Easy EFT

This is an introduction to a fast, effective, and effortless way to learn EFT. It’s literally as easy as watching a video and tapping along with it. You can use one of the many Tap Along videos on this site for this purpose. Easy EFT is a three-step process that requires no training or experience with EFT.

1. Identify the Issues

First, write up a list of troublesome symptoms, self-improvement goals, and other problems, and rate the intensity of each on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no emotional intensity and 10 being maximum intensity. This is called the Subjective Units of Distress scale or a SUD.

Here are some examples:

Shoulder pain: 7
Performance Stress: 5
Binge Eating: 9

You can also tap for specific events that bother you, such as:

I’m mad at my co-worker who swore at me last week: 8
I’m upset that my daughter was held back from third grade by the principal: 7
I hate myself for giving in to that craving and eating a tub of ice cream: 9
When my mentor criticized me, I felt so hurt: 10

2. Tap Along

As you watch one of the videos, tap along with the coach and client. You can pick one that closely matches your issue from the dozens available. Even if the issue in the Tap Along Video isn’t an exact match with yours, your brain is smart enough, and eager enough to heal, that it will associate your problem with the one you’re witnessing.

3. Check Your Results

Revisit your list of issues and write down their new 0-to-10 intensities. You should notice some improvement each time. The more sessions you tap along with, the better your results. It’s that simple! For the best results, review the Questions and Answers and Helpful Tips below.

How was Easy EFT discovered?

Therapists offering EFT to their clients began to report that their issues resolved as well. They would conduct sessions with others, and suddenly discover than an illness or phobia from which they’d previously suffered had disappeared. We then began to put this phenomenon, called Borrowing Benefits, to an experimental test. Several studies were performed, which found that just watching someone else’s session while tapping along produced substantial reductions in anxiety, depression, phobias, and other psychological problems (Church & Brooks, 2010; PalmerHoffman & Brooks, 2011; Rowe, 2005).

Why does Easy EFT work so well?

As you tap along with the real-life people featured on our videos, a part of your brain called the hippocampus finds similarities between your issues and the ones being addressed in the session. We also have “mirror neurons” in our brains that fire as we watch a similar experience being enacted by someone else. Mirror neurons mimic the other person’s experience in our own brains.

Can I really benefit from a session that deals with someone else’s issue?

Yes. We’re empathetically wired to other human beings; the ability to recognize and respond to the emotions of others is a valuable evolutionary skill. You needn’t have the same experience to benefit. Just the way you laugh or cry (have an emotional reaction) during a movie in which the characters are having experiences nothing like yours, your brain responds to the emotions of those you watch. You know if you are making progress by recording your SUD score regularly.

What should I expect?

Your results may be dramatic improvement, incremental improvement, or no improvement. Studies suggest that substantial improvement, though not complete remission, is the norm.

Are there any cautions regarding this process?

While Easy EFT is relatively gentle and most people experience benefits, you might feel emotional or physical stress. With EFT as with any other healing method, you should always consult your primary care provider in advance.

Watch the Tap Along Videos at EFT Universe. This will acquaint you with the basic tapping points and make it easier for you to tap along.
You do not have to read The EFT Manual (Church, 2013) to benefit from Easy EFT, though if you'd like to get the most from the method, you'll want to become familiar with its many useful techniques.
You may find that the EFT sessions vary the pace and order of the points tapped. Just follow along and don’t worry about these variations.
At first, you may find the tapping pace in the sessions to be too fast for you to follow along. That’s OK, just do your best. The process can still help you even if you miss a tapping point here or there. Eventually, you will get used to the process and the pace will be easy to follow.Give careful consideration to your list of issues and their 0-to-10 intensities because tracking your progress is essential to understanding the power of EFT.
For your list, go back to childhood and write down a list of events that elicited negative emotions such as anger, guilt, and shame. Give each a SUD score of 0 to 10. Also list body sensations such as pain and score them the same way.
If you can’t find a 0-to-10 intensity, that’s OK. Just estimate what the number should be. The mere fact that you remembered an issue means you have some sort of charge on it, though you might not be fully in touch with it.
List as many issues as you want. This gives you an opportunity to determine if, as you tap on one, others diminish in intensity. The Generalization Effect can simultaneously reduce the charge around a number of events.
Your list might look something like the spreadsheet below after a few tap-along sessions. This example is for illustration only and does not indicate what you should expect for the specific items listed. You might find the intensity of some issues dropping more rapidly than others. Some of your results may be subtle and you may not notice them until later. You might also experience some pleasant “side benefits” and discover improvements that you weren’t expecting.

Here are some examples:

You’re no longer irritated by Aunt Peg’s overbearing manner.
Your friends notice and comment on your reduced stress level.
You notice yourself scoring better at basketball.
Your insomnia is markedly improved.
You find yourself looking forward to each day’s work.
Troublesome memories from your childhood may lose their sting.
Physical symptoms may improve.

Read your list of issues before each tap-along session just to remind your brain what you are working on. After that, put the list aside and just tap along and enjoy the session while Easy EFT goes to work.
Revisit your list after each tap-along session. Then go through each issue and carefully assess any changes in current intensity. Write them all down, even those that haven’t changed. Then do another tap-along session and visit the list again.
Do your sessions on any schedule you like. You can do them daily, weekly, or at any time interval you choose. You can even do several per day or break them up so that you do a half session today and finish it tomorrow. It all depends on your schedule.
Work with a variety of Tap Along Videos. There are many different issues represented in this collection, and you can experiment with a varied selection.

Most Importantly…have fun with it!

EFT doesn’t have to be complicated, difficult, or totally serious. You’ll find plenty to laugh about in our EFT books, at EFT workshops, and your own EFT sessions at home.

For books, classes, practitioners, tutorials, case histories, and Tap Along videos, check out the menus above. And make sure you’re signed up for our weekly newsletter.