that foot columnistI cast a sceptical, often irreverent eye over the world around me. I tend to be someone who challenges everything, not for the sake of it, but because I get suspicious when a whole group of people think the same thing. I have often been labeled a “contrary.” I once hosted a podcast series called A Cryptocurrency Skeptics' Guide. I have the word “snark” on my resume on X. You get the idea.
So you might be surprised to hear some of the things I do during my free time. I use the word “synchronicity” without any sense of irony. I swear to you Definitely psychological The world of movement. I'm a member of a group called the Sisters of the Healthy Cloth (both the description and our name are a little ironic, though the latter more so than the former). I've become obsessed with an app claiming to use Nasa data to give you “super-accurate” AI-generated horoscopes, ahem. (It was recommended by a senior colleague of mine. I won't mention names.) I write morning pages, as espoused by Julia Cameron, author of The Creativity Bible. Artist's way. I, you know, “do the work.”
But how could someone so wary of consensus views, and so passionate about the importance of truth and objectivity, get involved in what many of you would consider sorcery? I think it's very simple: I have an open mind. While I believe in the value of reason and empiricism, I also claim that it actually is sane To explore alternative approaches to science, medicine and life.
Thus I find myself standing under a chandelier in a lavish Edwardian suite at the Savoy Hotel, using my fingertips to gently tap my “eyebrow points” as silent tears stream down my cheeks. “I feel like I'm on a never-ending hamster wheel of dates,” I repeat after my teacher as I press on (we've already discussed how I feel; she's not just guessing). “I'm tired” – I move my fingertips down to tap just the side of my eye. “Eurgh” – under my eyes. “Bleurgh” – under my nose. “A lot of dates” – under my lower lip. “So many dates!” – Clavicle. “But I'm willing to stay open to love” – off the top of my head. “And I trust my intuition more and more every day” – I return to my eyebrow points. etc.
a former Warner Brothers executive who quit the world of entertainment TV in 2018 to dedicate herself full-time to tapping, a mainly self-administered form of therapy that combines modern psychology and ancient Chinese medicine. I met her a few months ago, after I decided it was time to meet the love of my life. I went into a “taster session” feeling somewhat suspicious, spent most of our hours together in a state of deep cathartic tears (she had that effect on me in all of our one-on-one sessions), and left feeling as if that were the case. If I were floating in the air.
I now click every day. I'm addicted to taboo. Guided by Delbridge's Rapid Tapping app as well as her book, Tapping inI've clicked on park benches, in saunas, on a Greek island, in the bathroom. She has completed the 'Pivot into Power' personal empowerment program (fellow graduates include British Fashion Council chief executive Caroline Rush and Al-Ruwaili family Contributing writer Phil Mele). I was on one of her “speed retreats” (our group of five included Delevingne's sister and a superfan who flew in from the Caribbean). And now I'm doing the 30-Day Love Cleanse, which, like all of Delbridge's programs, involves not only tapping, but also some intense soul-searching and personal development work.
How to do a two-minute tap
Poppy Delbridge's Guide to 'Flicking'
Never
He sits Or stand comfortably.
hiring Your intention: Decide how you want to feel right now (calm, energized, focused).
Checks Your frequency level: Place both hands on your chest and notice how you currently feel. Rate yourself from +10 (high joy) to -10 (low energy or stress).
takes Breathe.
It moves Your hands: Move them a few inches down from your collarbones and massage the “sore spots” vigorously to balance and ground.
hiring Your intention:
1. “I feel…” Identify your current feelings.
2. “because … “ Admit why you feel this way.
3. “But it is possible for me to…”
Quick tapping sequence
Use With two fingers on each hand, press these points as you repeat your three-step answers.
1. Between the eyebrows
2. The sides of the eyes
3. Under the eyes
4. Under the nose
5. Chin
6. The clavicle and heart area
7. Top of the head
He finishes With a head hug and shake: Rub your hands together, then place one hand on your forehead, the other on the back of your head, and hold for 10 seconds. Hold and smile. Then shake your hands and body to recalibrate and refresh.
The 7-day quick reset is available in the free app as a video demo
Tapping is what is called a “somatic” therapy, which means that it focuses on the relationship between the mind and body. The technique has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine, but was invented by an American psychologist in the 1980s and then simplified by one of his students in the 1990s into the “Emotional Freedom Technique.” Using EFT, you tap on nine key “meridian points” – pressure points that are also used for acupuncture – in order to release trapped energy from traumatic experiences stored in the body. While some have dismissed it as pseudoscience – Gary Packer, a clinical psychologist and lecturer at the University of Tasmania, calls tapping “purple hat therapy” and tells me: “There is absolutely no evidence that tapping on your illusory meridians does any “Something for clinical treatment.” “Psychological Problem” – There are studies that suggest that tapping can be a way to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, food cravings, and even physical pain and symptoms of autoimmune diseases.
And the more I tapped in, the more problems I found helped me solve — especially around stress, lack of motivation, and self-doubt.
Delbridge's version, “Rapid Tapping,” focuses on seven longitudinal points used by EFT and usually also includes an initial massage of the “sore spots” — fleshy parts located about an inch below the collarbone that feel tender to the touch — as well as a ” Head hug” at the end (her app includes a how-to video). She wants to use tapping to focus less on keeping away from the bad things of the past, as with traditional EFT, and more on the good things of the future, by “renewing Our neural pathways.” In other words: “manifesting” the things you desire in your life.
If this sounds gushing, rest assured there's none of that trademark toxic positivity present. The fact that you start each session by expressing out loud what you're really feeling, and if it's negative, repeating it until the feeling starts to become less intense, is part of what I think makes this practice so beneficial. Not only do you feel like you're relieving stress when you say your negative feelings out loud, but some of them start to feel a little ridiculous once you do.
Most taps start by asking you to record how you feel — either generally or about a specific issue — and end by asking you to record it again. Some days, my emotions run high; Other days my mood completely changes in minutes. Whatever he does, he feels like something is working. I also sigh when I click too much. Other people yawn. “I joke that I'm the only public speaker who doesn't get offended when the entire audience yawns,” says Nick Ortner, who has more than 100,000 subscribers to his The Tapping Solution App.
“At the very least, you're resetting your nervous system to a parasympathetic state — from fight or flight to rest and relaxation,” says Dr. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and one of Delbridge's clients, who now resorts to therapy most days. “People who are not used to being in a state of relaxed alertness can end up feeling sleepy.”
For my part, although I may not have met the love of my life yet, I feel I have broken down a number of barriers – or “love blocks” – since my first session with Delbridge in May. I also seem to spend a lot less time self-sabotaging, and I'm able to regulate my emotions more successfully. I now use tapping as part of my morning routine, and sometimes at other times of the day too, and I find it similar to meditation in the way it encourages me, although it's usually more uplifting and stimulating and can be more focused if you want to be.
I can assure you that I felt like an idiot – an idiot! – The first time I did it, but these days, tapping my face and chest with my fingertips has become strangely normal. I say: try it. What's the worst that could happen?
