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

EFT Tapping For Depression

This article talks about what depression is, and how to overcome it with the help of EFT Tapping for depression.

The EFT Tapping for depression has proven to be an effective alternative therapy to help individuals overcome depression and heal the root cause.

"It was the middle of the night and all I could think of was how life wasn't worth living. It took every ounce of energy I had to resist harming myself.

Sitting in the corner of my bathroom with my knees close to my chest, it felt like everything was closing in on me and nothing could save me from the dark cloud of sadness that just never seemed to let go of me.

I kept asking myself, 'Why am I the only one going through this? Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?' These thoughts had been keeping me up almost every night now.

I'd found a new job at a large organisation just a day before this sudden breakdown. Everything was going perfectly, everything was just fine (or at least I thought it was)…and this happened out of nowhere.

I was falling apart and it felt like I was looking for a way to escape, but there was no light at the end of the tunnel. I just...couldn't help myself anymore.

But there was nothing I could do about it. I had to get back to bed since I had to wake up the next day and put on the "happy" mask again.

It's been five months since this episode and there haven't been any more of these yet.

It felt like a nightmare, but I soon realised that I wasn't the only one going through this terrifying feeling called Depression."

This is what my client shared for me as she read it out from her diary...

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

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

It can even take multiple relapses and sheer motivation to get out of the intense and scary feelings that one experiences with depression.

But as they say, "after a hurricane, comes a rainbow," and the moment you get out of this storm and feel the joy, you will realise that the work you put into your recovery was completely worth it.

According to the World Health Organization, "Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression. Depression 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?

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 a mental health condition.

Depression as a disorder can make you feel low and hopeless, like you do not matter. There can be mood swings from anger to sadness. However each person can have different experiences during a period of depression, which can sometimes last years if not treated.

Generally when someone is sad it might be tempting to say to them, "just chill," "don't overthink," "smile." But this is not helpful at all. Someone who is depressed may not be able to snap out of it. So until we understand someone with this label, it's easy to judge from the outside.

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 and children may suffer from depression.

Some of the symptoms of depression are as follows:

Lack of interest or pleasure in most, or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies, or sports
Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
Either a reduced appetite and weight loss, or increased craving for food and weight gain
Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or over sleeping
Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
Loss of energy and fatigue, with even small tasks taking extra effort
Slowed thinking, speech or body movement
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
Recurring thoughts of death, suicide, or having made suicidal attempts
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things

Some of the symptoms of depression in older adults are as follows:

Memory difficulties and/or personality changes
Physical aches or pains
Fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep problems or loss of interest in sex that are not caused by a medical condition or medication
Often wanting to stay at home, rather then going out to socialise or do new things
Suicidal thinking or feelings, especially in older men

Some of the symptoms of depression in teens are as follows:

Sadness
Irritability
Anger
Feeling negative and worthless
Poor performance or poor attendance at school
Feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive
Using recreational drugs or alcohol
Over eating and/or over sleeping
Self-harm
Loss of interest in normal activities
Avoidance of social interaction

Some of the symptoms of depression in children are as follows:

Sadness
Irritability
Clinginess
Worry
Aches and pains
Refusing to go to school
Not wanting to play with friends
Being underweight or overweight

But how do you know when you need to consult a professional?

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.

The earlier you notice these signs of depression, the sooner you must consider consulting a professional to determine the cause, and what steps you can take to overcome it.

How To Self-Heal & Become An EFT Practitioner

Discover how EFT Tapping can help you to self-heal or to become professionally qualified as a Certified EFT Practitioner. Emotional Freedom Techniques (Tapping) is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, and past trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY DISCOVERY CALL

The American Psychological Association says,

"Depression affects an estimated 1 in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life.

Depression can occur at any time, but on an average, it first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression.

Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime.

There is a high degree of heritability (approximately 40%) when first-degree relatives (parents/children/siblings) have depression (2)."

WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?

Even though the symptoms of depression might be similar for anyone going through it, its cause may differ from person to person. 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.

Some factors that increase the risk of depression are:

Having certain personality traits, such as low self-esteem and being too dependent, self-critical or pessimistic.
Traumatic or stressful events, such as physical or sexual abuse, early childhood trauma, the death or loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or financial problems.
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 mental health 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.
Certain medications, such as some high blood pressure medications or sleeping pills (talk to your doctor before stopping any medication).
Vitamin deficiency, a lack of proper nutrition and sleep, an unhealthy lifestyle.

