Copyright © 2011 by Patricia Carrington
I am going to teach you three tapping exercises which can bring you a sense of peace, safety, and deep calm even during times of high stress. In these exercises you use a meditative form of tapping to counteract the vicious cycle of anxious negative thinking. Exercise 1:
THE OBSERVING-SELF EXERCISE
The first tapping exercise lays the groundwork for the other two by restoring a sense perspective to what is happening in your life. Perspective is the first thing that is lost when you are under stress and it probably makes more trouble for us than almost anything else that happens under such circumstances. This exercise can be used for major issues in your life as well as minor ones. When using it for a major issue, you will want to repeat it daily for as long as necessary, talking to yourself in the manner that I will describe, and gently touching the Meridian tapping points in sequence as you talk out loud to yourself about the issue in the manner outlined below. The Observing-Self exercise serves to awaken that part of you which can stand apart from those things that are causing you stress and help you gain the perspective of a distant observer. It will help you to get "distance" on whatever problem is confronting you so that you can view it more rationally and far make better decisions. Here is what you do:
Before starting, rate your level of distress on a 0 to 10 point scale, where 10 is the most distressed you can imagine feeling about this situation, and 0 is being completely laid back about it (it doesn't bother you at all). Now, talk about your problem out loud as though describing it to another person as you touch your fingers lightly to each of the tapping points using the short form of EFT as your guide. Starting with the inner eyebrow point, use the familiar tapping sequence moving to the inner eyebrow, the outer eye, under the eye, under the nose , under the mouth, to the collarbone, to the under arm point, and end up at the top of head point . Simply touch your fingers lightly at each point, without tapping, as you relate the story. The special part of this exercise is that you are to describe your problem situation without using the words "I" "me" or "us" at any point during your entire narration. In addition, you are not to use the possessive adjectives "my”, "mine", "our" etc. You can only refer to yourself in the third person ) by using your name or by referring to yourself as "that person / that man / that woman etc." Also, you are not to refer to others as my “my child" "my spouse", "my brother," etc., but only by their names or as “her” or “him”, or as "that person" etc. In short, you must at all times avoid identifying with yourself, even though you may describe "her" or "his" thoughts and feelings by saying “she” is furious, or “he” is scared, etc. Tell the story in this manner from beginning to end, reporting all the details of the situation that disturb you.
After you have finished your story, take your distress rating again and see whether it is changed. If it has not yet sufficiently lowered, start from the beginning to ell the story again in any words that now come to you, and continue to touch your fingers lightly to the tapping points in sequence as you do so. After several time recounting the story, you will probably find that your perspective has changed remarkably. When your distress level has come down to a relatively comfortable point you are ready to proceed to the next exercise.
Exercise 2: THE WHITE LIGHT This form of meditative EFT helps to bring your mind and body into a state of tranquility. 1. Imagine that a soft white light, like quiet moonlight, is surrounding you on all sides and that it is above you as well. Imagine it to be a very comforting light. 2. Now imagine that each time you breathe in, you are breathing in peace and comfort. Imagine that you can take in as much or as little of the light as you wish to with each breath. As you do this exercise, move your fingers lightly around the tapping points holding them at each point for a short while, then moving on.
3. Now imagine that each time you breathe out you are sending this comforting white light throughout your entire body and mind and your whole being in fact. Send it to any place in your body or mind that holds tension or any place that feels in need of comfort or just send it to all of you. If you have been having disturbing negative thoughts it often helps to imagine sending the white light into your brain, allowing it to gently fill your head with its soothing presence. Slowly and steadily move your fingers from tapping point to tapping point as you breathe in deeply, sending the white light to any place in your body that feels tension. 4. Continue this exercise for a couple of minutes -drawing in the comforting white light with every in breath, and sending it throughout your being with every out breath, all the while quietly touching the tapping points in turn. When you are finished, sit quietly before taking your stress level. Then again rate your feelings on a 0 to 10 point scale with regard to how much the disturbing situation now impinges upon you. Exercise 3: CALMING WORDS You can use calming words at each tapping point to change your vibrational level. Again, in order to create a peaceful atmosphere, you will not be tapping but rather using a variation of psychologist John Diepold’s Touch and Breathe Meridian Technique.
Commencing with the inner eyebrow, repeat one of the words in the list below out loud at each tapping spot, as you gently touch each spot with your fingertips, then take an easy breath in, letting it out slowly. Do one round of this exercise for every one of the words in the list. Peace Easy One Calm Safety Gentle You will be using these words as your Reminder Phrase. Sit quietly after doing this, and then rate yourself once more on the 0 to 10 point scale. You should feel very different after allowing yourself to tap-in this peaceful mood until it goes deep within your body, mind, and spirit. Allow yourself to return to any or all of these exercises as many times as you need to in order to establish the “peace that heals.”
