Episode Transcript
[00:00:11] Speaker A: What's worthwhile healing mind, body, and spirit. I'm Ramsey Zimmerman. I choose peace of mind, vitality of body, and joy of spirit over stress, exhaustion, or overwhelm. Together, let's explore and pursue the many ways to build holistic health and wellness.
[00:00:31] Speaker B: Hey there. It's Ramsey here. My guest this week is into tapping. What, like tap dancing? No, EFT tapping, as in emotional freedom technique. You use your fingertips to tap on energy meridians, the same ones for acupuncture and acupressure. While you can acknowledge your charged emotions, accept yourself, and name your positive intentions, it can calm you down, reset yourself, and empower you to move forward.
Sound hokey? Well, don't knock it till you try it. Or in this case, don't scrap it till you tap it.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: EFT Emotional freedom technique might sound a.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Little mysterious at first, but really it's just a combination of two very familiar things. The gentle touch of acupressure and the intentional focus of emotional awareness.
The idea is that by tapping on specific points of the body, including on the face, chest, and hands, while acknowledging an emotion or challenge, you can help calm your nervous system and reframe your mental response. In other words, you use a physical action to help settle emotional energy.
EFT tapping is a modern technique built on ancient foundations. The same energy meridian used in traditional Chinese medicine, the same logic that underlies acupuncture and acupressure. The difference is that instead of using needles or pressure from another person, you use your own fingertips, which quite literally puts the ability in your own hands. And that, to me, feels empowering.
When we talk about the connection between mind and body, we often focus on how thoughts affect the body without our control or intention. How worry leads to tension, how fear triggers the stress response, how anger can make your heart race. But tapping flips that around. It asks, what if we intentionally signal to the mind through the physical action of the body? And what if we could therefore use the body to calm the mind? I think that's what EFT is really about.
Using gentle, intentional movement to tell your nervous system, it's okay, we're safe, we can keep going. One important element of EFT is the setup statement.
It varies according to your need. But go something like this.
Even though I feel anxious right now, I accept myself and my situation and know things are going to work out.
That's a powerful combination. The honesty of acknowledging what you feel paired with the affirmation of confidence that you will get through it. You're not pretending the emotion doesn't exist.
You're not even fighting against it. You're facing it directly, with compassion.
You're saying, I see this feeling. I name it, and I still choose to move forward.
As you speak these things, you tap gently on a series of points. The side of your hand, the eyebrow, the side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, the chin, the collarbone, under the arm and the top of the head.
The sequence sounds complicated until you see it, but once you do, it makes more sense.
The whole process takes maybe two minutes, and that's it.
I'm not going to walk you through a full demonstration of it now. My guest on the episode I will publish later this week will do that for us far better than I can. But I'll tell you this. When we recorded that demonstration, I could feel it. It was comforting.
Perhaps I did need to get over the immature part of me feeling silly for patting myself on the head.
But after going through the series and tapping the meridian energy points, I felt better, calmer, more centered and present.
It is kind of amazing how something so simple can make a difference.
Here's what I think might be happening.
Each tap provides a gentle physical cue, a sensory signal that shifts attention from thought to body.
The rhythm of tapping might be enough to interrupt the loop of anxious thinking, while the affirmations replace self criticism with self compassion and self confidence.
It's a dual process, cognitive and physical.
You're focusing your mind while calming your body, and together those two signals start to harmonize.
You could say eft is like having a quiet conversation between your mind and your body.
The body says, I'm feeling this emotion, and the mind replies, that's okay, I accept it and we should keep moving. Then the body says, thank you, I feel calmer now. And the mind says, good, let's keep going. And if it's my body, it says, let's go get a cheesesteak. And my mind says, it's not time for lunch yet.
That, to me, is what makes EFT so interesting. It sounds like communication between mind and body, both in terms of what's happening now and in terms of what you want and intend to. It's an acknowledgment of current emotional experience, comfort, and an intentional call to yourself to feel better and move forward.
[00:05:45] Speaker A: Do you feel exhausted before your day even starts, or do you struggle to balance demanding work and family with everything else? Do you wonder how to say no without guilt or set boundaries when everyone needs things from you? Does burnout feel inevitable no matter how.
[00:05:58] Speaker B: Hard you try to push through?
[00:06:00] Speaker A: Then check out my New book on Amazon Stress Response Manage your response to stress in order to reduce anxiety, avoid burnout, and find calm and steady focus. Now available on Amazon.com now as with.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: Most wellness techniques, there is a range of opinions about eft.
Some people swear by it. Others say it sounds too simple to be real. Again, I'm a complete noob. But from what I can tell, the main criticism is that it's not that widespread and therefore proven. And if I'm being honest or pessimistic, maybe it's because it's hard to imagine how someone can make a billion dollars promoting it. You don't need to buy anything or subscribe to anything. You just need to learn where to tap and what to say. That simplicity makes it harder to commercialize, but it also makes it accessible to everyone.
I find that encouraging because sometimes the best tools for our well being are the ones that cost nothing and can be practiced anywhere. Sitting at your desk, your kitchen table, or waiting in your car. All you need are your fingers and a few moments of focus.
So let's think about this from the perspective of building peace of mind and vitality of body. EFT does both. It uses a physical motion, tapping on the body, to reach the mind.
The body provides the rhythm, the grounding. The mind provides the awareness, the intention.
Together they create a calming feedback loop. When we reduce stress in the mind, the body follows. When we calm the body, the mind follows. That's what balance looks like. And in a world that often leaves us feeling overwhelmed, tense and reactive, finding ways to restore that balance matters.
Whether it's through breathwork, prayer, mindfulness, or tapping, these are all ways of reclaiming calm from within.
They remind us that peace is not something the world gives to us, it's something that we can cultivate. So if you've ever felt stuck emotionally, mentally, physically, or if you've ever wanted a tool that helps you feel calm without needing to escape your own thoughts, then stay tuned. My guest later this week is going to share how she uses EFT tapping as part of her work, helping people process emotions and release old patterns. I think you're going to find that discussion as interesting and useful as I did. For now, I'll leave you with Body already has the ability to help calm your mind. You do not need a prescription for peace. You just need a moment to pause, breathe, and maybe give yourself a gentle tap or two. And for today, that is enough.
[00:08:39] Speaker A: Looking for more? Visit whatsworthwhile.net to listen to podcast episodes, learn from books and articles, and live better by choosing healthy products and practices. I'm now offering services through worthwhile Advisors for personal coaching, professional advising, speaking and group facilitation. If you or your team are ready to reduce stress and anxiety, build vitality and momentum, and accomplish your goals without burning out, then please contact me, Ramsey Zimmerman, through the website or on social media like Instagram X or LinkedIn.
[00:09:12] Speaker B: Thanks.
