• 🎥 The video aims to shift people's views on a topic from ridicule or opposition to acceptance and understanding.
• 💧 The history of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) began with psychologist Roger Callahan treating a woman's water phobia in the 1980s.
• 🔍 Callahan combined conventional therapy with new insights from acupuncture and acupressure to address energy flow disruptions.
• 👩‍⚕️ Mary's phobia was alleviated after tapping under her eye, which is related to the stomach meridian in Chinese medicine.
• 🧠 Dr. Callahan's discovery led to Thought Field Therapy (TFT), which was simplified by Gary Craig to create EFT for emotional freedom.
• 🛠️ Gary Craig, an engineer, streamlined the process by tapping eight major points in a specific sequence for various emotional issues.
• 🌟 EFT is said to clear emotional discomfort by addressing disruptions in the body's energy system, similar to acupuncture.
• 🧬 Recent research supports EFT's effectiveness, showing normalization of brain activity and reduced cortisol levels during tapping.
• 🔄 The human mind and body resist change, but EFT can help reduce stress and make positive changes more attainable.
• 🔗 The video provides links to research for those interested in the scientific evidence behind EFT's benefits.

Q & A

What are the three stages that Schopenhauer described for the acceptance of truth?

According to Schopenhauer, all truth goes through three stages: first, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; and third, it is accepted as having always been self-evident.

What is the history of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) as described in the script?

The history of EFT begins around 1980 with psychologist Roger Callahan, who discovered the effectiveness of tapping on acupuncture points to treat a woman's fear of water. This led to the development of Thought Field Therapy (TFT), which was later simplified by Gary Craig into EFT, focusing on tapping eight major points.

What was the significant breakthrough in treating Mary's fear of water?

The breakthrough was when Dr. Callahan tapped under Mary's eye, which is an endpoint of the stomach meridian in acupuncture. After the tap, Mary reported that her fear was gone, and she was able to approach water without distress.

How did Gary Craig simplify the process of Thought Field Therapy to create EFT?

Gary Craig, an engineer by training, simplified TFT by eliminating the need for diagnostics to determine which points and sequences to use. Instead, he proposed tapping eight major points in a set order, which he found to be effective for various issues.

What is the foundational belief of EFT regarding negative emotions?

EFT is based on the belief that negative emotions are caused by disruptions in the body's energy system, and by tapping on specific acupuncture points, these disruptions can be cleared, alleviating the negative emotions.

How does EFT relate to the concept of a 'happy childhood'?

EFT suggests that discomfort from childhood can be held in the energy system in the present. By tapping on specific points, this discomfort can be cleared, allowing for a 'happy childhood' experience in retrospect.

What recent research findings support the effectiveness of EFT?

Recent research has shown that tapping can normalize brain activity, as evidenced by brain scans, and lower cortisol levels, which indicates a reduction in stress.

How does the reduction of cortisol levels during tapping impact our stress response?

The reduction of cortisol levels during tapping helps to calm the body's stress response, allowing the frontal cortex to take over from the amygdala, promoting a more rational and open-minded state.

What role does the parasympathetic nervous system play in the context of EFT?

The parasympathetic nervous system helps to calm the body down after a stress response, and EFT can facilitate this process by reducing cortisol levels and promoting a sense of safety and well-being.

How can EFT be used to facilitate change in one's life?

EFT can be used to reduce the stress and discomfort associated with change, allowing individuals to feel more open to new experiences and capable of taking actions they might have previously avoided.

What is the significance of the statement 'it's never too late to have a happy childhood' in the context of EFT?

This statement emphasizes that EFT can help clear emotional discomfort from past experiences, allowing individuals to feel better in the present and improve their overall emotional well-being.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Emotional Freedom Through Tapping

This paragraph introduces the concept of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a psychological acupressure technique for emotional healing. It discusses the journey of truth acceptance through ridicule, opposition, and eventual self-evidence. The history of EFT is traced back to psychologist Roger Callahan's work with a woman named Mary, who suffered from a severe water phobia. Callahan's unconventional approach of tapping under the eye, based on Chinese medicine principles, led to a dramatic reduction in her fear. The paragraph also explains how EFT evolved from Callahan's Thought Field Therapy, with Gary Craig simplifying the process to tap eight major points for emotional relief.

05:01

🔬 Science Behind Tapping and Change

The second paragraph delves into the scientific research supporting the effectiveness of tapping for reducing anxiety and stress. It mentions studies that show normalization of brain activity post-acupressure point stimulation and a reduction in cortisol levels during tapping. The explanation connects the physiological response to stress with the calming effect of tapping, which aids in transitioning from a fight-or-flight response to a more rational, open-minded state. The paragraph concludes by discussing how tapping can facilitate positive life changes by reducing the perceived threat of change and allowing individuals to feel more capable and open to new experiences.

Keywords

💡Schopenhauer's stages of truth

This concept refers to the three stages that all truths go through according to the philosopher Schopenhauer: ridicule, violent opposition, and finally acceptance as self-evident. In the video, this idea is used to frame the resistance and eventual acceptance of the therapeutic technique being discussed, emphasizing the evolution of perception towards new ideas.

