Increasing your effectiveness with EFT, part 213.
One question that comes up from time to time is whether EFT works better if you tap in your native language.
I remember wondering about this myself many years ago. Since then, after working with clients for several years as an EFT practitioner, my answer has become fairly simple:
As long as you are able to emotionally connect with the issue while you tap, the language itself is usually not what matters most.
One of the most common misconceptions about EFT is the idea that the words we use have to be exactly right, almost as if they were a password that unlocks the process. In my experience, that is not how EFT works.
The purpose of the words and phrases we use while tapping is to help us connect with the emotional charge we want to work on. They help us “tune in” to the issue. They can also help us allow ourselves to feel what we are feeling.
For example, many people use balancing statements such as “I accept this is how I’m feeling” or “this is where I’m at right now”. The value of these phrases does not come from the specific words themselves, but they are meant to remind us that the more we can allow ourselves to feel what we are feeling (as opposed to fighting it, judging it or resisting it), the better the tapping tends to work.
If a phrase helps you connect with the feeling, then it is serving its purpose.
This is one of the reasons why I do not think there is a universal requirement to tap in your native language.
Around 90% of my sessions with clients are conducted in English because most of my clients live in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or Australia. Some of those clients speak English as a second language, yet we tap in English and the process works very well.
What matters is whether the language allows you to connect with what you are feeling.
That being said, there are situations where a particular word, phrase, memory, or experience carries more emotional charge in one language than another.
For example, someone might notice that a certain childhood memory feels much more emotionally alive when remembered in their native language. Or they may realize that a specific phrase only “hits home” when expressed in the language in which the original experience occurred.
In those cases, it can make sense to use that language.
In fact, with some of my bilingual clients who speak both English and Spanish (like myself), we sometimes end up tapping in a mixture of both languages. We might start in English, switch to Spanish for a few emotionally charged phrases, and then switch back again. You could jokingly call it “Spanglish EFT”.
What is interesting is that this often happens naturally. As people connect more deeply with an emotion, they sometimes find themselves reaching for the words that reflect their actual thoughts and feelings the most, regardless of which language those words belong to.
So if you prefer tapping in English, even though it is not your native language, there is no reason to assume that the tapping will be less effective.
The question I would focus on instead is this:
Does the language you are using help you connect with the emotional charge you want to release?
If the answer is yes, then you are probably using the right language for that moment.
That said, when it comes to doing EFT, it’s not always easy to do it by ourselves. If you’d like some support exploring what’s coming up for you, you can learn more about my approach at brunosade.com.
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I’m Bruno Sade, a clinical psychologist and Accredited Certified Advanced EFT Practitioner. I work online with people around the world, helping them reduce the emotional charge behind difficult thoughts, memories, and triggers.
If you’re curious about experiencing EFT in a guided session, I occasionally offer a free EFT tapping session in exchange for a brief market research interview. You can sign up here.
