photo by La Famille Rapp

Over the lifetime of this web site I have been keeping a very close tab on the most frequently asked questions and the most popular articles about tapping/EvEFT. Here are nine common topics, most of which are based on conversations with clients and e-mails from readers, dealing with why Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping works, what a person can expect during the healing process, and how to improve one’s tapping practice. Please keep the questions coming.

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Why Do I Have To Tap?
When I share tapping with people the most common reaction is skepticism, which makes perfect sense. Based on their past experience it does seem unreasonable that tapping on their body would make more of a difference than thinking up new solutions. In this three-part series I explore why tapping is useful and often much more useful than brainstorming.

• Why do I have to tap? (part 1)
• Why do I have to tap? (part 2)
• Why do I have to tap? (part 3)

Why Do I Say Negative Phrases When Tapping?
One of the most common questions I get about tapping is about negative phrases. Clients are very worried that by focusing on the negative aspects they are going to reinforce them. When something is not right in our life we are going to focus on the negative aspects regardless because when we want better we notice what we would like to change. Tapping doesn’t reinforce these ideas, but uses them for transformation.

• Can I Tap In Something Bad?
• A Way To Use Negative Thoughts To Clear Issues

Why Do I Have A Hard Time Sitting Down To Tap?
Sometimes our desire to improve is not enough. We can resist our transformation in powerful ways. Here are some of the common reasons that we resist making the changes we want and need, as well as strategies to get past each type of resistance.

• When Healing Has Consequences
• For Some Reason We Just Don’t Try
• Not Knowing How To Forgive Ourselves
• Bing Overwhelmed By How Much Work We Have
• There Is So Much We Don’t Know Where To Begin
• When One Issue Is Really Three or Four
• The Importance of Knowing Why We Want Change
• But I Don’t Know How To Tap For It
• I Don’t Know Where To Start
• Is There A Right And Wrong Way To Tap?

The Process Of Healing
There is a very specific process to how we heal. It often doesn’t happen all at once and when we understand this, it’s easier for us to recognize the progress we have made and to plan the next step. Acknowledging this progress in particular helps to keep us motivated to do the necessary work and move forward quickly.

• Stages of Awareness in Healing

What Is The Deal With Surrogate Tapping?
As strange as tapping seems, surrogate tapping seems even stranger. It doesn’t seem possible or reasonable that we can tap on ourself and see change in someone else. In these two resources we look at how it isn’t about us changing someone else, but how we can be an agent of change. This is very powerful stuff.

• Podcast: The how, what, and why of surrogate tapping
• Tapping on Someone Else’s Behavior
• How A Parent Can Tap For Their Child
• Podcast: It’s Not Surrogate Tappping But It Helps Others To Make Different Choices

Using Information For Our Body To Find Core Issues
Just because we think we know the reason for our issues DOES NOT mean that we really know the reasons for our issues. Often we are wrong because we are too close to the situation or are simply misunderstanding the information. Our bodies, which are not hamstrung by our beliefs and misperceptions, frequently possess higher wisdom about our issues. The body simply knows what it is experiencing and we can leverage this information in our healing process. Here are a number of suggestions on how to tune into the body to access this knowledge.

• The Body Has Information About Our Issues
• Tuning in to the Body To Find Core Issues

Emotional Triggers
Everyone has something that sets him or her off. These emotional triggers are no surprise to us and often they are no surprise to our loved ones! In this three-part series we look at how we can deal with emotional triggers when they are activated. and then how to deactivate them permanently.

• Emotional Triggers (part 1)
• Emotional Triggers (part 2)
• Emotional Triggers (part 3)

Change For The Future
One of my favorite tapping/EvEFT applications is using it to insure that we make better choices and get closer to the life we really want to live. Here are two processes to positively impact our future. (These are far and away the most read articles on the site.)

• Making the Right Choice
• Getting What We Want (part 1)
• Getting What We Want (part 2)
• Getting What We Want (part 3)
• Getting What We Want (part 4)

Specialty Series
In addition to the regular articles and podcast on the site as of January of 2010 there is always a specialty series. These are a series of resources that go much more in-depth to one issue of many articles.

• 10 Part Weight Release Series

BONUS: My Personal Favorites
There are a number of resources that I have created that I am particularly proud of. Many of those articles can be found in the nine topic areas above. There are a number of my favorites that don’t fit into one of those categories. Maybe, if you read between the line you will learn a little something about where I am in my life. Here they are in no particular order.

• Avoiding Bitterness
• What If I Don’t Completely Love And Accept Myself
• Why I Am Giving Up On Self Improvement In The New Year
• Gratitude v. Poverty
• Deserve v. Worthy
• When We Carry Burdens For Others
• Understanding Psychological Reversal
• Transforming Our Critical Voice In To Something Helpful In 8 Easy Steps