Dissolve stress in children quickly and easily with tapping
Anja can't fall asleep. The eight-year-old has a lot on her mind. The primary school pupil is particularly preoccupied by the fact that she was deliberately excluded by a few girls in her class that morning. A classic scene that could happen in any everyday family life. Not being able to fall asleep, fearing the next exam or having a stomach ache because of a conflict with friends - there are countless examples of stressful situations in a child's life.
Yvette Frick, a naturopath with her own practice in Horgen, has been using a method for years with which she has achieved amazing results. It is EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques, a therapeutic concept from the USA for relieving and treating stress and psychological disorders by stimulating acupressure points.
Our brain is very adaptable and can delete old patterns and create new ones. This is exactly what the EFT tapping technique does.
Yvette Frick, alternative practitioner
How does the EFT method work?
«The combination is ingenious: Chinese acupressure is combined with modern psychology,» explains Frick. Specific points on the meridians are tapped in a clearly defined sequence and combined with certain phrases. In traditional Chinese medicine (TMC), meridians are the channels through which life energy (Qi) flows.
Tap in turn with two fingers:
- Outer edge of the hand
- Centre of the skull
- Above the eyebrows
- To the side of the eyes (in front of the temples)
- Below the eyes (at cheekbone level)
- Under the nose
- On the chin
- At the hollow below the collarbones
- At the side of the ribs, one hand length below the armpits (as in the duck dance...)
«Our brain is very adaptable. This makes it possible to delete patterns, i.e. neuronal connections, but also to create new ones. And this is exactly what EFT tapping acupressure, also known as tapping or tapping technique, does,» explains the therapist. During the consultation, the current situation is first looked at and then old beliefs or internalised convictions are expressed. Finally, tapping on certain points stimulates new connections in the brain.
In this way, EFT tapping acupressure can free you from old pain and the corresponding negative emotions. «The memories remain, but they are decoupled. This causes them to lose their painful, emotional charge, which often happens very quickly. The body is virtually freed from the negative emotion. Hence the name Emotional Freedom Techniques,» says Frick.
The amygdala or how we calm the sabre-toothed tiger within us
The amygdala, also known as the amygdala, plays a central role in this. It is part of the limbic system in the brain, which plays a major role in the processing of emotions, learning and memory, and influences our emotions and memories in a variety of ways - especially when it comes to fear or anger. From an evolutionary perspective, the amygdala wants to protect us from life-threatening situations: «Watch out, sabre-toothed tiger nearby, so get into the cave!» The amygdala memorised such experiences ages ago and sends out commands in the event of danger, such as «Fight!» (attack), «Flee!» (escape) or «Don't move!» (play dead).
The fact that a person is in danger is signalled to the amygdala by, among other things, an increased release of the stress hormone cortisol. Unfortunately, the amygdala cannot assign the cause of the higher cortisol intake. Whether it's an argument with the boss, news about war and crises or constant clicks on social media - whatever stresses us out is translated by the amygdala into «Watch out, sabre-toothed tiger - it's a matter of life and death!».
This is where EFT comes in. «By tapping, we signal to the amygdala that we are safe and calm ourselves down again,» says Yvette Frick.
This is what happens in our hormonal system through tapping
Tapping on meridians reduces the release of cortisol by 46% and increases immunity by 40%. This happens after just a few minutes. We therefore become healthier through tapping. More than 7 different hormones and neurotransmitters are regulated.
Procedure of an EFT session
The first step is to name the problem or issue. Let's take exam anxiety, for example. Then the following questions are asked about the inner state:
- What physical sensations are present?
- What feelings are there? Classify on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 = neutral, 10 = very strong)
- Are there thoughts, images, memories, judgements, beliefs?
These answers could be suitable for our topic of exam anxiety: Stomach ache, great nervousness (strength 8) and memories of exams that didn't go well.
The third step involves tapping the meridian points. It is always started at the outer edge of the hand with the following sentence structure: «Although I have exam anxiety (the respective problem is named), I accept myself completely.» This statement is repeated three times while continuously tapping on the outer edge of the hand.
You can't fool children. They have a very keen sense of their parents' moods.
Yvette Frick, alternative practitioner
Then tap each energy point about seven times in turn and repeat a short sentence or word that reminds you of the problem and resolves it. In the case of exam anxiety, this could go like this: «I can feel that I'm super nervous and that's totally okay. I can relax now. I'm fine the way I am.»
After two or three tapping rounds, the stress level is determined again on a scale from zero to ten. If it has dropped significantly, you can end the session. If not, keep tapping until you feel calmer.
Finally, formulate a solving sentence and tap it again for one or two rounds.
Example of a solving sentence:
Although I have a stomach ache when I think about my exam, I respect and accept myself as I am and I am now choosing to stay relaxed and trust that all my knowledge will be available to me during the exam.
I can call up my knowledge calmly at any time. And that's how it is, and that's how it is, and that's how it is, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Involve the parents
In everyday family life, parents are often preoccupied with their own problems and stressful situations. «You can't fool children. They have a very keen sense of their parents' moods. This makes it all the more valuable when parents take time for their child,» says Yvette Frick.
The EFT tapping technique has three advantages. Firstly, consciously organised time with the child, secondly, the fun of tapping together and thirdly, not only the child calms down, but also the mother or father. «Children love role play. First, for example, the child can recite and tap out the appropriate sentences and the mum or dad does everything and then the roles are swapped.»
Tapping strengthens parents' self-confidence in their intuitive abilities.
Yvette Frick, alternative practitioner
Trust your own intuition
«Regular tapping also strengthens parents' self-confidence in their intuitive abilities. That is one of my key concerns: We should rely much more on our gut feeling again. However, this doesn't happen overnight, we have to practise it,» says the therapist. In the case of serious illnesses, it is of course important to seek help from a specialist in good time. «In this case, EFT is no substitute for therapy,» says Frick.
If you find the sequence of movements difficult at the beginning, the therapist recommends that you first concentrate on tapping the various meridian points. «The tapping alone has a calming effect.» She emphasises that you generally can't go wrong: «The individual meridian points are generously defined. You can't miss them.» You should also trust the child's intuition and your own. «Children often find amazingly clear sentences for their feelings. They also love to assign a colour to their feelings. It's best to just try it out.»
