3 ‘Bad Habits’ that Make Tapping Not Work
With all the YouTube tapping videos out there, I want to help you tap like a pro despite some bad habits that are spreading.
I meet twice a month with a group of EFT practitioners to tap away blocks in their careers and to dive into practitioner pro tips that will help their clients.
This week’s topic: Break 3 ‘Bad Habits’ that Make Tapping Less Effective
Whether you’re a practitioner or tapping lover, these strategies will make your EFT work effective and efficient.
Bad Habit #1: Tapping on Vague Issues vs. Specific examples
Vague Sounds Like: I don’t feel enough, I feel inadequate, I need better boundaries
Why vague is not as effective: The brain doesn’t know the difference between thinking about something and reliving it. When you make big sweeping statements, your brain is forced to pull up every single memory that’s related. This is overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. It may be why you don’t feel better at the end of the topping video
Pro strategy: Focus on when you came face-to-face with that issue, block, or belief.
Specificity Sounds like: I didn’t feel enough when I saw that my Instagram post only had 3 likes
For example: When my EFT for people-pleasing audio says, “I felt the pressure to make them happy,” think of one person and one moment when you wanted to please them.
Specificity Boosts Results: Thinking of ONE time you faced an issue gives your brain one thing to think about… and calm down about… which trains your brain to be calm the next time it happens.
Then your brain will generalize that positive shift to all related moments.Try it: The next time you’re watching a tapping video or tapping along to one of the audios inside my Ideal Fuure portal, focus on one time when you felt that way.
Bad Habit #2: Putting words in your mouth vs. Resonating with what is real
Inauthentic Language Might Sounds Like: I accept myself, I forgive them, I am not enough
Reasons Mimicking Tapping Scripts Doesn’t Work: Repeating words that don’t feel real for you is not as effective because if these words don’t resonate, they won’t activate the parts of the brain that hold you back.
Pro strategy: Use the words that feel most true and resonate with you.
Real language sounds like: “I’m open to being nicer to myself OR maybe one day I can accept that I feel this way” instead of “I deeply and completely accept myself.
Example: If one of my EFT meditations says, “I feel anxious” but you feel: “A nauseous pit in my stomach” voice THAT truth instead.
Using language that Resonates Boosts Results: Your brain is triggered by specific thoughts, feelings, and memories. You have to voice the specific triggers to reprogram them. If you use language your brain doesn’t resonate with is like trying to communicate to your brain in German when your brain speaks Spanish. Maybe it will resonate with a few words and find some understanding, but it will mostly feel more lost by the end of the conversation.
Try it: When a tapping video or script says something that does not resonate, adjust it until it feels real.
Bad Habit #3: Forcing Positivity vs. Being Honest About How You Feel
Forcing Positivity Sounds Like: I am enough! I am abundant! I am swimming in wealth… jk on that last one but I have heard some pretty toxically positive tapping videos.
Fake Positivity is not as effective because: If you’re using affirmations that you don’t 100% believe, you reinforce the resistance that comes with them. For example: When you say: “I am abundant,” you reinforce the inner critic that says, “Yeah right!”
Pro strategy: Be honest instead of positive. If you want to call in abundance but don’t feel it yet, be honest: If you want to feel enough but feel imposter syndrome instead, be honest!
For example: Adjust, “I am more than enough” to, “I wish I felt enough but I feel kind of insecure, and that’s OK.”
Another example: Adjust, “I am open to miracles” (my fave tapping audio!) to “I don’t believe miracles could happen today but part of me is open to being surprised.”
Being Honest Boosts Results: Owning your truth (however negative) does not reinforce it. It takes the steam out of it. Voicing negative beliefs while tapping breaks the fear-response connection… helping you feel calm the next time you think something similar.
Try it: When a tapping video says something positive that just feels fake, say what feels true for you!
I love ending all my tapping meditations on a high note, but only once I’ve held space for the feelings that make positivity feel fake!
Recap:
If tapping isn’t working there are a myriad of reasons.
The #1 reason is a lack of specificity: Get specific about when you came face to face with blocks past or present.
Hold space for the honest feelings that resonate with you about the triggering moment. Get honest about your triggers. Tap. Let EFT dissolve the associated stress. With stress removed, you’ll see triggers from a more grounded perspective.
If someone tries to force positivity or affirmations on you, ignore them. Keep tapping on your truth and let the natural wisdom come from within.
The next time you tap along to an audio or video:
Being specific versus vague
Voicing your truth versus repeating scripts that don’t resonate
Being honest versus fake positive
Think of your EFT meditations and videos as prompts to go deeper into your honest, true, specific vulnerability.
I covered two more pro tips on the practitioner call but I think this is enough to digest for now!
If you are a practitioner and part of that group, you can watch the 75 min masterclass in your member portal.