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

HOW CAN YOU OVERCOME DEPRESSION?

Depression can be overwhelming, or in some cases even life-threatening, to people who are unable to successfully manage the illness and be able to take care of themselves during this phase in their lives.

If you have been feeling low for some time, there a few ways by which you can prevent the onset of depression:

Control stress, increase resilience, and work on your self-esteem. This can be done by following a healthy and mindful lifestyle.
Reach out to family and friends, or whoever you trust, especially in times of crisis, to weather rough spells.
Consult a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist, to ensure proper diagnosis at the earliest sign of a problem to help prevent depression from worsening. Taking help in the form of psychotherapy and/or taking the right medication is very helpful in helping one recover at the earliest.

Here are some techniques that you can practice regularly to help you deal with 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 and can give you a feeling of purpose when you see positive physical changes taking place due to the constant activity.

Have A To-Do List

Depression can strip you off of any sense of purpose and can make you feel exhausted. Having a to-do list will allow you to schedule your day in a way that helps you accomplish small tasks like watering your plants, cooking and even going for a walk. This will help you feel productive and good about yourself.

Maintain A Healthy Diet

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. However, diet control will help you feel better, and more in control of yourself.

Connect With Your Loved Ones

Depression tends to make you feel lonely and isolate yourself, which will only make you feel worse about yourself.

To avoid this, you could spend time with your friends and family. You do not necessarily have to smile and pretend to be fine. Just staying in their presence and listening to music or watching a movie with them, can uplift your mood.

Positive Self-Talk

A lot of times, negative thoughts are going to cloud your mind because of depression. Make sure to tune in to your inner chatter and change it if it isn't positive.

Whenever you call yourself "worthless" ask yourself if you would ever talk to your friends or relatives that way.

If not, change the way you talk to yourself. Carve out time every day to speak to yourself gently and lovingly; it will help you improve your mental health.

Learn a self help therapy method like EFT Tapping

EFT Tapping can help to tackle the surface symptoms, as well as explore any emotional root causes. Studies show that EFT Tapping even reduces the severity of the symptoms.

Daily positive tapping will help to condition the body and mind.

Depression is an ongoing problem and not a passing one, which means it can last for several days, months or even years.

It can also affect anyone. In many cases, it goes undiagnosed and even accomplished celebrities have been fighting depression. Some notable examples include:

Famous celebrities like Ernest Hemingway, Hollywood actor Robin Williams, singer Kurt Cobain from the rock group Nirvana, celebrity chef and travel show host Anthony Bourdain, and more recently the Hollywood actress Naomi Judd had reportedly suffered from depression and committed suicide.
Renowned author of the best-selling Harry Potter series J. K. Rowling used her past experiences of depression as the inspiration for the Dementors - the hooded creatures that feed off the happiness of humans and wizards.
Pop music sensation Lady Gaga shared that she has suffered from depression and anxiety her entire life.
Selena Gomez has been quite open about her diagnosis of both anxiety as well as depression. “I found out I do suffer from mental health issues. And, honestly, that was such a relief,” she explained. “I realised that there was a way to get help and to find people that you trust. I got on the right medication, and my life has been completely changed (3).”

“Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.”

C. S. LEWIS

WRITER

The first step towards recovery is to accept that you are going through something and you need help. Once you realise you require professional help, go for it. After all, overcoming depression is only going to improve your lifestyle and will help you maximise your mental health.

Psychotherapy, counseling and medications are the most widely used treatments for overcoming depression.

However, a lot of research has stated that taking drugs and medications as a part of treatment for depression has many risks. Some of them are:

70% increase in bone fractures
Rise in risk of cancer by 35%
Side effects such as memory loss and premature death
Becoming dependent or addicted to the drugs

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 treatment plan, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) may be very beneficial for you.

EFT is an alternative therapeutic intervention that can help get to the root cause of an issue and eliminate the symptoms of depression with ease. EFT is so powerful that it can also eliminate the symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

What’s more, the effect of EFT treatment is quick and long-lasting.

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

For those new to EFT, also known as Tapping Therapy, it combines tapping on acupressure points while saying statements out loud to accept situations. For more details, you can download a free booklet on EFT below.

New to EFT? Learn How EFT Tapping Heals, Including Depression

Emotional Freedom Techniques (tapping) is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, past trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.

CLAIM MY FREE E-BOOKLET

EFT TAPPING FOR DEPRESSION

EFT Tapping for Depression is an alternative therapeutic method which has proven to be long lasting and effective.

