An upcoming flight was the source of my anxiety. I recently had knee surgery and the idea of getting my bags to the terminal on my own made my heart race and my thoughts run wild: Assuming I made it to the plane without issues, would the seat be too cramped for my leg’s mobility once I boarded? I recently heard climate change was making turbulence worse and dreaded the sinking feeling bumpy air could bring. What if most people weren’t wearing masks and I got COVID-19?
As part of an interview for this story, I organized a video call with Dawson Church, a researcher and author who writes about alternative healing, and asked him to demonstrate a brief session of “Emotional Freedom Technique,” or EFT, tapping for me. Church asked me to hold the anxiety I felt about my upcoming trip in my mind and repeat a series of affirmations about it while tapping various parts of my body.
