Imagine you’re backstage, moments from stepping into the spotlight. Your heart is racing, your legs trembling, your palms slick with sweat, and the air feels so thick you could slice it. Your stomach churns ominously, threatening to reject the stew of gastric juices brewing from your last meal.
For a performer, this surge of adrenalin might be exhilarating. But what if you’re not under the stage lights? What if you are getting dressed for a boozy night with friends, pouring over notes for an exam that’s still a week away, or simply trying to soothe yourself into a night’s slumber without getting revved up about tomorrow.
When your body hits the panic button and there’s no clear and present danger, that’s the experience of anxiety.
In moments like these, you need an effective strategy to turn the chaos into calm. Enter stage left – Pressure points. These relaxation ninjas are perfectly suited to cut down on the drama. Steeped in the wisdom of ancient acupuncture, acupressure points can offer you a path to balance and tranquility with the tap-tap-tap of your fingers.
Dive into this comprehensive guide to discover how your fingertips can become your personal remote control for anxiety. Whether you’re about to step into the spotlight, or seeking to find your inner peace, this guide is your all access pass to mastering the art of staying cool, calm, and utterly collected.
Understanding Anxiety
At its core, anxiety is ‘worry about the future.’ This might sound straightforward, but it’s deeply intertwined with a trait that’s uniquely human – Autonoetic Consciousness. A fancy term, coined by psychologist Endel Tulving, lets us engage in what’s called ‘mental time travel.’
This ability is a superpower among the animal kingdoms. With mental time travel you can place yourself in the past, think about hypothetical situations in the present, and envisage yourself in the future. It gives you the freedom to plan, predict, and prepare for what’s ahead.
But here’s the catch. While jet setting through time in your mind, focusing too much on negative outcomes or threats can turn the dial up on feelings of worry. That’s when anxiety creeps in. When we start dwelling on problems that haven’t happened (and might never happen!).
So, while being able to mentally time travel is undeniably awesome, fretting over future events that may never materialize is the dark side of this otherwise evolutionary advantage.
The Biology Behind Anxiety
Think of anxiety as an equation with two critical biological components: Defensive responses + feelings. This understanding forms the basis of our approach to managing anxiety through pressure points. By leveraging this dual aspect – through a method we’ll delve into shortly – you can calm your biology and restore balance.
Part One – Defensive Responses
Your brain is exquisitely attuned to detect threats, analyze incoming data, and respond accordingly. One of its key roles is to get you all revved up into a state of heightened arousal, readying you to face various challenges. This defensive response is directed by your limbic system, the inner part of your brain, which works in tandem with other neurological and hormonal systems. While these defensive responses physically prepare your body for action, they are also responsible for many of the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as heart palpitations, sweating, and muscle tension.
The Limbic System – The Body’s Watchtower
At the heart of our biological response to threats lies the limbic system. This isn’t just any part of your brain; think of it as the watchtower, constantly scanning the horizon for danger. Key players in this system include the amygdala, which detects threats, the thalamus, which processes sensory information, and the hippocampus, which retrieves and forms memories.
Crisis Management – Coordinating Defense
Once a threat is detected, the limbic system springs into action, but it doesn’t work alone. It orchestrates a symphony of nerves, hormones and immune cells to prepare you for action:
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – Think of this as your body’s rapid-response force, switching you into fight-or-flight mode. It releases adrenalin and noradrenalin, accelerating your heart rate, increasing sweat production, mobilizes energy stores, and redirects blood to essential areas. This prepares you to either face the danger head-on or make a swift escape.
The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA Axis) – Acting as the endurance manager, this system sustains your stress response over a long period. It releases hormones like cortisol, which keeps you alert and regulates various body functions, ensuring you’re ready for prolonged challenges.
The Inflammatory Response – Known as the body’s built-in medic, this response prepares you to handle potential injuries. While it primarily fights infections and heals wounds, it also gears up the body to deal with any physical damage that might occur during a threat.
Symptoms of Defense
This cascade of reactions results in the physical symptoms we often associate with anxiety – your heart pounds, you start sweating, your breathing speeds up, your muscles tense, your mouth dries, and your stomach churns. While these sensations can be uncomfortable, they’re actually signs that your body is gearing up to tackle a challenge, even when that challenge is not immediately present. These responses are your body’s way of ensuring you’re ready for whatever comes next.
