A common question among EFT enthusiasts is, "How many times a day can you tap?" The short answer is as many times as you want – you're not going to hurt yourself in most cases.
However, there's a bit more to it. While frequent tapping isn't harmful, your body can only process so many changes at once. Remember, every time you tap, your body is going through an entire energetic reset. All of the systems are connected, so a change to one memory or issue will affect the entire system.
To avoid overwhelm, it's best to limit your tapping to less than an hour to an hour and a half a day.
Consistency Over Time: Incorporate EFT into your daily routine. Try tapping for 15-20 minutes before bed or first thing in the morning.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how you feel. If you start to feel overwhelmed, desensitized, or just plain tired, it's time to take a break. Feeling exhausted or unmotivated are signs that you've had enough for the day.
And if you feel a need to sleep, and you have the opportunity to do so, take the opportunity. It gives your body a calm, easy environment in which to make the changes that are happening in your energy system.
Remember, EFT tapping is about gradual, consistent progress. There's always tomorrow, so don't hesitate to stop when you need to.
One thing to consider when deciding how many times a day you can tap is the consideration of retraumatization.
Retraumatization is what happens when you are incorrectly addressing very painful or complicated issues.
While it is not uncommon, or even problematic, to feel emotional while experiencing a tapping session, it is a problem when you begin to experience retraumatization.
Retraumatization is when the symptoms and the associated emotions begin to accelerate, rather than decelerate, during a tapping session. While a good cry can come with tremendous relief, that is very different from having your emotions surface and overwhelm you. You may begin to "break down" or cry uncontrollably.
This can send the emotions deep into the body, making it more difficult to clear them later and is the opposite of what we are working toward with EFT Tapping.
If you are working on yourself and begin to experience retraumatization, STOP immediately. Distract yourself and tap just enough to calm yourself. In essence, take yourself out of the memory and the associated emotions that come with it.
Then seek the help of a professional EFT practitioner who is going to know how to use advanced techniques to help you easily and painlessly eliminate the associated emotions and memories.
When asking the question, "how many times a day can you tap?", the answer is not a one-size fits all answer. It depends greatly on the issues at hand, your level of skill, and the reactions your body is having.
The key is to pay attention to your body, allow yourself to rest, tap consistently but not extensively, while remembering to work with a professional EFT practitioner when necessary to avoid retraumatization.
