The EFT Constricted Breathing Technique

A Simple Tapping Technique Yet Surprisingly Effective

Now that you have learned The EFT Tapping Basic Recipe, you may already have a plan for addressing your issue. However, this simple tool can be useful no matter what issue you’re trying to resolve.

In general, stress and negative emotions can affect the quality of our breath, and although we often overlook the changes in our breath and how our emotional state can influence it, it’s easy to see as soon as we draw attention to it. By using The EFT Tapping Basic Recipe to focus on any constriction in the breath, we are indirectly targeting the underlying emotional issue(s) and the results are often clear as the breathing becomes more open and free.
This useful technique has the following advantages...

Make progress with issues you can’t articulate:

Aiming EFT at the constricted breath will usually peel layers of intensity away from the overall issue and allow you to recall Specific Events or find more clarity about the issue.

Take the edge off a highly intense issue:

Using EFT on a physical symptom is a gentler approach because we aren’t directly focused on the intense details of the underlying event.

As a relaxation tool:

You can use this tapping tool any time you feel stressed, and with a couple of rounds you should be able to breathe easier.

Help tapping newcomers or skeptics experience noticeable results:

Professionals can use this tool as a demonstration for new clients so they can see a quick result and they will often be eager to learn more.

This is how you do it....

• Inhale 2 or 3 maximum deep breaths. Take your time and don't hyperventilate. This step will stretch out your lungs so that any EFT improvement in your breathing cannot be attributed to a normal "stretching effect" of your lungs.
• Once you have stretched your lungs as far as they will go then take another deep breath. This time assess the deepness of your breath on a 0-10 scale where 10 is your estimate of your maximum capacity. Numbers typically vary from 3 to 9 on this. The occasional person who rates their breath at a 10 (they are usually wrong) may find that, after EFT, they will go to a 12 or 15.
• Then do several rounds of The EFT Tapping Basic Recipe with Setup phrases such as "Even though I have constricted breathing...", "Even though I can only fill my lungs to an 8..." and so on. In between each round, take another deep breath and assess the 0-10 deepness. In the majority of cases it will keep improving.
• If you are trying to find more clarity or specifics on your issue, you can ask yourself questions such as: "What does my constricted breath remind me of?", "When in my past did I feel constricted or smothered?", "If there was an emotional reason for my constricted breath, what might it be?" Often, you will hear a big clue as to an important emotional issue, and often those clues will show up after you do a round or two on the breath.

To bring this idea to life here is a video wherein I apply this tapping concept to a live audience.  Notice how many have noticeable improvements in their breathing and/or have other positive side effects such as better eyesight.  Because I was dealing with a large group, I didn't spend much time exploring the effects on individual emotional issues.  However, considering questions such as those contained in the last bullet point above will often lead you straight to these important topics.
 

THE EFT CONSTRICTED BREATHING TECHNIQUE - WATCH VIDEO

 
If the constriction in your breath comes back sooner than you expect, you may have a new underlying issue coming to the surface. You will learn more about this concept in Part 2 when we discuss Aspects.
Also remember that this is an indirect route to the underlying issues, and may be temporary until you learn how to target those issues directly.

REVIEW:

In this article, you learned The EFT Constricted Breathing Technique.

• It is a great tool to get started using EFT for yourself.
• Doing a few rounds on constriction in your breath is an easy way to apply The EFT Tapping Basic Recipe for instant stress relief and to get started with bigger issues.
• A demo video was provided for additional instruction and a tap-along experience.