The sample procedure of EFT Tapping 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?” and
“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)

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 love and accept myself.” (Repeat 3 times)

Step 3

Then Tap On The Facial And Upper Body EFT Tapping Points

Use the identified phrases to tap on the facial, upper body, and finger EFT Tapping Points:

Eyebrow: I am depressed about...
Temple: I feel it in my...
Under eye: It’s at a number...
Under 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 Points and repeating the setup statement once:

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?”

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

Step 7

Explore the root cause

As the sessions progresses 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 changes 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.

In closing, you are not alone. An alternate therapy like EFT can help you with the symptoms, as well as explore their root cause, to help you overcome depression.

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

Clear The Associated Surface Emotions

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

Explore And Eliminate The Past Root Cause & 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.

Few questions that can be asked to discover 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 makes 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.

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."

Install New Positive Beliefs For The Future

Once the old beliefs are eliminated, ask the client what new beliefs would they 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.

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 is an intervention that helps people overcome the physical and mental problems that they go through.

It has proven to be effective and long-lasting; at the same time, this technique does not take much time to administer as well.

EFT Tapping for anxiety stimulates the body's ability to let go or release any sort of anxiety which may have been created during any sort of trauma that we faced previously.

EFT Tapping for anxiety relief has also been proven to be useful and long-lasting for individuals who have experienced high levels of anxiety, but don't anymore because of the usage of EFT.

New to EFT? Learn How EFT Tapping Heals, Including Depression

Emotional Freedom Techniques (tapping) is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, past trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.

CLAIM MY FREE E-BOOKLET

There has been evidence of the use of EFT for depression, for instance:

"I recall a case with a client who attended EFT Training with Inner Child Matrix in Delhi.

Throughout the training, she went back to one event, which was the death of her brother, which she had held herself responsible for. On the last day of training, she finally let go of the self-blame and forgave herself.

Dr. Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri mentioned, that three months later, the client attended a post-course EFT support group meeting where she reported, with the supervision of her mental health therapists, that she had stopped 75% of her medication, under the supervision of her doctor, as a result of her experience in the training."

EFT Practitioner Jane Nash found with her client that "After 15 years of therapy, including shock therapy, EFT helps release depression" (4).

There are different stages of depression and the symptoms can be treated with 8 to 20 sessions of psychotherapy and 8-12 weeks with antidepressants (5).

In the case of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), the 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 (6).

In one of the researches, 20 studies were analysed including 859 participants. The number of sessions required to relieve depression was 1 to 10. It was found that the average drop in depressive symptoms among the participants was 41% . The results showed that clinical EFT is highly effective in reducing depressive symptoms in a variety of populations and settings. "EFT produced large treatment effects whether delivered in group or individual format, and participants maintained their gains over time."

According to some research studies, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) represents the most superior approach in treating mild to severe symptoms of depression. However, one research study that took place in Australia, aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT and EFT in the treatment of depression and comorbid anxiety. There were 10 participants who were diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. They were randomly assigned to an 8-week CBT or EFT treatment program. A sample of people from the local community was assessed for comparative purposes. Before and after the treatment, all the participants were interviewed and had completed two self-report questionnaires, the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition and the depression, anxiety, and stress scales. Results revealed that both CBT and EFT produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms, with the CBT group reporting a significant reduction post intervention, which was not maintained with time. The EFT group reported a delayed effect involving a significant reduction in symptoms at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups only. Overall, the findings suggested that EFT might be an effective treatment strategy worthy of further investigation.

If you are a counsellor, 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.

Kaiser Permanente which is one of the largest hospital systems in the US taking care of more than 10 million patients each year, claims that EFT treats PTSD and depression successfully in 10 sessions or less (6).

There is also clinical proof that EFT is a safe treatment intervention for many trauma-based issues including depression (7).

Love,

Dr. Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri (PhD)

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

How To Self-Heal & Become An EFT Practitioner

Discover how EFT Tapping can help you to self-heal or to become professionally qualified as a Certified EFT Practitioner. Emotional Freedom Techniques (Tapping) is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, past trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.

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 using EFT. Happiness is possible! 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.

References:

Disclaimer: The information on this website is purely for educational purposes and does not in any way replace the requirement for medical & psychological diagnosis and treatment. Please seek professional medical & psychological diagnosis and advice for all medical and mental health conditions. It is advised to always book any consultations with qualified professionals.

Learn Emotional Freedom Techniques for self-healing or to become professionally qualified - More

Our other seminars: