I had talked to a Messianic Rabbi via internet who felt tapping is part of eastern religion, possibly Chinese. Anyway, he said this should be avoided for it would open doors to the enemy. Do you know where the roots of tapping began?
My own feeling is that the roots of tapping and EFT go back to earliest human existence. All of us naturally use our hands to self-soothe our pain. If we have a headache, we often hold and rub our head in places that correspond to the tapping points. When we are straining with a difficult problem, we often rub our chin. When we have a shock, we often instinctly reach for the area at the base of the throat as we gasp.
It appears to me that these are natural actions. They are instinctive and can be seen in children and across all cultures. What EFT has done is take these points and made the approach more systematic.
Of course, some cultures have been better observers of the human energy system then others. While western physicians dissect the body and study gross anatomy, biology, and biochemistry, a traditional Chinese medical doctor would spend far more time studying ancient texts that describe the flow of life energy and listening to the body with his fingertips. The Chinese thousands of years ago mapped out hundreds of acupoints along lines of energy and developed acupuncture using needles and acupressure using fingers as elegant ways to positively affect the energy system and restore optimal health. But this isn’t a religion. It is their form of medical treatment for whatever ails a person.
EFT is not acupuncture, either! Sure, it does use some of the same acupoints. But so does my daughter when she hugs herself and holds her under-the-arm points for comfort. She has no idea the under-the-arm points correspond to the spleen meridian in Chinese medicine, nor does she need to know that. And you don’t need to know it either. I have used EFT with hundreds of clients, and I had to look it up!
While there are some EFT practitioners that have a foundation that borrows more heavily from the Chinese, and some may even be practicing Buddhists or Taoists or Hindus, EFT itself has as its goal inner peace and a deeper connection with your spiritual source of well-being. I see no conflict here with the use of comfort points that are also acupoints, just as many different faiths clasp their hands together in prayer, too, while maintaining the integrity of their own spiritual traditions.
Very neatly explained and good to know EFT can be embraced safely by all.