Part Two – Your Feelings
While the body’s defensive responses prime you for action, the second part of your anxiety equation is all about how you interpret and feel about these responses. This is where your brain’s cortex steps in, transforming defensive responses into the conscious experience of anxiety.
The Cortex – The Master Analyst
The cortex is the wrinkly, outermost layer of your brain that springs to mind when you imagine the organ. It’s divided into the frontal, occipital, parietal, and temporal lobes, each processing different types of information.
This amazing part of your brain allows you to understand and use language, recall memories, control your muscles; to think, learn, reason, and make decisions. It’s also where your feelings, intelligence, and personality come from. When signals from your limbic system reach the cortex, it brings them to your conscious awareness and helps you make sense of them.
Your Perceptions – The Iceberg of Awareness
Imagine your brain as an iceberg. The small visible part above the water represents your conscious awareness, while the massive chunk below is everything your brain processes outside of your awareness. Most of the time, only a tiny part of the brain, primarily in the prefrontal cortex, is actively making you aware of what’s happening.
Your cortex is a master analyst – continuously processing the present moment against a backdrop of past experiences, current contexts, and future scenarios. This mental juggling shapes your experience, turning physical sensations into feelings of joy, fear, or anxiety.
The Impact of Interpretation
How you interpret your defensive responses can either amplify or reduce your anxiety. If your cortex perceives the situation as threatening, your anxiety will increase. Conversely, if you assess the danger as manageable, your anxiety will diminish. This cognitive process is why two people can experience the same physical sensations but have entirely different feelings.
For example, ever wonder why some people find skydiving exhilarating while others find it terrifying? The defensive responses in this situation are exactly the same, but for the adrenaline junkie, skydiving is exhilarating; while for someone with a fear of heights, it’s a nightmare. By understanding that your feelings of worry and fear are shaped by your perceptions, you can start to challenge and change your thought patterns.
Pressure Points - Your DIY Guide to Saying Cool, Calm, & Utterly Collected
Alright, so now we’ve taken a grand tour of your brain’s inner workings and how it conjures up anxiety, you might be thinking “Great, I know I’m a bundle of nerves, but what do I do about it?” Enter stage left – tapping on pressure points. Think of it as giving your brain a nudge in the right direction. It’s like a spa day for your nervous system, but without the cucumber slices on your eyes. Ready to give your anxiety the one-two punch it deserves? Let’s dive in…
Origins of Tapping Pressure Points
Using rhythmic tapping at pressure points has its roots in the ancient medical systems of far east Asia, often referred to as Chinese Medicine. These practices have been documented since antiquity and encompass three common fields: Acupuncture, herbalism, and bone setting.
Since the middle of the 20th century, there’s been a surge of interest in these practices from the western world. Folks in Europe, America, and Australia have all jumped on the bandwagon, particularly with acupuncture leading the charge. Over time, Chinese Medicine has inspired a variety of hybrid practices, like tapping and dry needling.
Tapping, also known as Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), are all kindred spirits. They rely on two main components – what you say and where you tap. In this article, we are going to coach you through a standardized protocol called Clinical Emotional Freedom Technique (Clinical EFT).
Benefits of Tapping Pressure Points for Anxiety
Clinical EFT, synonymous with tapping in this article, is the star on show in research circles, giving us a clear view of its benefits. Studies suggest tapping is an effective tool for stress and mood regulation, making it a fantastic addition to your anxiety-busting toolkit.
A systematic review on the use of Clinical EFT for anxiety (considered the gold standard among academics) demonstrated that participants treated with tapping experienced a significant improvement compared to their baseline. Researchers also highlighted the practical advantages of tapping over other therapies due to its ease of use.
What’s really catching researchers’ attention is that tapping often delivers faster results than traditional therapies, especially talk therapy. While the science is still evolving, it’s fascinating to ponder why tapping might be so effective.
Tapping on pressure points works its magic by calming defensive responses and reducing arousal. Meanwhile, it helps reshape associated feelings by identifying the problem and promoting acceptance.
