Tapping is an activity that many of us engage in everyday without even thinking about what we are doing. We drum our fingers on a desk or table while we wait for something to happen. We tap our forehead while we are figuring out a problem. We stroke our chin or rub our head as we contemplate the issues of the day. Each of these acts is our body's clumsy way of attending to a need for peace or resolution. Tapping prayer is a spiritual practice that intentionally focuses our attention on the rhythmic movement of our finger tips. It directs the energy of God's healing onto specific points on our body that through the practice of acupuncture and reiki, have shown to be conduits of healing. Tapping prayer is the most exciting addition to my spiritual tool belt in 25 years of ministry. It's fun and effective and easy to administer alone, one on one, or in a group. It is very flexible...and did I mention, effective? Tapping prayer is effective in bringing individuals into a one one relationship with God that creates peace, healing, and a desire to share those gifts with other individuals, communities, and Creation. Tapping prayer is an integration of sacred wisdom from the East and West. It is a spiritual practice that blends a knowledge of the Spirit's movement through our body with an understanding of meridian tapping based on the Emotional Freedom Technique created by Gary Craig. Tapping prayer brings balance and peace to individuals who are experiencing spiritual distress. By gently tapping on identified points of entry for the Holy which correspond to meridian end points in acupuncture, while praying for God to attend to a particular pain, we focus God's intention to heal and in most cases actually experience a peace which is not of our own doing. By acknowledging pain instead of wishing for relief, we recognize God's interest to heal us and indeed, God heals us. This technique can be used for individuals who are seeking peace from a wide variety of issues ranging from: trauma such as a car accident, an abusive parent, a friend killed in battle, a sudden illness, a job loss, a fire, a damaged relationship. Tapping prayer can also facilitate forgiveness and/or letting go. Tapping prayer is effective in praying for others (surrogate prayer tapping focused on an individual who is not present to the prayer tapping), for events (9/11, Sandy Hook, a company leaving a community), or Creation (an oil spill, deforestation, strip mining). Wherever there is a disruption to the peaceful flow of the Holy Spirit, tapping prayer can be applied. When I first learned about the Emotional Freedom Technique as a tool to help veterans in our community, I thought it was weird. The tapping. The repetition. It seemed...odd. This was not how I understood healing from trauma to work, and yet it worked. Clearly, my Western roots were showing. When I got home from the training I began using the technique with members of my community and saw such dramatic results I had to learn more. They also found it strange, but effective. Some folks were uncomfortable with the language of "energies" and "chi", so I experimented a bit and added more traditional faith language to the mix. I dug deeply into my own faith traditions and discovered a theology of healing that accompanied tapping prayer. I found that by invoking God's presence into the act of tapping, people from varying faith experiences were able to connect to the Holy on a deeper level. They began to experience God as very real and very present in their lives. They asked to learn more about this new way of praying. They discovered that by using tapping prayer on a wide variety of issues, their relationship with God grew deeper. If you are ready to draw closer to God's healing love for you, please take responsibility for your participation in tapping prayer, and let's pray! --Todd Farnsworth
About the Author: Rev. Todd Farnsworth has been ordained in the United Church of Christ for 25 years. He has practiced tapping prayer with over 100 people, including veterans, military family members, nurses, teachers, truckers, clergy, retirees, and students. He is grateful to his wife, Martha, for letting him experiment with this extraordinary new way of praying. He is thankful to his children, Callie and Sam, for encouraging him to put this work into words.