EFT Tapping: A Mind-Body Healing Approach
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping was developed in 1990 by Gary Craig as a mind-body approach that blends Eastern medicine techniques with traditional Western psychotherapy. In 1995, a standardized method was manualized, and since then, over 200 studies have explored the effectiveness of EFT.
How EFT Works
EFT is a form of psychological acupressure that restores balance to the body’s energy system. Rooted in Chinese medicine, meridian points are believed to be pathways through which energy flows. When energy becomes blocked or imbalanced, it can contribute to ‘dis-ease’ and other health challenges.
In 2018, the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease described EFT as:
| “Combining elements of cognitive restructuring and exposure techniques with acupoint stimulation.”
The core principle of EFT is that all emotions and thoughts are forms of energy. Whether positive or negative, these energetic patterns can manifest physically, impacting overall health and well-being.
By tuning into negative thought patterns, emotions, or troubling memories, EFT helps to disrupt these cycles. While tapping on specific pressure points and expressing thoughts and emotions, stuck energy is released and rebalanced, reducing physical tension and deepening the mind-body connection.
Scientific Evidence for EFT
Research has shown that EFT helps regulate the nervous system by switching off the fight-flight-freeze response and reducing stress hormones such as cortisol. Studies also support EFT’s effectiveness in managing:
✅ Depression
✅ Anxiety
✅ Trauma & PTSD
✅ Chronic pain & inflammation
✅ Food cravings
✅ Athletic performance
EFT Improves Health Markers
Research by Dr. Peta Stapleton (2019) found significant improvements in health markers:
📈 31% increase in happiness
📈 113% increase in immune function markers
📉 74% decrease in food cravings
📉 57% decrease in pain
📉 40% decrease in anxiety
📉 37% decrease in cortisol
📉 35% decrease in depression
📉 32% decrease in PTSD markers
📉 8% decrease in blood pressure
EFT and Cortisol Reduction
A 2020 randomized controlled trial by Dr. Peta Stapleton (Bond University, Australia) found that just one hour of EFT tapping reduced cortisol levels by up to 43%.
📖 Read the study
EFT vs CBT for Anxiety Reduction
A large 5.5-year study involving 5,000 patients examined the effectiveness of EFT Tapping compared to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
- One group received CBT (with medication if needed).
- The other group received EFT Tapping (without medication).
✅ 90% of EFT participants reported a reduction in anxiety symptoms, achieving results in an average of three sessions.
✅ 63% of CBT participants experienced a reduction in anxiety.
✅ One year later, 78% of the EFT group maintained their improvements, compared to 69% in the CBT group.
Further Learning
🎤 Check out this TEDx Talk from Clinical and Health Psychologist Dr. Peta Stapleton.
📚 Explore a regularly updated directory of EFT research.
Matrix Reimprinting: Transforming the Past to Heal the Present
Matrix Reimprinting is a healing modality built upon the foundations of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and further developed by Karl Dawson in the UK around 2010. This technique allows individuals to use EFT within specific problematic memories, helping them safely connect with and transform core beliefs into supportive ones that positively shape their lives. It has quickly gained global recognition due to its profound ability to facilitate deep healing and lasting change.
Understanding the ‘Matrix’ and ‘Reimprinting’
The word ‘matrix’ refers to the energy network that surrounds us all. Rooted in quantum physics, this concept suggests that everything in our material world—including ourselves—is interconnected on an energetic level. Because of this, past negative experiences are not just stored in our memories but also in our body’s energy field, where they continue to shape our subconscious patterns and responses.
The term ‘reimprinting’ comes from the psychological concept of ‘imprinting’, where a child absorbs an experience and stores it as a core belief. Most of our foundational beliefs are formed within the first seven years of life, and we unknowingly carry them into adulthood, influencing our behaviors, emotions, and relationships. These beliefs become deeply ingrained filters through which we view and react to life’s events—often without conscious awareness.
How Matrix Reimprinting Works
When we experience trauma, our fight/flight/freeze response is triggered, and a part of us splits off to contain the overwhelming emotions—allowing us to survive. However, that memory and its associated emotions remain active in our energy field.
Later in life, when something subconsciously triggers that unresolved memory, we may experience intense emotional reactions that seem out of proportion to the situation. In reality, we are reliving the emotions of our younger self—often without realizing it.
In Matrix Reimprinting, the younger self becomes the real client. We work directly with them to resolve the limiting belief that is playing out in our lives today.
Healing the Younger Self
Releasing distress from the younger self is just the beginning. We also examine the decisions and beliefs they formed in those moments of trauma—beliefs that often become perceptual filters, shaping how we view and interact with the world. These filters influence our behavior and emotional responses, leading to unhelpful patterns that may continue to show up in our lives. The younger we were at the time, the more illogical or limiting these beliefs tend to be.
