How Long Does Tapping Take?

How long does tapping take? That question has two different components. First, the question could be how long does tapping take to learn? The second question seems to be how long does tapping take to bring relief from a problem or challenge? The first question is the easiest so lets start there.

Learning the basics of how to tap takes less than 10 minutes. All you need to do is learn the tapping points (or if you are really in a hurry all you need is to look at a tapping point chart or tap along to a video).

Tapping is one of those skills that gets easier and more effective with practice though. What can sometimes take the longest about tapping is to learn how to get to the heart of the matter that is bothering you. Sometimes we are really resistant (on a subconsious level). That is why I usually recommend that you start tapping, without any of the words that you see people using when they tap, and just experience the relief from the physical tapping first. Then, as you become more comfortable with that part, you can add words to help you “tune in” to whatever is going on.

The question about how long it takes to get relief is more difficult. How long seems to be a very specific to each individual and problem. That is not to say that problems causing severe distress take longer and minor distress resolves quickly. Some problems have been there longer, and in my practice seem to take longer to resolve. They often involve habitual ways of thinking and responding that have been reinforced by multiple life experiences.

For me that takes more tapping. That said, there can be significant relief within the first round or two of tapping, but there is more work to be done. I’ve managed the overwhelm and pain of physical therapy within a few minutes. Managing the frustration of needing physical therapy because of an injury has taken much longer. That is because of the negative self talk involved.

I have also found that the sooner you start tapping about something that is currently going on, the more quickly it will resolve. Stuck in traffic and frustrated? Tap while you are waiting and the emotional distress melts away. Wait 15 years to tap about something someone said to you in high school and it might take longer.

Happy Tapping.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Why Tapping?

This could easily be a very short article. Why Tapping? It works! That really sums it up.

In all fairness, lots of other traditional psychotherapy techniques work too. In my practice I found that tapping worked more quickly, with less pain and distress, and was useful for a wider array of problems. What could take years to improve with traditional therapy improved within weeks or even hours if the person was committed to tapping.

I wasn’t always an enthusiast. I was an active skeptic and resisted the belief that anything that worked that fast for that many different kinds of problems could be legitimate. The results were very hard to dispute. After first using tapping for myself, then with a few different clients that were willing to give it a go, it really became my go-to technique for everything and still is.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Back to the Beginning – How I Got Started with Tapping

One of the questions I get asked is how I got started with tapping. After all, I am a traditionally trained psychologist. While that is true, I’m actually not all that traditional. When I had my private practice I used a lot of traditional methods, but I also used some non-traditional interventions such as martial arts to help clients overcome difficulties. I became a Reiki Master and studied Tai Chi and those also were part of my practice. It wasn’t that much of a stretch to get to tapping.

My tapping journey actually started with a whisp of serendipity. I wanted to get out of town for a conference, there was one in Florida about applied kinesiology (something I had been reading about), so I decided to go. The conference was good, but while I was there I was exposed to tapping, during a break in the action at the conference.

I was intrigued. When a tapping conference was announced in Flagstaff in the coming year I felt compelled to be there. In the meantime I purchased some training CDs from Gary Craig, the founder of the Emotional Freedom Technique, and started to get myself up to speed. Once in Flagstaff everything just seemed to fall into place. I got to see the masters in action.

I used tapping for myself and started teaching it to others in my practice as soon as I got home. Not everyone welcomed the technique. There are a lot of expectations that psychological treatment has to be hard work, so since tapping is so easy, there was a lot of skepticism. Once people tried it, nearly everyone saw results.

I continue to train and study and refine my technique so that change can occur even more quickly and completely. It is definitely my go-to technique for myself and others.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Ready…Set…Tap

Are you struggling with your weight? I am, and I’m finding it a little hard to accept since I literally wrote a book on losing weight. I was successful for quite a few years but recently have gained some weight. I’m inviting you to join me as I re-start my weight loss/health improvement journey.

This video is the first in what I hope will be a series of very real, very personal, and very successful tapping experiences to get me back on track. As with all good journeys we need a starting point so listen in on my back story and future plan.

Stay tuned. The next video will be on resistence to doing portion control.

Until next time….Happy Tapping

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Tapping for Physical Problems

If you have been tapping for any time at all, you have become convinced of the value tapping brings to the table when talking about anxiety, depression, anger, and frustration. What you may not have experienced is the relief you can get with physical symptoms. In the past I’ve used tapping to manage the fear, pain, and helplessness associated with physical therapy.

As you will see in the video, tapping may not directly change the physical problem, but you can still get relief. In my case, tapping was useful in quieting the negative self-talk related to my injury. In addition, my my was reduced because my muscle tension was reduced. I strongly suspect that the tapping will enhance physiological healing as well.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Happy Tapping!

Bees – A Tapping Meditation

What is the first thing you think of when you see a bee? Is it the potential for being stung? Or perhaps it is the important role they play in our ecology. There is much we can learn from the spirit, role, and behaviors of bees. Join me in a tapping meditation.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Tapping Meditation Video – Fox

Someone told me recently that they have a hard time reading the tapping exercises and doing the tapping at the same time. I listened. Here is a tapping video of the fox tapping meditation I posted recently so that you can perhaps follow along more easily.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Fox – A Tapping Meditation

Fox is known as the magician and the keeping of magic. It is also said that fox possesses the gifts of shapeshifting and invisibility. They often live at the edges of forests and in the border areas.  There are 21 different species of fox but we almost never see them in the wild.  