Now, the idea of accepting your problems might not make you jump for joy, but here’s the thing; wisdom in psychotherapy suggests that rushing to promote change often creates inner resistance and poorer results.
Tapping aims to calm negative feelings and sensations before jumping into action. By soothing the body and mind first, you pave the way for shifts in thinking and naturally reframing the problem. Once those pesky reactions have eased, positive affirmations can step in to reinforce a fresh perspective.
Where You Tap to Relieve Anxiety
Ready to get tapping? Many of the pressure points in the Clinical EFT protocol are specifically chosen for their ability to address mental and emotional symptoms (specifically Dian Kuang), chest discomfort, and difficulty breathing.
Now you might be wondering, what on earth is Dian Kuang? These terms date back centuries, referring to various mental illnesses involving states of depression and mania. While Dian and Kuang are different, they do share common features like difficulty thinking, erratic behavior, and feelings of agitation and fear. Sounds familiar, right?
Below is a list of Clinical EFT points and where to find them:
Si3 (both sides): Located on the side of your hand, behind the knuckle of your 5th (pinky) finger. Where you might make contact performing a karate chop.
Bl2 (both sides): You will find this point in a small bony hollow at the inside end of your eyebrow.
Tb23 (both sides): You will find this point at the outside end of your eyebrow, in a small depression at the corner of your temples.
St3 (both sides): Located on your cheekbone, directly below the midpoint of your eye.
Gv26: This point is located in the middle of the groove between your nose and your upper lip.
Cv24: This point is located in the small dip in the middle of the groove between your lower lip and chin.
Kd26: Located under the inner end of the collar bone, in the space between the 1st and 2nd ribs.
Gb22 (both sides): This point is located on the side of your body, along an imaginary line along the middle of the armpit. It is in the space between the 5th and 6th ribs, roughly inline with the male nipple.
Gv20: This point is in a small depression at the crown of your head. Run your fingers backward along the midline of your head until it falls into a small hollow.
8 pressure points for tapping on the upper body. Note - Picture depicts tapping of one side with the right hand.
How to Tap to Relieve Anxiety
Most pressure points in this protocol can be tapped using two fingers, usually the index and middle fingers, with firm yet comfortable force. When tapping pressure points of your skull and face, you may notice a gentle resonance – this is totally normal. Pressure points on the chest and hands are more robust, so feel free to tap these with a lightly closed fist.
Many of the pressure points in the Clinical EFT protocol are located on both sides of the body. You only need to tap one side, but you can tap both sides simultaneously if you prefer.
Tapping is an easy to use self-help tool. Check out this clip of researcher Dr. Peta Stapleton, who describes the process with skill and flare. Skip ahead to the 4th minute for the protocol itself.
5 Steps for Tapping Pressure Points
Focus on a negative thought, feeling, or behavior: Identify what you want to address. Rate your discomfort on a scale of 0-10 (0 = no distress, 10 = extreme distress). This is a subjective units of distress scale (SUDs); it represents your feelings, not anyone else’s, so rate what feels right to you. Your goal is to get this number to reduce after tapping.
Summarize your problem in a setup statement: We’ll get into setup statements in a bit. For now, tap the Si3 points on the sides of your hands while you make this statement.
Tap the remaining 8 points: Start from the eyebrow points (Bl2), then progress downwards on the face, collarbones and ribs, and finish at the top of the head (Gv20). Tap each point several times, or long enough to say your reminder phrase (more on this shortly). Once you’ve tapped all 8 points, you’ve completed 1 round of tapping.
Re-rate your discomfort: Check in with your scale of 0-10. This is an intuitive guess, so use the first number that pops into your head.
Do additional rounds: Continue tapping on the 8 points of the upper body until your rating is as low as possible.
Setup Statement and Reminder Phrase
Tapping is a straightforward process; all you need to know is where to tap and what to say. However, the biggest complaint about tapping is being lost for words. No worries – you can follow a simple framework to create your setup statement and reminder phrase.
Setup Statement: This phrase must always state the problem or feeling and express acceptance – essentially acknowledging how you feel right now.
Template: ‘Even though I [insert problem/ feeling] … I accept myself.’