Example:
A 4-year-old child is happily playing when their parents start arguing. In that moment, they might freeze and unconsciously decide:
❌ “It’s not safe to play or be happy because something bad will happen.”
Throughout life, these early beliefs can manifest as patterns such as:
- “I’m unlovable.”
- “The world is a dangerous place.”
- “People I love will abandon me.”
- “It’s not safe to relax.”
- “I must hide who I really am or I’ll be rejected.”
- “I have to be in control at all times.”
Releasing Trauma & Rewriting Core Beliefs
Matrix Reimprinting provides an elegant and effective solution for releasing trauma and rewiring the underlying belief system. It’s important to note that we are not denying past events—the original memory remains accessible, but the emotional distress attached to it is released.
By resourcing the younger self with the love and care they needed at the time, they are no longer trapped in a painful loop, reliving the same emotional distress over and over. Instead, new positive thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and beliefs are ‘reimprinted‘ through the body in a guided meditation-like process.
Why Matrix Reimprinting Works
All of our beliefs are stored in the subconscious mind, which controls 95% of our behaviors and decisions—far more powerful than our conscious mind. This is why willpower, positive thinking, and affirmations alone often fail to create lasting change.
Matrix Reimprinting acts as a bridge between the conscious and subconscious mind, helping people uncover and shift deeply rooted patterns. By replacing negative subconscious beliefs with empowering ones, we naturally begin to see ourselves and the world through a healthier, more positive lens.
Here is a list of negative core beliefs which are commonly found:
- I am not good enough
- I am not clever enough
- I am worthless
- I am useless
- I must be perfect
- People don’t respect me
- I don’t understand
- I am a disappointment
- I can’t let things go
- I am not in control
- I can’t have what I want
- I can’t accept things
- The world is a dangerous place
- I must sense danger
- Bad things happen to me
- It’s bad to say ‘no’ to people
- People take advantage of me
- I will always get hurt
- I am not loveable
If any of these beliefs resonate with you, there is likely a memory—or multiple memories—where you formed that belief, often due to an unpleasant experience.
This memory represents a younger version of yourself who is still reliving that event as if it’s happening in the present, along with the belief system(s) formed because of that event.
Fortunately, both EFT and Matrix Reimprinting can help release these limiting beliefs that hold you back, and transform your life.
By working through these core negative beliefs, you can begin to see the world—and your place in it—in a completely different light.
EFT Tapping: A Mind-Body Healing Approach
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping was developed in 1990 by Gary Craig as a mind-body approach that blends Eastern medicine techniques with traditional Western psychotherapy. In 1995, a standardized method was manualized, and since then, over 200 studies have explored the effectiveness of EFT.
How EFT Works
EFT is a form of psychological acupressure that restores balance to the body’s energy system. Rooted in Chinese medicine, meridian points are believed to be pathways through which energy flows. When energy becomes blocked or imbalanced, it can contribute to ‘dis-ease’ and other health challenges.
In 2018, the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease described EFT as:
| “Combining elements of cognitive restructuring and exposure techniques with acupoint stimulation.”
The core principle of EFT is that all emotions and thoughts are forms of energy. Whether positive or negative, these energetic patterns can manifest physically, impacting overall health and well-being.
By tuning into negative thought patterns, emotions, or troubling memories, EFT helps to disrupt these cycles. While tapping on specific pressure points and expressing thoughts and emotions, stuck energy is released and rebalanced, reducing physical tension and deepening the mind-body connection.
Scientific Evidence for EFT
Research has shown that EFT helps regulate the nervous system by switching off the fight-flight-freeze response and reducing stress hormones such as cortisol. Studies also support EFT’s effectiveness in managing:
✅ Depression
✅ Anxiety
✅ Trauma & PTSD
✅ Chronic pain & inflammation
✅ Food cravings
✅ Athletic performance
EFT Improves Health Markers
Research by Dr. Peta Stapleton (2019) found significant improvements in health markers:
📈 31% increase in happiness
📈 113% increase in immune function markers
📉 74% decrease in food cravings
📉 57% decrease in pain
📉 40% decrease in anxiety
📉 37% decrease in cortisol
📉 35% decrease in depression
📉 32% decrease in PTSD markers
📉 8% decrease in blood pressure
EFT and Cortisol Reduction
A 2020 randomized controlled trial by Dr. Peta Stapleton (Bond University, Australia) found that just one hour of EFT tapping reduced cortisol levels by up to 43%.
📖 Read the study
EFT vs CBT for Anxiety Reduction
A large 5.5-year study involving 5,000 patients examined the effectiveness of EFT Tapping compared to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
- One group received CBT (with medication if needed).
- The other group received EFT Tapping (without medication).
✅ 90% of EFT participants reported a reduction in anxiety symptoms, achieving results in an average of three sessions.
✅ 63% of CBT participants experienced a reduction in anxiety.
