How Tapping Can Help Relieve Stress And Pain
By: Holly E Carpenter, RN, BSN
Learn a simple technique to feel better quickly.
If you’re feeling stressed, tired, overwhelmed, or in pain, try tapping. Also known as the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), tapping is similar to acupuncture, where lightly tapping certain points on the face and upper body can help relieve tension and stress.
Unlike with acupuncture though, you use your fingertips instead of needles. And best of all, you can do it yourself. “The practice is a combination of modern psychology and the principles of 5,000-year-old acupuncture,” says Bev Nerenberg, a certified EFT practitioner.
Why try tapping?
Tapping easily and effectively allows participants to get relief from pain and negative emotions. Nerenberg says that tapping often provides improvement quickly.
“We all have energy that flows throughout our body on pathways called meridians. When the energy isn’t flowing properly, our body doesn’t work as well. Tapping on these meridian points breaks up the energy blockages, which allows people to go from being stressed to feeling better,” says Nerenberg. And studies suggest it can reduce anxiety, depression, pain, and other negative emotions.
Who can benefit from tapping?
The short answer is – everyone! Anyone who experiences stress and/or pain can try it. And even if you feel happy and well, you can do tapping exercises focused on gratitude, appreciation, or to visualize things you want to happen in your life.
How can nurses use tapping?
As a nurse, you can use tapping to feel better when you’re tired, stressed, overwhelmed, or in pain. Because it takes only 2 minutes to do a full round of tapping, you can use the technique on the job and in your daily life quickly and easily.
So how do you do it?
Tapping works like this:
- Think of an issue you are struggling with. It can be emotional (like feeling stressed at work or sad about the loss of a beloved patient) or physical (such as a headache or back pain).
- Say or think of a set-up statement, such as, “Even though I have this problem [insert what is bothering you or causing you pain], I accept myself and how I feel.” Repeat the statement 3 times.
- Say out loud or in your mind how you feel while you tap on key acupressure points in the body. You’re probably already having an internal conversation with yourself about the pain or stress you’re experiencing. Acknowledge those feelings while you tap the acupressure points.
- After 2 rounds of tapping, you should start to feel better.
Visit Nerenberg’s special webpage for HNHN on her website, Wellness at Your Fingertips, for video tutorials, research studies, guided tapping sessions, and more.
Will you give tapping a try? Let us know in the discussion or on Facebook.
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