💡EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)

EFT is a psychological acupressure technique that combines elements of cognitive therapy with exposure to certain meridian points on the body. It is central to the video's narrative as it is the technique being promoted as a means to overcome emotional discomfort and achieve emotional freedom.

💡Phobia

A phobia is an irrational, intense fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. In the video, the story of 'Mary' and her fear of water is used to illustrate the power of the therapeutic technique in addressing deep-seated emotional issues.

💡Acupuncture and Acupressure

These are traditional Chinese medicine practices that involve the stimulation of specific points on the body to alleviate pain or treat health conditions. The video discusses how these practices influenced the development of the therapeutic technique by addressing the flow of energy in the body.

💡Energy system

The concept of an energy system in the body, as referenced in the video, is based on the idea that the body's energy flow can be disrupted, leading to physical and emotional discomfort. The therapeutic technique aims to restore balance to this system.

💡Thought Field Therapy (TFT)

TFT, also known as the Callahan technique, is a method developed by Roger Callahan that incorporates elements of acupuncture and acupressure into psychological treatment. It is the precursor to EFT and is mentioned in the video as the foundational technique from which EFT evolved.

💡Gary Craig

Gary Craig is the founder of EFT and a key figure in the video's history of the technique. He is highlighted for simplifying the process of TFT, making it more accessible and effective for a broader range of emotional issues.

💡Stress hormone

Cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, is mentioned in the video as being reduced through the therapeutic technique. This reduction is linked to the calming of the body's stress response and the promotion of a more rational and open-minded state.

💡Amydala and Lyic system

The amydala and the lyic system are parts of the brain involved in the body's fight-or-flight response to perceived threats. The video explains how the therapeutic technique can help to reduce the activation of these systems, leading to a more balanced emotional state.

💡Parasympathetic nervous system

This system is responsible for the body's rest-and-digest response, counteracting the effects of the sympathetic nervous system. The video suggests that the therapeutic technique can stimulate this system, promoting a sense of calm and well-being.

💡Homeostasis

Homeostasis refers to the body's tendency to maintain a stable internal environment. The video discusses how the therapeutic technique can help individuals overcome the resistance to change that arises from a desire for homeostasis, allowing for positive life transformations.

Highlights

Schopenhauer's three stages of truth acceptance: ridicule, opposition, and eventual self-evident acceptance.

The potential of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to move people from ridicule and opposition to acceptance.

History of tapping therapy, originating from Roger Callahan's work in the 1980s.

Case study of 'Mary' with a lifelong water phobia, treated with a novel tapping method.

Integration of acupuncture and acupressure knowledge into psychological treatment.

Dr. Callahan's discovery that tapping specific points under the eye alleviated Mary's fear of water.

The rapid resolution of Mary's phobia after tapping, leading to her running towards a swimming pool.

Dr. Callahan's development of Thought Field Therapy (TFT) following Mary's case.

Gary Craig's simplification of TFT into EFT, tapping eight major points in a specific sequence.

EFT's premise that negative emotions stem from disruptions in the body's energy system.

EFT's effectiveness in clearing emotional discomfort by tapping acupuncture points.

Gary Craig's encouragement to use EFT on a variety of issues.

The concept of using EFT to resolve past discomforts and achieve a 'happy childhood'.

Recent research linking EFT with reduced anxiety and normalized brain activity.

Dawson Church's study showing EFT's ability to lower cortisol levels, a stress hormone.

The role of the nervous system in EFT, particularly the transition from fight-or-flight to a calm state.

EFT's potential to facilitate positive life changes by reducing the perception of change as a threat.

Encouragement to explore research and share EFT's benefits with others.

Transcripts

schopenhauer said that all truth goes

through three stages first it's

ridiculed second it's violently opposed

third it's accepted as having always

been self-evident so I know there's a

lot of people out there that in those

first two stages of ridiculing it or

violently opposing it and hopefully this

video will help move folks to the uh the

next stage of saying oh okay makes sense

and whether you like it or not you know

you can use it for yourself or choose

not to but uh see that it can make a

difference for a lot of other people

so the history of tapping uh still some

confusion out there and so this is the

uh the history as I learned it from Gary

Craig the founder of

EFT uh around 1980 a psychologist named

Roger Callahan was working with a woman

who we call Mary uh who had a lifelong

fear of water an intense phobia she had

nightmares all kinds of issues she could

only bathe in an inch of water just all

her life had been traumatized by water

and she had seen different therapists

and even working with Dr Callahan for

some

time the best he could do was have her

sitting near the swimming pool looking

away from it and even that was very

difficult for and he'd been using

conventional therapy

methods and around this time he was

learning about some new things learning

about acupuncture and acupressure and

Chinese medicine that for thousands of

of years had said that there's this flow

of energy through the body and we

experiened physical discomfort when that

energy is out of whack so Mary had said

that one of the symptoms of her water

fear was uh not in her stomach so Dr

Callahan had learned that one of the uh

end points for the stomach Meridian was

right under the eye and he thought well

let's see if we can do something about

that and tapped under her

eye and she said it's gone and he said

what's gone thinking you know maybe it'

