The Touch and Breathe (TAB) technique was developed by Thought Field Therapy (TFT) practitioners in the 1990s and is sometimes used in EFT. It is the same as Clinical EFT, except that it does not use tapping. Instead, it uses a light fingertip touch on each acupoint accompanied by a breath. It is described in the book The Energy of Belief (Bender & Sise, 2007).
The indications for using TAB are when a client is uncomfortable with tapping. For instance, a rape victim in one workshop I offered was triggered by the tapping itself. The percussive nature of tapping on her body reminded her of the rape. So we used TABbing instead.
Tabbing and tapping can be equally successful at reducing SUD scores. Another EFT practitioner had a new female client, whom we’ll call Jane, who was an Iraq veteran. After deployment, Jane had developed a slew of symptoms including multiple chemical sensitivities. This is a condition in which many substances common in the environment, such as soap and plastic, produce an allergic reaction. Jane’s skin had become so sensitive that she could not tolerate wearing regular clothes or constriction of any kind around her body. All she was able to wear were sack-like microfiber dresses of a certain brand. In her first session, Jane was unable to tolerate tapping on even a single acupressure point.
The practitioner used tabbing instead of tapping. By the end of the first session, Jane was able to comfortably tap on her collarbone point, using TAB for the other points instead. Midway through the second session, she was able to tolerate tapping on all the points. She also quickly lost her sensitivities and, after six EFT sessions, Jane’s PTSD symptoms had normalized.
Reference
Bender, S. & Sise, M. (2007). The energy of belief: Psychology’s power tools to focus intention and release blocking beliefs. Santa Rosa, CA: Energy Psychology Press.
