The 2 Types of EFT Tapping You Must Know for Anxiety & Stress Relief
Why Do Your Symptoms Keep Coming Back?
Why do the symptoms keep coming back?
The anxiety, the headaches, the stress, the fatigue, the persistent pain, or the high blood pressure.
Why does it feel like no matter how much EFT tapping you do, or how often you practice breathwork, exercise, or even attend therapy, the symptoms still return?
It might feel like EFT tapping just helps to manage the symptoms temporarily—calming things down for a day or two—only for them to flare up again later.
In this post (and video option below), I’ll explain why this happens, especially in the context of EFT tapping.
Two Types of EFT Tapping
There are two primary approaches to EFT tapping, and understanding the difference can make a huge impact on your results.
1. Emergency or Urgent EFT
This is the most commonly practiced form of EFT tapping.
When you're triggered—feeling anxious, experiencing pain, or overwhelmed—you use tapping to calm your system. The symptoms flare up, you feel agitated or unstable, and you tap, tap, tap until you return to a more balanced state.
This method works effectively in the moment, like applying a bandage to a fresh wound. It brings you back to baseline, helping you feel calmer and more grounded. But after a few days, or even just a few hours, something triggers you again, and the cycle repeats.
This cycle happens because urgent EFT only addresses the surface symptoms, not the underlying emotional triggers that cause these symptoms to appear.
2. Calm EFT (Deep Therapeutic EFT)
Calm EFT takes a different approach.
Rather than waiting until you're triggered, you practice tapping when you're in a relatively stable, calm state.
This allows you to work on the deeper, unresolved emotions, traumas, and memories stored in your brain and nervous system.
These unprocessed emotions—like old grief, sadness, fear, or anger—tend to linger in the body until they're properly addressed. Calm EFT gives you the opportunity to gently access these memories, process them, and release the stored emotional energy. As a result, your nervous system becomes less reactive, and you experience fewer symptoms overall.
Why Calm EFT Is More Effective Long-Term
The reason symptoms often persist is that many people only use urgent EFT to manage flare-ups.
While this approach can provide temporary relief, it doesn't address the root causes of the symptoms.
Calm EFT, on the other hand, helps to rewire your brain and nervous system by processing and releasing the stored emotional content that drives your symptoms. Over time, this reduces the intensity and frequency of triggers, providing more lasting relief.
How to Practice Calm EFT Effectively
Practising Calm EFT requires a bit more knowledge and skill than urgent EFT because it involves navigating sensitive memories and emotions. Here’s what you can do:
Get Training: Learn the techniques and strategies needed to safely and effectively access deeper emotional layers.
Work with a Practitioner: An experienced EFT practitioner can guide you through the process and help you address emotions you may not even be aware of.
Practice Regularly: Set aside time when you feel calm to work on memories or emotions that you sense might still have emotional weight.
If you want to learn more about calm EFT and how long to tap for to get better results, click here to visit another blog post called “How Long Do I Tap For?”
The Long-Term Solution
After working with hundreds of people—and from my own personal experience—I've found that calm EFT is the key to long-term results. It stops you from constantly "putting out fires" and allows you to move beyond recurring symptoms.
With consistent practice, you’ll notice fewer triggers, greater emotional resilience, and the ability to engage with life from a more grounded and peaceful place.
If you want to learn more about calm EFT and how long to tap for to get better results, click here to visit another post called “How Long Do I Tap For?”
Ready to Go Deeper?
If you're interested in learning how to apply Calm EFT for deeper, long-term healing, consider joining my EFT Practitioner Level Training. This training runs a few times each year. www.michaelhetherington.com/efttraining
I hope this explanation helps clarify why your symptoms might be coming back—and how you can break free from the cycle with EFT Tapping.
If you prefer to watch the video version, click on the video below.
Thank you!
Blessings,
Michael Hetherington
