Mindful Tapping Series: Being the Space

The best thing about EFT for me, is how creatively it can be used and the variety of other wellbeing practices it can be combined with. It’s like salt, you can put it in almost any dish you make, and make it tasty. I have combined EFT with practices like parts work, journaling, movement, somatic practices, and mindfulness with much benefit.

One of the Mindful Tapping practices I’ve created for myself and writing this article about is a practice I’ve named “Being the Space”. When we are lost in trains of thoughts, feelings, and sensations, it is quite easy to lose our ground and feel unanchored.

Think about it, how many times have you gotten lost in thoughts and feelings, and eventually found yourself in sensations of anxiety and panic?

Mindful tapping is a way of being in touch with yourself and noticing what’s happening, rather than lose touch with yourself and get lost in what’s happening. “Being the Space” is a practice of noticing thoughts as thoughts, feelings as feelings, and sensations as sensations.

An analogy for "being the space"

When a spoonful of salt is mixed in a glass of water, it can be distasteful. The same spoonful of salt when mixed in a larger body of water like an ocean, is tolerable and maybe even enjoyable because it adds to the richness of the ocean.

"Being the Space” is akin to becoming bigger than the glass, more like the ocean, to make space for the discomforts of life, so that they are tolerable and there is more space for things we appreciate. We’re essentially tapping to be the space in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations arise, instead of being the thoughts, feelings, and sensations – which is an essential part of mindfulness.

How to practice “Mindful Tapping: Being the Space”

Step 1: Identify and label the subject you want to tap on – a thought, feeling, sensation, urge, energy, or something you are noticing in the present moment, for example, "ET I am noticing this thought 'This article has to be perfect…'"

Step 2: Give it a SUDS rating. For me, SUDS for this thought is 6.

Step 3: Choose an acceptance phrase that works for you and acknowledges the subject of tapping. Here are some ideas:

I acknowledge that this is just a sensation.
I’m noticing this urge.
I am noticing that something in me is having this feeling.
I am bigger/more spacious than this thought.

I have used "ET I am noticing this thought of 'This article has to be perfect', I am noticing it and I am bigger than this thought."

Step 4: Tap on the standard tapping points using this set-up at a slow and comfortable pace. On the reminder points, use the language “I am noticing this …” for example, "I am noticing this thought of 'This article has to be perfect'".

Step 5: Rate the SUDS again after the round is over. SUDS for my thought after one round decreased to 4.

Step 6: Repeat as many times as necessary on the same and/or other subjects until the SUDS goes down for most/all of them.

Being flexible and creative with the practice

The most important part of this practice is that it works for YOU! Be flexible and creative with this practice and tailor it to your own needs at the moment. You can even use the acceptance phrases alone as affirmations in between rounds, or at the end of the practice.

Impact of this practice: Decreased Stress, Increased Presence

Mindfulness is an intended way of life for me, but there are days when I find practicing its traditional forms boring or challenging. Mindful tapping is an engaging form of mindfulness that helps me maintain my continuity in practice. It tunes me up and gets me into my rhythm before I start the day.

“Being the Space” is a practice I appreciate because it creates distance between my thoughts and me. It does the same with feelings, sensations, urges, and energies. Over time, I found it to be a reliable practice to fall back on to become more present and relieve me of my anxiety.

I have experienced the impact of this practice firsthand, leading to decreased levels of stress, anxiety, and tension headaches; and increased levels of presence, calm, and peace. It helped me withdraw energy from thoughts and feelings that can consume me, and channel it into what is truly important and valuable.

I would love to hear your experience with this practice in the comments below, once you’ve witnessed the impact of it within yourself.

Ooha Maruri is an EFT International Accredited Certified EFT Practitioner.

Photo by Yoann Boyer on Unsplash