Breakthrough for Panic Attacks & Anxiety
Deep breaths are not enough when you struggle with panic attacks and intense anxiety. During a panic attack, fast and intense breathing may actually have the opposite effect-raising your heart rate even more making it harder to calm down. So, what do you do?
Emotional Freedom Technique or Tapping, is an acupressure therapy developed by Gary Craig. A study using this therapy was proven to be effective in treating veterans with PTSD. Depression symptoms were also lessened in another clinical study using this therapy.
In a clinical setting, it is used in conjunction with exposure therapy to help with distress and anxiety. This same therapy can be used by anyone in an intense moment as a way to experience feelings of calm and grounding quickly.
How to Tap
In order to feel calmer and lessen feelings of anxiety and distress, pressure can be applied on several pressure points including the side of the outer hand, eyebrow, under eye, under nose, chin, and collarbone. Tapping is repeated several times on each pressure point using two fingers. The amount of tapping is up to you depending on the intensity of the anxiety or stress.
It may take several rounds of five or more taps on each pressure point to feel relief.
Where to Tap
The Pressure points include:
• Top of head (center)
• Inner eyebrow
• Under eye (on bone under the eye)
• Under nose (halfway between nose and upper lip)
• Chin point (halfway between lip and jaw)
• Inner collarbone
• Side of hand (outer palm)
The Tapping Method
In a clinical setting with a licensed therapist, statements and affirmations may be spoken aloud simultaneously with the tapping. The therapist may use this to challenge the client’s negative thought patterns by using affirming statements to challenge those thoughts or beliefs that interfere with the clients’ self-worth and self-esteem. The client would then echo the statements and sequential tapping.
To use this by yourself, first think of a negative thought or belief that you would like to challenge. For example, a negative core belief could be “I am worthless.” Now, for example, you would tap while declaring “I am strong. I am worthy of love. I bring value to the world.”
In situations of high stress and fear, you could use this to counteract all of the what-ifs. Tapping to statements of “I will be able to handle this presentation, date, meeting,” etc. And, “my fears are not predictions of the future.”
Some more example statements are:
Even though I feel that I am [Never good enough], I completely accept myself.
Even though I fear [I won’t be accepted], I completely accept myself.
Even though I feel [name feeling], I am choosing to let it go, as I accept myself.
Is this something you are willing to try?