For Teachers: Practical Strategies for Introducing EFT to Your Class
Author: patsy anthony
Many teachers are excited at the thought of teaching EFT to their students but are hesitant to try for a variety of reasons. Some worry about objections from parents or administrators, while others are unsure of how to begin. Here are some simple and practical ideas which I hope will encourage you to try tapping with your students.
When you introduce EFT to your class, make it useful, relevant and fun. Try to hook as many of your students as possible. Most importantly, ensure that you have developed a strong rapport of trust and caring with your children before you begin.
I find that the best way to teach EFT is through test anxiety. My students receive a weekly speed test in which they are expected to complete up to 100 basic math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication or division in less than ten minutes. After taking these tests for several weeks, we discuss how everyone feels about them. It is always surprising to me how much anxiety these tests create, even in a safe, nurturing environment, where students know that it is absolutely okay to make mistakes.
When asked to show their level of stress with regard to these speed tests, many children hold up ten fingers to signify that their anxiety is extremely high. This discussion paves the way perfectly for introducing tapping. I confide to my class that I have recently learned of a wonderful way to deal with my own worries and stresses.
Rapport is critical at this point. As long as your children trust and respect you they will happily accept the idea of tapping and be willing to give it a try.
I introduce a large picture of a stream amidst a forest, surrounded by wildlife and trees. The stream is a metaphor for our minds. When we are feeling peaceful and relaxed everything flows smoothly, just as the stream does. Stress is represented by a detachable tree. What happens to the stream when the tree falls across it? The water stops flowing properly, debris builds up around the tree, back eddies form and the bank starts to erode. In other words, the stream no longer flows as it should. This is exactly what happens in our minds (and bodies) once stress enters our system.
I suggest to my students that if they tap on specific pressure points, which are connected to emotions in our bodies, at the same time as they tune into their feelings, they may be able to relieve some of their anxiety. In other words, they may be able to remove that “tree” which has entered their mind and is holding them back from achieving their best.
We place stickers on a student’s self portrait to demonstrate specific points to tap on, and then we practice tapping on those points without using any words at all. Next I ask them to think about that math test once more.
It is important to personalize the tapping and incorporate their own words while you tap, so before you get started, inquire once more about how they are feeling. Ask them where they are feeling those feelings in their bodies (stomach, throat, heart, etc).
After that, you are ready to begin with a set-up statement. Add some humour to make it fun and use as many of the children’s words as you can:
Karate Chop: Even though I have to write this speed test and it’s the last thing I want to do…and I feel stressed and anxious… and my legs are shaking and I feel like I’m going to be sick to my stomach….. I am still an awesome kid!
Continue by tapping on the following points, acknowledging their own thoughts and feelings:
Top of head: I am SO stressed! I have to write this speed test!
Eyebrow: My legs feel shaky.
Side of Eye: My stomach feels SICK!
Under Eye: My heart is pounding!
Under Nose: My throat feels dry!
Under Lip: What if I fail?
Collar Bone: What if do worse than last week?
Under Arm: What if I don’t get 100%?
Top of Head: I know I am smart.
Eyebrow: But it’s hard to be fast!
Side of Eye: It’s hard to do your best when you’re stressed.
Under Eye: I wish I could let go of this stress.
Under Nose: Let go of this stress…
Under Lip: It feels good to relax…
Collar Bone: Relax…
Under Arm: I’m just going to give it my best… That’s all I can do….try my best.
Karate Chop: And even if I am not perfect, even if I do make mistakes, I am STILL an awesome kid!
After completing and marking their tests, have your students compare the results with those from the previous week. Ask them what they notice about the results of both tests. Hopefully this lesson will allow your students to perceive that tapping can be a very effective tool for helping to relieve anxiety as well as improve test scores.
We tap every week before speed tests, and the results continue to impress us. Two weeks ago, one boy volunteered to tap in front of our class because he had been hampered by worries during his previous test and as a result, had only achieved 63%. His stress level, he stated, was “more than ten”. He informed us that stress made him feel wiggly and squirmy. I added that I had noticed his legs moving a lot during last week’s test. So we tapped on those squirmy legs. Eventually, after tapping for a round or two, we reframed with, “What if I could transform all of that squirmy leg energy into my pencil….?”
Not only were his legs completely still while writing that test, but to his complete delight, he achieved 97%!
This week he was worried again but for a different reason. So we tapped on “Even though I did so well last week it will be almost impossible for me to get any better…I’ll probably just get worse….”
He was very proud to achieve his first 100% ever!
Before you know it you could be trying EFT on everything in your classroom, from math tests to bullying, to lice ( yes, we have even used EFT for lice.)
And if you feel hesitant or doubtful about whether tapping will be accepted by others in your workplace, listen to your heart and just try it. After all, as teachers, our intention is to give children all the tools and skills and encouragement that we possibly can to allow them to achieve their very best, unencumbered by worries, anxieties and fears. With EFT we not only allow our children to acknowledge, express, accept and release their negative feelings, we teach them to affirm that whatever they are feeling, whatever problems they are experiencing, they are still without a doubt, awesome kids.
Perhaps there is more value in teaching our students how to tap than there is in teaching them to answer 100 math questions in less than ten minutes…
(My apologies if you’ve already received this, I couldn’t figure out how to send it the first time)
Thank you for sharing your positive experiences of using EFT in the classroom. It is exciting to have a new way to help children deal with the many stresses childhood can bring.I can’t wait to try it in my own classroom.
I was wondering if you explain the process of EFT to parents before you use it with students.
I also wondered if you ever came across parents who were unwilling to have their children participate.
Thanks
Sylvia Bisbee
Thanks, Sylvia. I hope your students enjoy tapping!
In answer to your questions, I haven’t yet explained the process of EFT to parents before using it with my students. However I have had conversations with parents who are interested in learning more about EFT. Some of my students have told me that they have taught their parents how to tap on their own worries, such as driving and income taxes.
I am happy to say that I have never had a parent express concerns about tapping, but I leave it optional for my students to participate just in case the issue ever arises.