What is EFT (Body Tapping)? How Can It Heal Pain and Trauma?

Stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm are common experiences causing many of us to unknowingly disconnect from our own bodies.

When emotions feel too intense or when past wounds are a constant hum in the back of your mind or the pit of your belly - your nervous system is in a constant state of fight-or-flight.
We seek ways to numb, distract, or suppress.

True healing doesn’t come from avoidance - it comes from learning how to acknowledge the existence of the pain, the fear and discomfort.

One of the most powerful tools for reconnection and acceptance of pain in the mind-body is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), also known as body tapping.

EFT is a simple yet profound practice that involves gently tapping the body and specific energy points of the body while acknowledging emotions, thoughts and sensations.

It combines elements of ancient Chinese acupressure with modern psychology, helping to clear energy blockages, regulate the nervous system, and create space for emotional release and healing.

Why EFT works…

Our bodies hold onto everything we experience - every emotion, every stress response, every moment of fear, joy, grief, and love.

When emotions become trapped or suppressed, they can manifest as tension, anxiety, or even physical pain.
EFT helps to release this stored energy by bringing awareness to what we’re feeling, while simultaneously calming the body’s response to stress.

Beyond its ability to process emotions, EFT also serves as a powerful act of honouring your body.
The simple act of tapping is a way of acknowledging your body, of physically touching and affirming your presence, rather than detaching and dissociating from it.

With each touch, you are sending a message of safety, telling your body:
"I see you. I hear you. You are safe."

This sense of safety is essential for deep healing.
It allows you to step out of survival mode and into a space where you can process emotions without overwhelm, where you can listen to what your body is telling you, rather than running from it.

Stillness and self-acceptance…

Much like EFT, meditation and rest and Savasana which we practice at the end of a yoga class, teaches us to simply be.
It asks us to stop running, stop distracting, stop avoiding and instead, to rest in stillness, in presence and acceptance.

For many people, carving out time to slow down, rest and meditate is very challenging.
The moment we stop doing, the mind rushes in with thoughts, worries, and to-do lists. But the more you practice stillness, the more you strengthen your ability to sit with yourself, to befriend your own mind, and to feel safe in your own body.

EFT and meditation remind us that the mind and body are not separate; they are one. Healing happens when we bring them into harmony, when we live with our thoughts rather than fight against them, when we recognise that it’s okay to feel, to listen and to simply be.

True emotional freedom isn’t about eliminating negative thoughts, feelings or memories of past experiences - it’s about learning to sit with them without fear.


How to practice EFT…

Give yourself the time and space to process and release.

If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected, try taking a moment to tap your body: Like little raindrops, glide your fingertips along your forehead, brow, temples, jaw, collar bones, heart space, belly and hips.
If you really want to shake up emotion and release yourself from the overthinking mind, then bring your hands into soft fists and gently drum with the inner knuckles and palm around these areas of your body in a rhythmic beat.

Breathe slowly and deeply.
In and out through your nose.
Honour your body.
Give yourself permission to feel safe.

Healing doesn’t come from escaping yourself - it comes from coming home to yourself.