relieve some of the stomach pressure she

said the fear is gone and starts running

towards a swimming pool and he starts

running after her saying wait and she

cuz he knew she didn't know how to swim

she said it's okay I know I don't know

how to swim she didn't jump in but she

started splashing water in her

face no upsetting feelings uh nightmares

never came back and naturally Dr

Callahan said wow isn't that

interesting so he started trying this

with different clients and found that

with different issues he needed to tap

different points and different

sequences and within a short amount of

time he had put himself out of business

because all of his clients who were

coming to him on a regular basis were

now free from their upsetting issues so

Dr Callahan started teaching this

program called Thought Field Therapy

TFT also known as the Callahan technique

and one of his early students in around

1991 uh was Gary Craig

and Gary had trained as an engineer at

Stanford that's where he had his degree

from so thinking like an engineer he

started throwing out what didn't seem to

work and found that instead of doing a

lot of Diagnostics to figure out which

points in which sequence to tap for

which issue he said well what if we just

tap these eight major points and just go

from top to bottom rather than leaving

any out you know if if we tap a point

that wasn't necessary it doesn't hurt

anything it only takes a few moments so

let's just go through this one uh one

protocol and found that he was getting

the same great results with clients and

so he called this new uh this way of

doing the work emotional Freedom

technique which is a very apt name

because it's a technique that gives us

emotional freedom freedom from those

uncomfortable

emotions so the discovery statement that

Dr Callahan had come up with was that

negative emotions are caused by this

disruption in the energy system and so

by Tapp in these same points that are

often used in

acupuncture we clear out that imbalance

in the Energy System clear out that

experience of discomfort and we return

ourselves to our natural state of

feeling

good now and and we found that we've

been able to use this for all kinds of

issues uh Gary's fond of saying try it

on everything it's like new issue I

don't know let's try tapping on it we

don't know what's going to happen but

let's see if we can clear that stuff out

and allow ourselves to feel good in

terms of of both feelings that we're

experiencing in the present and also

looking back at things that have

happened in the

past another of Gary's great statement

says it's never too late to have a happy

childhood because you can go back and

the discomfort you might carry from your

childhood is in your energy system in

the present and so by tapping on these

points we clear out that discomfort so

it's no longer held in the energy system

and you get to feel a whole lot better

that's what we want is to feel good now

more research uh more recent research

has also shown that during this tapping

it clears out

anxiety and uh you know don't take my

word for down in the information box uh

I have links to research so you know if

anotal evidence doesn't do it for you

you know and you're a man of science and

want to hear the you know want the

research there are links to that down

there and there's a study uh done

showing the showing brain scans showing

the normalization of brain activity

after stimulating acupressure points

there's also a study done more recently

by Dawson Church showing that during the

tapping it's lowering the levels of

cortisol cortisol is a stress hormone

you know when our brain is designed so

that when we get into a threatening

situation the amydala in the lyic system

is stimulated and we go into fight or

flight and it start pumping cortisol

this stress hormone that gets us ready

to deal with whatever the threat is now

our brain was developed you know over

100,000 years ago when we were in more

life-threatening situations on a more

regular basis so you know this is the

sympathetic nervous system that gets us

into that fight ORF

flight and often times most of the time

the the threat that we're responding to

in this physically uncomfortable way is

not a real threat to us now we also have

the parasympathetic nervous system where

the frontal cortex then calms that down

and we start to become more rational

more open-minded you know because when

we're in that stress situation we're

very close-minded we don't you know we

can't be so- minded if we're being

attacked by a saber-tooth tiger we don't

have time to consider all of the things

we need to deal with the threat that's

clear and present and

immediate so

you know once we realize that there

isn't the same threat that we had first

responded to then we start to calm down

so what this research that uh we now

have showing that the cortisol level is

being reduced is that this is

manipulating our nervous system it's

speeding up that process of the frontal

cortex taking over from the lyic system

and allowing us to once again calm down

and feel good so what does this mean in

terms of using tapping for change

well the human body is designed to and

the human mind is designed to like

homeostasis we like to stay the same we

like to stay in our comfort zone so when

we start to think about making changes

in our Lives having more money being

healthier having better relationships

whatever it might be it looks good on

paper but to part of us it's a change

and change is threatening threat

stimulates the lyic system cortisol goes

in and everything inside of us are

saying danger stop don't go there so we

find that you know we make resolutions

and we give them up the next

day so by doing this we are calming that

down we allowing ourselves to see oh

wait there isn't a threat and we can

allow ourselves to be much more open to

change we can allow ourselves to take

actions that we didn't take before

because we're allowing ourselves to see

that we can handle what happen

we just allow ourselves to feel good and

in that good place we find that we have

the resources inside to make these

positive changes in our

lives and you know you don't have to

take my word for it you can check out

the research and the links down below

but I hope that makes it easier for you

to see that you know even if for some

reason you still choose not to tap you

can see that it is a valid process and

can be very beneficial and hopefully

you'll share this information with

others

thanks for doing so