✅ One year later, 78% of the EFT group maintained their improvements, compared to 69% in the CBT group.
Further Learning
🎤 Check out this TEDx Talk from Clinical and Health Psychologist Dr. Peta Stapleton.
📚 Explore a regularly updated directory of EFT research.
Matrix Reimprinting: Transforming the Past to Heal the Present
Matrix Reimprinting is a healing modality built upon the foundations of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and further developed by Karl Dawson in the UK around 2010. This technique allows individuals to use EFT within specific problematic memories, helping them safely connect with and transform core beliefs into supportive ones that positively shape their lives. It has quickly gained global recognition due to its profound ability to facilitate deep healing and lasting change.
Understanding the ‘Matrix’ and ‘Reimprinting’
The word ‘matrix’ refers to the energy network that surrounds us all. Rooted in quantum physics, this concept suggests that everything in our material world—including ourselves—is interconnected on an energetic level. Because of this, past negative experiences are not just stored in our memories but also in our body’s energy field, where they continue to shape our subconscious patterns and responses.
The term ‘reimprinting’ comes from the psychological concept of ‘imprinting’, where a child absorbs an experience and stores it as a core belief. Most of our foundational beliefs are formed within the first seven years of life, and we unknowingly carry them into adulthood, influencing our behaviors, emotions, and relationships. These beliefs become deeply ingrained filters through which we view and react to life’s events—often without conscious awareness.
How Matrix Reimprinting Works
When we experience trauma, our fight/flight/freeze response is triggered, and a part of us splits off to contain the overwhelming emotions—allowing us to survive. However, that memory and its associated emotions remain active in our energy field.
Later in life, when something subconsciously triggers that unresolved memory, we may experience intense emotional reactions that seem out of proportion to the situation. In reality, we are reliving the emotions of our younger self—often without realizing it.
In Matrix Reimprinting, the younger self becomes the real client. We work directly with them to resolve the limiting belief that is playing out in our lives today.
Healing the Younger Self
Releasing distress from the younger self is just the beginning. We also examine the decisions and beliefs they formed in those moments of trauma—beliefs that often become perceptual filters, shaping how we view and interact with the world. These filters influence our behavior and emotional responses, leading to unhelpful patterns that may continue to show up in our lives. The younger we were at the time, the more illogical or limiting these beliefs tend to be.
Example:
A 4-year-old child is happily playing when their parents start arguing. In that moment, they might freeze and unconsciously decide:
❌ “It’s not safe to play or be happy because something bad will happen.”
Throughout life, these early beliefs can manifest as patterns such as:
- “I’m unlovable.”
- “The world is a dangerous place.”
- “People I love will abandon me.”
- “It’s not safe to relax.”
- “I must hide who I really am or I’ll be rejected.”
- “I have to be in control at all times.”
Releasing Trauma & Rewriting Core Beliefs
Matrix Reimprinting provides an elegant and effective solution for releasing trauma and rewiring the underlying belief system. It’s important to note that we are not denying past events—the original memory remains accessible, but the emotional distress attached to it is released.
By resourcing the younger self with the love and care they needed at the time, they are no longer trapped in a painful loop, reliving the same emotional distress over and over. Instead, new positive thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and beliefs are ‘reimprinted‘ through the body in a guided meditation-like process.
Why Matrix Reimprinting Works
All of our beliefs are stored in the subconscious mind, which controls 95% of our behaviors and decisions—far more powerful than our conscious mind. This is why willpower, positive thinking, and affirmations alone often fail to create lasting change.
Matrix Reimprinting acts as a bridge between the conscious and subconscious mind, helping people uncover and shift deeply rooted patterns. By replacing negative subconscious beliefs with empowering ones, we naturally begin to see ourselves and the world through a healthier, more positive lens.
Here is a list of negative core beliefs which are commonly found:
- I am not good enough
- I am not clever enough
- I am worthless
- I am useless
- I must be perfect
- People don’t respect me
- I don’t understand
- I am a disappointment
- I can’t let things go
- I am not in control
- I can’t have what I want
- I can’t accept things
- The world is a dangerous place
- I must sense danger
- Bad things happen to me
- It’s bad to say ‘no’ to people
- People take advantage of me
- I will always get hurt
- I am not loveable
If any of these beliefs resonate with you, there is likely a memory—or multiple memories—where you formed that belief, often due to an unpleasant experience.
This memory represents a younger version of yourself who is still reliving that event as if it’s happening in the present, along with the belief system(s) formed because of that event.
Fortunately, both EFT and Matrix Reimprinting can help release these limiting beliefs that hold you back, and transform your life.
By working through these core negative beliefs, you can begin to see the world—and your place in it—in a completely different light.
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Guiding Women from Overthinking to
Confidently Leading from the Heart
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where I gratefully work and live, the Wurundjeri People, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.