Many people have heard of EFT/Tapping and have had a brief experience with the process. One thing that can bring concerns is the choice of wording used. I have found there are usually three categories these concerns fall into, fears around negative language, criticism of 'toxic positivity' and discomfort with standardised phrasing of the set up statement. Here's some more detail on these factors.
The fear around bringing focus to the negatives.
In clinical EFT the wording used can include fears, worries and elements of past events. For some, there is a concern from the 'law of attraction' viewpoint that by speaking or acknowledging negatives they will amplify. We use the language that resonates with you as it is most effective in targeting the response patterns to the thoughts and memories these words trigger. The result is the intensity around these things that were once distressing is significantly reduced or may no longer be there which leaves us feeling more empowered and at peace.
If following a scripted social media tapping, the use of negatives can be too much discomfort as it may be too rushed or too much intensity for you at the time. Working with a practitioner in a small group or individual setting you can gently work towards negatives or even use techniques where you don't have to talk about the past event yet still effectively process it.
The analogy often used is that 'if we just spoke positives it would be like spraying air freshener in a room while leaving it full of rubbish', speaking the negatives is like taking out the rubbish to stop the unpleasantness instead of just trying to cover it up.
Criticism around 'toxic positivity'.
For those who have only seen EFT/Tapping on social media the biggest criticism is that it comes across as 'toxic positivity'. People who release scripted tapping on social media do so to allow people to have an experience of the process, and to reach a large audience but they are not able to be to support whoever is watching it in real time. For safety reasons, the keep the language very general and positive to avoid going into deeper work where the viewer may need more support. These videos also stick with the foundational technique of EFT (the basic recipe) which can be effective but is not always appropriate for certain circumstances.
Clinical EFT does not work using positives in this way as it is less effective than addressing and processing the deeper and more specific aspects. Also when working with an EFT practitioner they can support you with different techniques to keep you safely in your window of tolerance and be more effective.
While the process doesn't focus on positive statements or affirmations, the results of using EFT open people up to more positivity in their lives. A common benefit being cognitive shifts that occur throughout sessions. What sets the cognitive shifts in EFT apart from other modialities is that they are always organic and from the client, it is not trying to 'program' how you 'should' think or feel but to remove unhelpful thoughts and feelings. Reducing intensity around a negative allows you to experience it from a more empowered perspective.
This doesn't mean EFT is always focused on moving away from things, it is a powerful tool when working towards goals. In this process we set goals and look at what may be getting in the way of achieving them. Through working on the emotional and cognitive blocks around achieving these goals, we can move towards them with more ease.
The phrasing of the set up statement.
The set up statement in EFT generally ends in 'I accept myself anyway'. Again, some consider this toxic positivity, however as the full statement is designed to include a negative statement in the middle, the ending was chosen to be a non judgemental statement after acknowledging the negative. For example, the full statement may be 'Even though I'm disappointed I let them down, I accept myself anyway'. Often a lot of distress we feel about something is the judgement we place on it, using this statement helps to reduce that from the beginning.
The challenging part for others is that the wording 'I accept myself anyway' just doesn't sit right with them. The great thing is the statement is flexible, we can change the wording to something that feels okay to the individual and use that in it's place.
Overall working with a practitioner in small groups or individually has greater benefit that scripted tapping as the session is created for you and with you.
The wording, choice of techniques and pace of the session are determined by your feedback to ensure your safety and the effectiveness of the work. Following along to a scripted session does not allow for this. If you're ready to dive a little deeper into your EFT work you can book a small group or an individual session through the online bookings.
