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EFT for Anxiety: A Natural Way to Find Calm and Emotional Balance.

Nancy Williams-Foley • 8 January 2025

EFT for Anxiety: A Natural Way to Find Calm and Emotional Balance

Anxiety can feel overwhelming and all-encompassing, affecting your thoughts, emotions, and even your body. While there are many tools to manage anxiety, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also known as tapping, offer a unique and natural approach to finding relief.

EFT combines the principles of acupressure and cognitive therapy to address the emotional and physical symptoms of anxiety. In this blog, we’ll explore how EFT works, the science behind it, and how it can help you regain control and calm.

What is EFT and How Does It Work?

EFT involves tapping on specific points on the body—commonly referred to as acupressure points—while focusing on the emotions or thoughts contributing to your anxiety. This combination helps to regulate the nervous system and reduce the intensity of negative feelings.

Acupressure Points: The points tapped during EFT correspond to traditional acupuncture points, stimulating the body’s energy flow.
Focused Awareness: While tapping, you focus on the problem you want to address and repeat affirming statements, such as “Even though I feel anxious, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

This dual action of tapping and affirming helps interrupt the body’s stress response and promotes a sense of calm.

The Science Behind EFT and Anxiety Relief

Studies have shown that EFT can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety. Research indicates that tapping helps lower cortisol levels, the hormone responsible for the body’s fight-or-flight response. By calming the nervous system, EFT creates a more balanced state in both the body and mind.

In a 2019 study, participants who used EFT experienced a significant decrease in anxiety levels compared to those who received traditional talk therapy alone. This suggests that EFT can be a powerful complement to other therapeutic methods.

How EFT Supports Emotional Wellbeing

EFT is particularly effective for anxiety because it addresses both the emotional and physical components of the condition. Key benefits include:

Releasing Emotional Blocks: Tapping helps to clear the emotional triggers and patterns fueling anxiety, creating space for clarity and calm.
Calming Physical Symptoms: EFT reduces physical sensations of anxiety, such as a racing heart or tight chest, by signaling the body to relax.
Empowering Self-Help: Once you learn EFT, it becomes a tool you can use anywhere, giving you a sense of control over your emotional state.

What Happens in an EFT Session?

During an EFT session, your practitioner will guide you through:

Identifying the Issue: You’ll focus on a specific anxiety-provoking thought or feeling.
Rating the Intensity: You’ll rate the intensity of the emotion on a scale of 0 to 10 to track progress.
Tapping Sequence: Your practitioner will lead you through tapping on points like the side of the hand, under the eyes, and collarbone while repeating affirming phrases.
Reassessment: You’ll reassess the intensity of the emotion and continue tapping until the anxiety feels significantly reduced.

This process is gentle, client-led, and designed to ensure you feel safe and supported throughout.

Who Can Benefit from EFT for Anxiety?

EFT is effective for a wide range of anxiety-related issues, including:

Generalized anxiety
Social anxiety
Fear of public speaking
Worries about the future
Panic attacks

Whether you experience mild anxiety or more severe symptoms, EFT can be tailored to meet your needs.

Why Choose EFT for Anxiety Relief?

One of the greatest benefits of EFT is its accessibility. It’s a simple technique you can learn and use in your daily life, empowering you to manage anxiety whenever it arises. Unlike medication, EFT has no side effects, making it an appealing option for those seeking a natural approach.

By integrating EFT into your wellness routine, you can create a powerful tool for emotional regulation and self-care.

Finding Calm, One Tap at a Time

Anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. EFT offers a natural, effective way to release the grip of anxious thoughts and find calm in the moment. By addressing both the emotional and physical aspects of anxiety, EFT provides lasting relief and empowers you to face challenges with greater ease.

If you’re curious about how EFT can support your anxiety journey, reach out to learn more. Together, we can explore how this transformative technique can help you reclaim your calm and confidence.

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The Power of Clear Communication - with Others, and with Yourself

by Nancy Williams-Foley • 29 March 2025

Maybe you hold things in until they come out all at once. Maybe you soften your words to keep the peace and then feel invisible afterward. Or maybe you’ve been misunderstood so many times that saying nothing feels safer than speaking up. I want you to know - this can change. And it doesn't start with finding the perfect words for other people. It starts with how you speak to yourself. The Words You Use with Yourself Matter If the voice in your mind is often critical, doubting, or dismissive, it’s no wonder communication feels hard. When we constantly question ourselves internally, it’s difficult to express ourselves clearly on the outside. But the beautiful thing is - this is something you can gently reshape. Just like any other habit, communication - both outward and inward - is something we learn. And with practice, we can unlearn patterns that no longer serve us and replace them with ways of speaking and listening that feel kinder, more honest, and more grounded. What Happens When Communication Becomes Clearer When you begin to communicate with more clarity and honesty, something shifts. You feel more heard. More understood. And most importantly, more connected to yourself. Some of the things that often follow are: 🌿 Stronger relationships – Misunderstandings reduce, needs are expressed more openly, and connection deepens. 🌿 Emotional release – The pressure of holding everything in softens. 🌿 Greater self-trust – You start to feel more confident in your voice. 🌿 Inner calm – Your inner dialogue becomes gentler, less chaotic, and more supportive. Of course, we all have moments where communication doesn’t come easily. But when that becomes the norm, when you’re walking away from conversations feeling unheard, silencing yourself to avoid conflict, or replaying what you said over and over - it may be time to look at how you're speaking to yourself too. The Link Between Self-Talk and Speaking Up So often, the way we communicate with others mirrors how we communicate internally. If you’ve spent years: – Dismissing your feelings – Doubting your instincts – Silencing what you really want to say …it’s understandable that it feels hard to be open and clear with others. But here’s the truth: Your voice is not too much. Your feelings are not a burden. You deserve to take up space in conversations - both out loud and in your own mind. A Story of Change: Letting the Inner Voice Soften Let me tell you about someone I worked with - we’ll call her Sarah. Sarah grew up in a household where emotions weren’t openly discussed. She learned to keep quiet, to guess what others were feeling, and to avoid conflict at all costs. In her adult life, that turned into people-pleasing. She’d often say yes when she meant no, and when she did speak up, her inner critic would punish her for it. We started with her internal dialogue. She began noticing just how often she was talking herself down, second-guessing everything she felt. And together, we gently rewrote the script. Instead of: “I’m being dramatic,” she began to say: “ My feelings are valid.” Instead of: “I t’s easier to stay quiet,” she began to believe: “ My needs are allowed to matter.” Over time, this shift inside began to ripple outward. Sarah started setting soft boundaries, asking for what she needed, and speaking more honestly in her relationships. And the result? She began to feel seen. One day, she shared a story about finally telling a close friend how something had been making her feel. Her voice shook, but she stayed with it. And her friend really listened. That moment was a turning point. Not because the conversation was perfect, but because it was true . You Can Get There Too If communication feels tangled - if you find yourself walking away from conversations feeling unheard, or if your own mind feels like the loudest critic—I want to gently remind you: It doesn’t have to stay this way. You can learn to: 💛 Speak to yourself with kindness 💛 Pause and respond with clarity 💛 Honour your needs without guilt 💛 Trust your voice - because it matters If you're ready to change how you speak to others and how you speak to yourself, I'm here to support you. Whether it's through therapy, EFT, or simply creating space for self-awareness, this kind of healing is absolutely possible. 📍 Based in George Street, Edinburgh 💌 Book a consultation here if you’re ready to explore a gentler, clearer way to communicate, inside and out. You don’t need perfect words. You just need honesty, self-trust, and a little compassion. Your voice is worth hearing. Let’s help you use it.