I think one of the reasons that tapping is so appealing is because it is so easy to use and it produces relief very quickly.

The first time I experienced the true power of tapping out in the wild (as opposed to being in a training session) was when I woke up in the middle of the night with a massive headache. It felt as if a dagger had been stuck into the top of my head.

I started tapping. 60 seconds later I was pain free and 90 seconds later I was asleep.

It is truly an amazing thing that we have at our fingertips: a tool that we can use to find our way to relief any time and anywhere.

But this isn’t always a good thing. Let me explain…

When It Is Good To Be Free Of Pain Quickly

Something has come up, such as a strong emotion or a physical pain. You need to focus on a task at hand. Using EFT in these moments for first aid is a great way to use tapping.

It removes the discomfort and leaves us free to carry on with what we were doing.

When It Is Less Than Ideal To Feel Pain Free Quickly

It seems odd to think being pain free quickly can be a bad thing, but it is true. Many times when we feel pain or discomfort it is because there is something in our life that isn’t quite right and we want better.

We feel sad because we are missing something important. We feel longing because we want a better job. We feel disappointed because we aren’t as healthy as we would like to be.

It is possible for us to tap for all of these emotions and feel better. The problem is that once we feel better we are no longer motivated to make a change. Instead of moving to a better place we have simply taken care of the emotion in the moment.

In the short term is it a good thing to feel better? Sure, but if we really want our situation to change simply making the discomfort go away in the short term will not help us to improve our lives in the long term.

[Note: In a similar fashion, scientists have shown that visualizing achieving our goals hurts our chances of actually achieving them. Full details in The Great Visualization Hoax]

Is Your Tapping Truly Being Useful?

I want you to think about the issues you have been tapping for recently. What has the result of your tapping been?

Have you been tapping for discomfort in a first aid fashion, because that is what is needed?

Or have you been tapping in such a way that it is removing the pain of the moment but it is not being truly helpful in you moving you toward any of your goals?

Changing What You Are Doing

If you realize that you would like to be taking action, but are only making yourself feel better in the moment I would recommend you try this instead:

• Do not focus on the discomfort you are feeling right now
• Instead think about what action you would like to take next in moving toward your goal. It doesn’t have to be huge step, just the next step.
• Imagine that you are taking that action.
• Feel the emotions you experience while imagining the action. (Fear, overwhelm, desperation, confusion.)
• Tap for those emotions.

After tapping like this you will be moved to action, not just to feel better.

Need Help Tapping In This Way?

For many of you this is a new way of thinking about tapping. Tapping to action has been a powerful force in my own life. If you would like more tools and tips for tapping to action and not just relief I would encourage you check out the Ruach Center. There are over 150 tap-along audios and tools to help you to use tapping to help you take action.