“Why do we tap on the side of the hand?”

This question is asked often and although I explain why during my workshops, I thought I would explain it in a little more detail.

The side of the hand is the place in EFT that we tap for what is called Psychological Reversal. A term first introduced by Roger Callahan. When EFT “doesn’t work,” it is often a sign that there is a paralyzing conflict held deep within.

The direct answer to the question is about the energy meridian at the side of the hand, the Karate Chop point in EFT, which is the small intestine meridian. Each energy meridian is part of a network that is related to a body organ or function, and each one embodies a way of thinking, a story about what is happening inside us, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, our way of responding to life.

When the energy is flowing freely, the small intestine meridian’s essential purpose is to support our choices about what information to incorporate when we are feeling divided, or pulled in more than one direction. This makes sense when we think of what the small intestine does physiologically. Its job in digestion is to separate what is most useful in the food from what will become waste.

The small intestine meridian is paired with the Heart. According to Chinese medicine, the Heart holds the Spirit, the totality of the person’s life force as it expresses through the personality. So the function of the Heart network is to propel the blood, enfold the Spirit, and maintain awareness.

The small intestine protects the Heart by filtering out negative input, both from food waste and effects of damaging energies like shocking surprise, deep sorrow, or even overwhelming joy. When we are under a lot of stress, the Heart is disturbed and our thinking becomes confused, and we become exhausted, breathless and anxious.

The Heart meridian is the most important meridian for healing thought, feeling and personality. A balanced Heart energy is joyful, radiant, out going, loving, generous, optimistic, and giving. When it is unbalanced it is careless, forgetful, distracted, restless, maybe unrealistically idealistic. Often when I ask someone my favorite question, “Where do you feel that emotion in your body?” they will say something like “a heaviness in my chest,” my heart hurts”, “my heart feels tight and constricted.”

So think about what we are doing when we tap on the side of the hand in EFT. In thought and action, in intention and in energy, we are saying to ourselves inside:

Even though I have this stressful problem that is upsetting me, I love and accept myself and how I feel anyway!

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