We are not going to use a problem statement (MPI) or do the setup (karate chop), but instead are going to hop right into the tapping meditation. Take a few deep breaths and let them out slowly.

diagram of the tapping points
Eyebrow…Fox
Side of Eye…Concealment
Under the Eye…Fox
Under the Nose…Camouflage
Chin…Fox
Collarbone…Knowledge
Under the Arm…Fox
Top of Head…Silent
Eyebrow…Fox
Side of Eye…Keen senses
Under the Eye…Fox
Under the Nose…Recognizing opportunity
Chin…Fox
Collarbone…Trusting instincts
Under the Arm…Fox
Top of Head…Finding and accepting blessings
Eyebrow…Fox
Side of Eye…Sexuality
Under the Eye…Fox
Under the Nose…Cunning
Chin…Fox
Collarbone…Protector of family unity
Under the Arm…Fox
Top of Head…Adaptation
Eyebrow…Fox
Side of Eye…Swift thought and action
Under the Eye…Fox
Under the Nose…Decisive
Chin…Fox
Collarbone…What message do you have for me?
Under the Arm…Fox
Top of Head…Open to the wisdom of the fox
Eyebrow…I like the idea of being silent
Side of Eye…Becoming like the wind
Under the Eye…And being undetected in my observation of others and situations
Under the Nose…The downside is that I can feel I am not worth noticing
Chin…Sometimes I think I am too visible
Collarbone…Striving for recognition
Under the Arm…Experiencing jealousy or envy
Top of Head…Or putting myself in a position to be attacked
Eyebrow…The fox has the ability to shapeshift
Side of Eye…And choose when to be visible
Under the Eye…And when to be invisible
Under the Nose…It also can move silently
Chin…And not reveal its intentions to anyone
Collarbone…I need to learn more of this
Under the Arm…And I call upon the wisdom of the fox to teach me
Top of Head…I would like to be more mindful of how I interact in the world
Eyebrow…And learn to control my aura
Side of Eye…To be more harmonious with my environment
Under the Eye…And the people around me
Under the Nose…The fox totem teaches us
Chin…That we don’t have to reveal everything we know
Collarbone…This is another skill that I seem not to have developed
Under the Arm…I used to feel bad
Top of Head…When I wasn’t noticed
Eyebrow…But maybe that is just my inherent and unrecognized fox energy
Side of Eye…Working its magic
Under the Eye…Once recognized, I could learn to control it
Under the Nose…And enjoy being silent and invisible
Chin…When it suits me
Collarbone…And becoming visible when I think it is important
Under the Arm…Claiming the energy of the fox
Top of Head…Exercising my fox-ness.

Take a deep breath and let it out gently.  If certain thoughts or feelings came up, be sure to write them down, or continue tapping with them now.  It is also useful to write down any specific experiences you have had with the fox.  As noted above, the fox tends to be invisible so I haven’t had very many personal experiences with the fox.  I find them intriguing and am excited to seek out more opportunities to learn from them. A couple of situations and tendencies did pop into my awareness and will need further tapping. I became aware of my tendency to call people out on things, just to let them known that I know what they are up to. This has not always worked to my advantage. To divulge the knowledge just so they don’t think I’m naive or gullible is not very fox-like. I also became aware of how my previous tendency to stay in the background is at odds with my desire to be known as an author. Obviously, to sell books and make a living I will need to be more in the spotlight. Some tapping about how that could be congruent with fox energy will be quite interesting I think.

Is there another animal that you would like to see a tapping about?  Let me know.

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.

Until next time, Happy Tapping.

Choose Your Thoughts Wisely

Today while swimming I had the opportunity to practice choosing my thoughts. I wish I could have tapped at the time, but swimming and tapping at the same time exceeds my coordination skills. I went to the gym today, expecting it to be empty since it was July 4th. I was quite surprised to see that it was packed, but then relieved that the pool wasn’t.

I swam in one lane for a while, and when the person in the lane next to me left, I moved over to the middle lane (my favorite). I was on lap 22 when I saw another woman swimming in MY LANE. I’m used to sharing, don’t really enjoy it, but usually swimmers at least let you know that they are joining your lane. It seems like a safety and courtesy thing to me but I didn’t know she was there until we almost crashed.

That started a cascade of negative thinking about why she had to pick my lane when there was room to join a different lane, how rude she was, and then it got really personal like she did it just to make me miserable. Then I remembered something my friend Zach said to me once. He told me that not everything was about me. Remembering that comment caused me to re-evaluate how I was thinking about this situation.

I started with a statement of gratitude (in my head because I still had my face in the water swimming) that I had been given the opportunity to swim 22 laps without needing to share my lane. Then I chose another statement of gratitude that I am able to swim 22 laps and general gratitude for my health. I chose another gratitude statement about being able to afford to go to a gym that has a pool where I can swim.

As soon as I started feeling good about myself that I was able to turn my thoughts around, those other negative thoughts popped back in. This pattern continued for all 33 laps. When I was purposely engaged in the positive thoughts I enjoyed my swim but when I allowed the negative thoughts to linger I did not. While I wish that the negative thoughts didn’t even occur, I am pretty excited to have had the experience of feeling good when I choose my thoughts wisely. Just imagine how effective it would have been if I was also tapping while choosing my thoughts. Mind Blowing!

What thoughts will you choose today?

Need to learn more about tapping? Click here.