You can tweak ‘I accept myself’ to something that feels right to you, like ‘I accept my feelings,’ ‘I accept I have this problem,’ or ‘I forgive myself.’
Example: ‘Even though I feel anxious and nervous about the presentation I must give to my colleagues … I accept my feelings.’
It is normal to refine your problem or feelings as you go. For instance, maybe you realize you’re nervous because you worry you’re not good enough.
Refined Example: ‘Even though I worry I am not good enough … I accept myself.’
Perhaps, deep down, you’re anxious because you feel unworthy of other people’s love and acceptance.
Deeper example: ‘Even though I feel unworthy of others’ acceptance … I completely and deeply accept myself.
Reminder phrase: This is a short phrase that you use as you tap on each of the 8 points, capturing the essence of the problem or feeling you are experiencing. This makes the process easier, so you don’t have to repeat the entire setup statement each time.
A reminder phrase of ‘nervous’ or ‘anxious’ works well with the example above – ‘Even though I feel anxious and nervous about the presentation I must give to my colleagues … I completely accept my feelings.’
After using the setup statement by tapping on the side of your hands, you can repeat, ‘I feel nervous’ while tapping at each of the 8 points on the upper body.
After each round of tapping, rate how you feel on your scale of 0-10. It’s natural to become aware of other feelings while tapping. In the above example, you might become aware of feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. Your reminder phrase could evolve to ‘I feel nervous, not good enough, unworthy.’
Tapping works best when you are ultra-specific about your problems and feelings, so don’t be afraid to explore other aspects. The more truthful you are, the more effective your tapping will be.
Tapping With Positive Affirmations
Once your negative feelings have been reduced, you can use tapping to promote positive affirmations. A great way to do this is with an ‘I choose’ statement. It is thought that this can help make changes to negative feelings more lasting.
Template: Simply add ‘I choose’ in the middle of your setup statement and state what you’d like to feel. ‘Even though I [insert problem or feeling], I choose to be [positive affirmation].
Example: Even though I feel anxious and nervous about the presentation I must give to my colleagues, I choose to be calm and confident.
Example: Even though I worry I am not good enough, I choose to be confident in the expertise I have.
Using these ‘I choose statements, you can guide your mind toward a more positive state, reinforcing the changes and helping them stick.
Seeking Further Help
While tapping is a fantastic self-help technique backed by research, sometimes we need a little extra support to manage anxiety effectively. If you're finding that self-help techniques aren't enough, don't hesitate to seek further help.
The book ‘The Science of Tapping’ by Dr. Peta Stapleton, a renowned EFT researcher based on the Gold Coast, provides a wealth of evidence-based advice on tapping. If you want to dive deeper into the world of EFT, this book is a great place to start (it was also used as a primary resource for this article).
For those looking to go beyond self-help, consider finding a certified EFT practitioner. They can provide professional guidance and support tailored to your specific needs. Additionally, consulting with the GP or psychologist can open up a variety of treatment options, which may include tapping as a part of a comprehensive plan to reduce anxiety.
As a registered acupuncturist, I often see patients who are also under the care of a psychologist. Acupuncture, like tapping, has a growing body of evidence supporting its effectiveness in managing anxiety. It can help people with some of the defensive responses associated with anxiety and may also address co-morbidities related to this condition.
So, if you're exploring options to ease anxiety symptoms and their related challenges, consider giving acupuncture a try. It might just be the additional support you need to find balance and calm in your life.
Remember, managing anxiety is a journey, and it's OK to seek out different tools and support systems along the way. Whether it's tapping, acupuncture, or a combination of therapies, the goal is to find what works best for you.
Conclusion – Your Toolkit for Tackling Anxiety
In summary, tapping on pressure points is a powerful and increasingly evidence-based tool that you can use to manage anxiety. By understanding how to tap effectively and knowing when to seek further help, you're taking important steps towards better mental health. Combine tapping with other therapies like acupuncture, and you have a robust toolkit to keep you cool, calm, and utterly collected. So go ahead, explore these techniques and find your path to a calmer, more balanced life.
Author
Adam Hjort is a Registered Acupuncturist and member of Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA). He has been practicing since 2010 and maintains a clinic dedicated to the treatment of pain located in Ashmore, Gold Coast.
