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What Is Depression? How Does EFT Tapping For Depression Help To Overcome It?

EFT Tapping For Depression

In this article, we will learn about Depression, its symptoms, causes, and ways to overcome depression with Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as EFT Tapping.

Has there ever been a time when you knew someone, or you were going through depression yourself? It's quite exhausting, isn't it?  

All of us experience the blues, and feel low from time to time. Not all days are the same, and that's completely normal.

But this is not meant to be prevalent for a long period of time. If those symptoms of sadness and feeling low persist beyond a certain time, then it is considered as depression.

How to deal with Depression

WHAT IS DEPRESSION - A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION

Depression is a dark space. It can drain you of your physical and emotional energies–like an emotional black hole. Once the spiraling begins, it can seem never-ending. 

According to the World Health Organization, "Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. It is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. More women are affected by depression than men (1)."

What is Depression - a mental health condition

Depression is a condition that can affect anyone irrespective of their age or gender. But we often tend to overlook the fact that even older adults, teens, college students and children may suffer from depression. 

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

Some of the symptoms of depression are as follows:

  • Lack of interest or pleasure in most activities.

  • Feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, or emptiness.

  • Changes in appetite and weight.

  • Sleep disturbances.

  • Irritability and anger.

  • Restlessness or agitation.

  • Fatigue and loss of energy.

  • Slowed thinking, speech, or movement.

  • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.

  • Suicidal thoughts or feelings. 

The symptoms of depression must last for at least two weeks. There needs to be a change in behaviour as compared to previous levels of functioning, to be diagnosed for depression.

Symptoms of Depression; Conventional treatments of Depression

WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?

There is no particular cause for depression, and it can be experienced by anyone during any stage in life.

Though, there are some factors that may make a person more prone to depression. They are as follows:

  • Having certain personality traits, such as low self-esteem and being too dependent, self-critical or pessimistic.

  • Blood relatives with a history of depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, or suicide.

  • Being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, or having variations in the development of genital organs that are not clearly male or female (intersex) in an unsupportive situation.

  • History of other psychological disorders, such as anxiety disorder, eating disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

  • Abuse of alcohol and/or recreational drugs.

  • Serious or chronic illness, including cancer, stroke, chronic pain, or heart disease.

  • Vitamin deficiency, a lack of proper nutrition and sleep, and an unhealthy lifestyle.

No matter what the cause of depression is, there is always something that you can do about it.

HOW TO OVERCOME DEPRESSION?

Here are some techniques that you can practice regularly to deal with depression:

Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be an effective part of managing and coping with depression. 

For instance, you might tend to overeat in order to repress your emotions, or even starve because you just do not have the inclination or energy to eat.

A healthy and mindful lifestyle is a valuable tool in your journey of overcoming depression.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle to overcome depression

Regular Exercise

Exercise is known to improve your mood and boost the "feel good" chemicals released by the body; it helps distract you from negative emotions like Depression and can give you a feeling of purpose and self-acceptance when you see positive physical changes taking place due to the constant activity.

Regular exercise to deal with Depression

Use a healing technique called EFT Tapping

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is an alternative healing approach that combines elements of traditional Chinese medicine, psychological acupressure, energy flow, and exposure therapy.

It involves tapping on specific acupressure points on the body while focusing on emotional issues or psychological problems.

As introduced by Gary Craig, Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) improve multiple physiological markers, get to the root cause of an issue, eliminate the symptoms of depression, and relieve stress with ease.

EFT tapping to overcome Depression

CONCEPT OF EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (EFT)

If you are someone who is seeking some kind of non-drug treatment, while being on medications (to maintain safety), but are looking for a long-term alternative treatment plan that is not at all time-consuming, EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques) may be very beneficial for you.

EFT Tapping is not for someone who wants to simply pop a pill to feel better. EFT Tapping is recommended only for those who want to take responsibility for their own standard treatments who want to change their lifestyle, who are willing and committed to their health, healing, and wellness, and who want to explore an alternative therapy.

EFT Tapping as Mental Health Practice; psychological trauma symptom improvement

EFT Tapping can help to tackle the surface symptoms of physical pain, explore the emotional root causes of negative emotion, and treat posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.

Studies and proposed clinical guidelines of clinical EFT prove that EFT Tapping shows a significant decrease in the severity of the symptoms of fear, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For those new to EFT Treatment, you can download a free booklet on EFT talk therapy below.

HOW TO OVERCOME DEPRESSION WITH EFT TAPPING?

The basic recipe of EFT Tapping technique for Depression is as follows:

Step 1

Identify the physical sensations 

Identify physical sensations that are associated with depression. You can explore by asking questions such as:

  • “When you feel depressed, what are the physical sensations in the body?” 

  • “How would you describe the physical sensations?”

The reason to begin with physical sensations is that it is an aspect of the label that can be measured pre-treatment and post-treatment. In some cases, you may begin with the emotions or exercises to feel calmer and more in control. 


Step 2

Start tapping on the side of your hand (Karate Chop) 

Find out the initial intensity of the issue on a scale of 0-10. Then, tap on the Karate Chop using the setup statement. For example,

“Even though I feel depressed about losing my job and I can feel it in my stomach, it's at a number 8, blue in colour, and it makes me feel suffocated, I deeply and completely accept myself.” (Repeat 3 times)


Step 3

Tap on the Facial and Upper Body EFT Meridian Points

Use the identified reminder phrase to tap on the meridian points like facial, upper body, and finger EFT tapping points:

  •  Eyebrow: I am depressed about...

