How Intention Tapping is Different to EFT Tapping
Many people think Intention Tapping / IEP is just EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques, created by Gary Craig) with a few intentions added. However, the entire approach as well as the philosophy behind Intention Tapping is very different to conventional EFT, and I’d like to share with you here some of those important differences.
First, while the points used in Intention Tapping may be the same as those used in EFT, the way we do tapping is different. The intentions we use are also very different to what many people think of as intentions. AND the ways we combine tapping with IEP’s intentions is crucial if you want to get the best results from the process.
EFT tends to be more mechanical, more structured, consciously driven, and focused on finding specific events to tap on in order to release them of their emotional charge. IEP, by comparison, is more unstructured and free flowing, more about following energy and emotion and restoring energy to flow and balance.
Not everyone will be attracted to IEP for this reason! Some prefer the structure and control of EFT. On the other hand, if you are willing to work directly with body energy in a more free flowing way you will love IEP.
To this end, one of the key differences is that in Intention Tapping we trust the unconscious mind to identify what to work on.
You do not have to identify all the specific events related to your issue then go on a search and destroy mission and work through them systematically like you do in EFT. AS IF you knew consciously everything that is contributing towards your problem or that created your problem anyway!
Instead, in Intention Tapping, you start with whatever you are aware of that is a problem, however you are aware of it, whether that be thoughts or feelings, emotions, or body sensations.
Then you start tapping (on any points in any order you like, without needing to do a set up process).
Then you use an Intention Statement directed at that problem, and simply notice and accept and follow what comes next, trusting the unconscious to deliver the next aspects to treat all along the way.
In EFT you have to be specific, and global targets are discouraged. In IEP global targets often work better!
For example, if you have a problem with your mother, in EFT you are supposed to find a specific event where you had a negative experience with your mother, create some words to describe that incident precisely, put that into a set up statement, repeat that three times while tapping on the side of hand point, then construct a reminder phrase and repeat that as you tap through the specific points.
So, for example, “This time when I was six years old and my mother came into my room and yelled at me for not putting away my toys.” might be the event. Then, your reminder phrase might be “This Mum yelled at me incident” as you tap through the EFT sequence.
In IEP by contrast you might simply start globally with “I release all my emotional attachments to my mother!” Then simply tap and notice what comes next, trusting that if there are specific aspects or events or body energy disturbances that need to be worked through they will arise. And they do!
In EFT if you switch to other events, you are not supposed to tap on them until you have completely finished with this event.
In IEP we follow wherever the energy and emotion, body sensations or thoughts take us next, and trust that whatever comes is the next aspect or target to work on.
And while we are talking about events, we are not concerned in IEP about events, we are more concerned about emotional attachments! That means any meanings or beliefs you emotionally attached to as a result of what happened to you, rather than the event itself. After all, that is what you take forward in your life and that is what is influencing you today.
In the example above let’s say you emotionally attached to the belief “I am unlovable.” You could do a lot of tapping on the event and yet never touch that belief.
And if you only know the event you could consciously come up with a bunch of possible beliefs to tap on and you might never identify the one you attached to. For this same event it could be “Mum doesn’t love me”, “I’m a messy person”, “Adults are mean” or any number of other possibilities.
Since we are following the strong emotion and energy with IEP we are likely to be led to that belief by the unconscious mind. It just comes up.
Regarding the intentions we use in Intention Tapping, they are NOT the same as affirmations which is what most people think of as intentions. In some ways IEP’s intentions are the OPPOSITE of affirmations.
With affirmations you are typically seeking to connect to something which is different to current reality, or to create a new emotional attachment where one doesn’t currently exist. IEP’s intentions are instead about releasing attachments and engaging with the world the way it is. That’s why they work as well as they do.
With affirmations you are often seeking to create an attachment to something when you have a pre-existing emotional attachment to something else, typically the opposite.
So for example you are saying “I am rich” when in reality you don’t have a dollar! Or you are saying “I love myself” when you don’t really like yourself at all!
In this way, you are trying to push against your existing energy, or what I like to call your prior commitments, things you have emotionally attached to. This is why affirmations don’t work for most people who use them.
In IEP instead we are not focused on creating new attachments, we are all about releasing attachments. We are not trying to create a new trance to put over the top of the old trance (“I am lovable” instead of “I am unlovable”), we are simply releasing attachments to the trances that are currently directing our life. That is real freedom.
If you have to create a new positive attachment that can be as much a prison as the old one. For example, if you program in the thought “I’m wonderful”, now you have to constantly work at being wonderful rather than ever being allowed to not have to be so wonderful. In IEP you are then free to be whatever you want, and there is nothing stopping you from manifesting all of your potentialities.
Finally, even though the tapping points and process of tapping used in IEP and the intentions we use could be outlined in just a few minutes, if you want to get excellent results in using it for yourself and others, you’ll need to learn more. There is so much you can do with this approach that I predict you will be pleasantly surprised at what is possible once you start to apply it to your issues, or use it with your clients if you are a coach or counsellor.
And that’s why I invite you (if you haven’t already) to join us in the next Intention Tapping Level 1 workshop.
It’s open to everyone who wants to learn this unique approach for rapid and effective self-growth. You’ll also learn the basics for helping others with IEP if you are a coach or counsellor. It’s online, so you can join from your own home from anywhere in the world and there are time options so you can choose one to suit your time zone.
If you know the basics, and want to help others with Intention Tapping, consider the Level 2 Practitioner Training.
The Level 2 training will give you a thorough grounding in the essential skills, principles and practices for using Intention Tapping to help others to make positive changes. It’s also the next step towards becoming certified as an IEP Practitioner.
You can also find out about all our current Intention Tapping programs and events here
I look forward to hopefully seeing you soon.
Warmly,
Steve Wells