We developed SET as a simplified version of EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques) when we discovered:
1. The tapping itself is the main thing that produces the results.
Just tapping on the energy points itself can produce beneficial results in how you feel and in your physical state, so start tapping (right now if possible, as you are reading this!) and don't worry too much about what to say or what to focus on. Just tap!
2. The set-up statement and reminder statements which are used in EFT tapping aren't necessary to get results.
Having to construct set-up statements for tapping caused many people to worry if they were doing it right, and to get hung up on coming up with "the right words". This can be difficult when your problem is feelings, body sensations, images, or memories that are hard to put into words.
Instead of having to construct words for your problem, we suggest you just tap and focus on whatever you are aware of, whether that be body sensations, images, emotions, thoughts, memories, and so on. Then just follow what comes next, and keep tapping continuously as you move between the different parts and pieces of your problem. As you do, you may shift between a range of different feelings, thoughts and body sensations. Just keep tapping continually on the points and follow what comes up.
This is a seamless and efficient way of using the tapping. We like to call it acceptance tapping because you simply accept and allow whatever is there to be there, add tapping to its presence, and follow wherever it goes. If you do enough of it you will almost always end up in a better place. And if you don't, that may be a sign that you need to seek the assistance of an expert, or professional therapist.
Another thing about set-up statements is they often trigger resistance when people have to say they accept themselves when they really don't! And saying you accept yourself is very different to feeling it as true.
One thing set-up statements are good for is provoking many people's LACK of self-acceptance, actually! That IS a big issue, and one I don't have time to go into here, however if you want to work on your own lack of self-acceptance, I recommend you follow the process I used some years ago which I found to be absolutely life-changing. You can read about it in this article
In the meantime, know that it isn't necessary to say you accept yourself in order to tap and get relief on any issues and problems that are bugging you right now. Simply notice you have a problem and add tapping to your thoughts and reactions around the problem, and follow where that leads.
3. In general, the more tapping you do, the better your results.
We recommend a process we call "continual tapping". Dr Lake discovered the power of this continual tapping process when working with clients with traumatic stress and PTSD. Back then he was doing rounds of tapping and stopping in-between to check in with the client. As he became more efficient he noticed that those who did more tapping achieved better results. Then he had the thought "Why stop?" From that time he, and soon after I, started having our clients tap the whole time.
Now when we work with clients and run workshops we have our clients and participants tap the entire time (and we do too!). Routinely, we see that those who tap more get better results.
When you tap at home we recommend you simply start tapping on the points and continue tapping until you are done. The extra tapping truly pays dividends.
4. The order you tap makes little difference to results.
If you tap on a number of points in whatever tapping sequence you use, the order you tap in makes little difference to the results you get. While it does help to tap on a number of points (at least 3-5 different points) it isn't necessary to do this in a specific order, or even to tap for a set number of times on each point.
It's often more important to just keep tapping and get enough tapping done, period. Sure, you may notice that you are drawn to certain points, or sometimes when tapping on a certain point you may notice a big shift occurring, and if you do we suggest lingering on that point or tapping on it more, however in general even tapping on a random sequence of points will still get results.
5. You can tap directly or indirectly. Both ways have their place.
You may have heard that it is essential to be specific when tapping. Well when you are doing direct tapping work, which is where you focus on a specific problem and work on all the different aspects and parts of that problem, this can be helpful. However, for self-help we have found that it can help a lot even if you simply tap without worrying about having to be your own therapist, or discovering your "core issues", as the tapping itself is beneficial, and many times tapping indirectly over time can significantly interrupt (improve) the expression of your problem.
6. If you tap daily you can create beneficial shifts in your life
We discovered in working with clients and ourselves and our families that a process of daily tapping on the points can, over a period of as little as a few days, or a couple of weeks, often lead to significant improvements in your overall wellbeing, a reduction in your stress response, and a positive shift in life optimism which can carry over into your decisions and behaviours. We now call this "energy toning" or "emotional fitness".
This daily tapping does not have to be specific and focused on your problem, so you can do it anywhere, even while watching TV. Of course, if you can fit specific tapping sessions into your day and want to focus on particular problems you can do that too. You can also tap for first aid whenever you are feeling anxious or upset. However it isn't necessary to feel bad when you tap, this is about getting enough tapping in your system to reduce your overall stress and reactivity and improve the flow of good energy in your system.
We recommend initially you aim for up to an hour of tapping a day for two weeks to try this out and see what difference you can make. Most people are surprised what this regular daily tapping can do for them, and start noticing many things that used to trigger them don't have the same effects.
Give it a try, I predict you'll be pleasantly surprised you did. You can tap as you walk, as you go about your daily tasks, while watching TV, and so on. You can easily accumulate up to an hour a day if you do 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, and link tapping to various routines in your day.
7. Use fingertip tapping for discreet tapping in public
The original version of EFT Tapping included some points on the finger and hand as well as the upper body points. When EFT Creator Gary Craig noticed many people had already started to shift after tapping on the first 7 upper body points he eliminated the finger points from the process and created the current "shortcut" method most people know of as EFT tapping.
However, this doesn't mean the finger points don't work! They do, every bit as much as any other points. And the good thing about these points is that you can tap on them discreetly out in public, which is not as easy with the upper body tapping points.
We teach people to tap on the finger points of the same hand using the thumb of the same hand as the tapper. This is a very portable form of tapping that can be done very discreetly in public. You can be sitting in the board room at work about to deliver a presentation to the board and tapping away on the finger points under the table without anyone knowing a thing. And as you do, you are self-soothing and reducing the anxiety messages in your brain and body.
8. "Grafting" the tapping to your problem can create surprising shifts.
What we mean here is simply adding tapping to when and where your problem occurs. This can be beneficial whether or not you know which specific aspects of the situation are triggering you (however if you do notice this it can help to tap specifically on those aspects later, in a neutral place).
Here's a powerful article which shows how Dr David Lake used this process to get results on even very severe emotional issues:
9. You can use tapping to fix problems but the real power is using it to achieve goals and manifest new futures.
Many people approach tapping without realising what they can really achieve with it, and only use a small part of its potential. I say when using tapping we should go for complete freedom and also move beyond just using it remedially to fix problems, to use it to expand our life experiences.
Here is an article where I describe this in more detail:
10. There's so much more!
There's a lot more I could say and heaps more information on SET on our website and our blog. Here are the best places to start if you want to find out more:
Read our special report on SET here
View this series of 5 short videos where I demonstrate SET and show you how to use it to improve your life: