Tapping (TFT & EFT)

The space between therapy and coaching

Because life happens

What is Tapping?

In addition to EMDR, Jane frequently uses the tapping techniques of Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which she calls “acupuncture without the needles”. Tapping increases focus and reduces distress, and Jane will often use it to close out a session, ensuring clients feel settled and ready to face the world. She also finds it effective in erasing disturbing images that have lodged themselves in the mind from movies, news stories, nightmares or traumatic incidents.

Tapping sequences may seem complex at first glance, but most people choose one or two favorite routines and learn them after just a few times through.

The difference between TFT and EFT

Both TFT and EFT are empirically validated treatments for reduction of distress, anxiety and trauma, although EFT is perhaps a little better known and used more widely.

TFT was the original technique, developed by Roger Callahan Ph.D in 1981. EFT was developed in the 1990s by one of his students, Gary Craig, to simplify the process. Gary also brought his training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to the table, introducing “healing scripts” that could be incorporated while tapping on the points.

The main difference between the two techniques today is that TFT tailors the tapping points and their sequence depending on the specific emotions the client is experiencing in the moment. EFT, meanwhile, uses the same points and the same sequence every time, sometimes with additional healing scripts that are introduced by the facilitator and repeated by the client.

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What do clients make of Tapping?

Some clients are skeptical when first introduced to Tapping, but most agree to try it once. Some are astounded when they find that an issue that they rated as a 8 on a 0-10 scale of disturbance comes down to a 2 or a 3.

Others, who had no problem rating their issue as an 8 before tapping, suddenly decide “they don’t do ratings” at the end of the tapping. Still others claim it must simply be a distraction technique, but begrudgingly admit it made a difference. Very few find that it doesn’t work at all.

Generally, Jane finds tapping to the most gentle of all the trauma-treatment modalities for accessing traumatic memories, disturbing images and big emotions. She will usually introduce it early in the process to give clients a resource that they can use by themselves between sessions.

Try Tapping at home

Tapping may seem complex at first glance, but most people choose one or two favorite routines and learn them after just a few times through. On this page, you can download instructions as a PDF file or watch a video of Jane walking you through the process.

Complex Trauma Complete algorithm

This is Jane’s favorite algorithm because it covers a multitude of emotions including sadness, grief, anxiety, anger, guilt and shame. Tapping the sequence will bring down the discomfort associated with traumatic or shaming memories, infuriating events, and disturbing images that have lodged themselves in the brain. Open PDF instructions.

Physical Pain Algorithm

The physical pain algorithm is much shorter and can be used to reduce pain or other bodily sensations that are causing distraction or distress. It also works well for EMDR headaches – the discomfort in the front of the forehead that sometimes follows a session of trauma processing. Open PDF instructions.

Please Note: The TFT information given on this website is taken from materials provided by Jill Strunk, Ed.D., LP., TFTdxVT in her training for therapists: Rapid Resolution for Intractable Problems, 19 September, 2009. Permission has been given for the use of her materials as a resource for clients of Jane McCampbell, MA, LMFT. Permission has NOT been given for general download or distribution. Please do not reproduce or copy this material in any form. For published information on TFT, please reference Dr Roger Callahan’s book, Tapping the Healer Within (2002), available from Amazon, or contact Roger Callahan’s organization, Callahan Techniques, directly.