  • Temple: I feel it in my...

  • Under the eye: It's at a number...

  • Under the nose: It makes me feel...

  • Chin: It's in my...at a number...

  • Collarbone: It makes me feel...

  • Under the arm: So...

  • Thumb: So...

  • Index finger: Depressed because...

  • Middle finger: I feel it in my...

  • Little finger: So...


Step 4

Close the sequence by tapping on the side of your hand again

Close the sequence by coming back to the EFT Karate Chop Tapping Acupuncture Points and repeating the reminder phrase once,

“Even though I feel depressed about losing my job and I can feel it in my stomach, it's at a number 8, blue in colour, and it makes me feel suffocated, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”


Step 5

Breathe and relax 

Take a gentle breath in and out and have a sip of water. 


Step 6

Test yourself

Test how you are feeling now and ask yourself, “What happened, and what changed after the tapping procedure?

In case you cannot judge the feeling, explore what you were doing at that moment.


Step 7

Explore the root cause

As the sessions progress and the severity of the symptoms reduce start to explore the potential root causes. For example:

  • There can be an early childhood experience of deciding not to have fun anymore.

  • Past traumatic incidents, for example, job loss, grief, an accident, a health diagnosis, abuse, family strife, divorce, or bullying.

  • Limiting beliefs for example, “It's not safe to be alive, my life is hopeless, I feel hopeless.”


Step 8

Reset the past

Use the Inner Child Matrix to reset the past by breathing in positive resources that change the biochemistry of the body. The reason to complete this is that the label depression can have a biochemical imbalance too.

Of course, it's important to get a professional medical diagnosis as in some cases medical treatment is needed and this information is not a replacement for that.


A CERTIFIED EFT PRACTITIONER CAN USE THE FOLLOWING STEPS TO DEAL WITH LESS SEVERE FORMS OF DEPRESSION

1.

Clear the associated surface emotions

Identify the surface emotions associated with the label 'depression', for example, "It makes me feel stuck," "I get angry and then sad" or "I feel out of control" and use the EFT Tapping process to clear the negative charge.

2.

Explore and eliminate the past root cause and clear past trauma

Once you have identified the feelings associated with depression, ask the question, "When have you felt like this before?"


Notice the memories or past events that become uncovered. Use the tapping technique to clear negativity and the emotions associated with these past experiences.


At times there can be a series of memories or just one negative situation.


A few questions can be asked to discover the root cause: 


  • When did start? When does it stop?
  • What makes it worse? What makes it better?
  • What needs to happen for you to feel depressed? Who triggers the depression? What situations make you feel more depressed?
  • How does it make you feel? When have you felt like that before?
  • If you no longer had depression, what would change for the worse?
  • If you no longer had depression, what would change for the better?
  • If you could wave a magic wand and no longer feel depressed what would need to happen?

Past trauma can be in the form of:

  • Death of a loved one
  • Not safe to be alive
  • Self-Hatred
  • Rejection
  • Self-Blame/Self-Punishment/Self Pity
  • Not feeling connected

When working with any form of trauma, it is better to use the gentler methods of trauma release taught during Inner Child Matrix Training or during EFT Practitioner Training in the form of Tearless Trauma.

3.

Identify any limiting beliefs associated with the label

Use the limiting beliefs process to identify disempowering thoughts and clear them. Some examples of beliefs are, "I do not deserve happiness."

4.

Install new positive beliefs for the future

Once the old beliefs are eliminated, ask the client what new beliefs they would like. For example, "With every breath, I am getting healthier and healthier" or "I choose happiness." Finally, create a compelling future by visualising what it feels like to be free from the depression label and install this new condition or state into the body-mind.

5.

Have a daily practice to stay clear and clean

Situations will happen on a daily basis that can cause discomfort. Use EFT as a daily self-help tool. Just like you brush your teeth daily, also have the practice to clear the emotional build-up routinely.

Note: For cases of clinical depression, or more severe or complicated cases, the Inner Child Matrix and EFT Advanced Practitioner skills are needed. You can share the clinical data for this label and also let your clients know that results can vary from case to case. 

DOES EFT TAPPING FOR DEPRESSION REALLY WORK?

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a highly effective intervention for addressing physical and mental health issues like Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), offering quick and long-lasting results.

The scientific review of clinical studies showed that it was a superior treatment as compared to traditional methods where the technique reduced the depressive symptoms within 1-10 sessions (2).

EFT Practitioner Jane Nash found with her client that "After 15 years of therapy, including shock therapy, EFT Tapping helps release depression" (3).

In a 2016 Clinical trial, a systematic review of 20 studies was done among 859 participants. The number of sessions required to relieve depression was 1 to 10. It revealed that the average drop in depressive symptoms among the participants was 41%. The meta-analysis also showed that clinical EFT is highly effective in reducing depressive symptoms in a variety of populations and settings (4).

If you are a counselor, a coach, or a healer of another sort, EFT can complement your practice and help you achieve rapid and easy breakthroughs with your clients.

If you suffer from depression yourself, EFT can help you restore yourself to health and find your happiness.

Love,

Dr. Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri (PhD)

P.S. Want to discover if EFT is right for you? Book a Complimentary Discovery Call.  

In summary, while it may seem that depression is an endless dark tunnel that is easy to slip into, it is possible to come out of it and live a life filled with health, wealth, and vitality. EFT for Depression will allow you to get rid of the distressing thoughts that you are going through. However, you don't need to rush the process. Take your own time, and do what you feel is right for you, as and when you feel comfortable.

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