Have You Ever Heard of Toilet Anxiety?

By Alessandra Amico-Jones, Accredited & Certifed EFT Practitioner

Maybe you suffer from it, or maybe you know someone that does…

When I was little, I used to suffer from it too and let me tell you… it was not fun…

Toilet Anxiety is when a person is worried about using the toilet. This could be a fear of using a public toilet, or it could be a fear of being too far from a toilet and “not getting there in time”.

When I was little (around 5-6 years old), I developed this fear of having a painful experience when having a poo, and this really impacted my life.

I remember not wanting to go to the toilet because I knew it would hurt, and it normally really did… but then that would create a series of correlated issues like tummy aches, fidgeting, and the big threat of an “Enema”… Terrifying…

I am glad to report that a change in diet (and my parents trying everything and anything they could get their hands on…) allowed me to grow out of it, and now I don’t suffer from it anymore… but there is one thing that they did not try (because they were not aware of it…), but I wish they did… it’s called EFT Tapping…

What is EFT Tapping?

EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique, to call it by its official name) is a technique that helps us release stress and anxiety from our body and mind. It works on our minds as it engages words, feelings and memories, but, differently from other techniques, it also involves our body.

EFT Tapping is a technique based on Acupuncture, but those who practice EFT do not insert needles in their body to stimulate the acupoints (phew…!). We activate them and stimulate them by gently tapping on them with our fingertips. That is why this technique is also known as “Tapping”.

We tap on 9 acupoints on our face and upper body.

“That is great, Alessandra, but how does this relate to my Toilet Anxiety?”???

Well, allow me to explain…

As we briefly said earlier, toilet anxiety is a fear around toilets, either not being able to get there on time, or fear of feeling pain, or fear of being heard/seen, etc…

EFT Tapping helps to deal with fears and helps us release them.

So, it could be highly beneficial to learn how to practice EFT Tapping and use it when fear arises.

The Three Principles of EFT Tapping

The three principles of EFT Tapping are:

1. Acknowledge the issue
2. Accept that, in this moment in time, this is our situation
3. Show ourselves self-love

This is the beginning of moving past any kind of problem, trauma, or fear…:  Acknowledge what the problem is, accept that in this moment, we are suffering from it and still show ourselves love.

Be Mindful of not confusing “Accepting the situation” with “Being a victim of the situation”!!!

“Accepting it” means taking this situation, looking at it straight in the eyes and saying:

“Hello, fear, I can see right through you. I will show you that I AM in charge and I am doing something about this situation…”

As you can see, this has nothing to do with being a victim of it; in fact it’s the opposite!

Once we accept that –in this moment in time– we have this issue, and we can show ourselves self-love and reassure ourselves that “it’s all ok” …

Back to my story…

Imagine being a child (like me when I was little) who is terrified of going to the toilet to have a poo… would you shout at them and say: “Oh, you are so foolish! Why can’t you just go to the toilet like everyone else!!!” or would you reassure them that it’s ok to have this problem, a lot of other people in the world suffer from it, but we are working through it…

I think I know which one I would go for…

The same two scenarios can happen in your head… it’s up to you to choose one…

So, let me give you a quick lesson on “How to practice EFT Tapping” and then a few examples of EFT Rounds.

How To Practice EFT Tapping

To start practising EFT Tapping, think of the issue you are facing. This could be a fear of leaving the house because you are scared you might have an impromptu bowel movement, or it could be a fear of using a public toilet, or a fear of having a painful bowel movement.

Rate its intensity on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is “I don’t have a problem” and 10 is “This problem is very intense”. Keep a note of your number in your mind.

Now, we start tapping on the side of the hand, on the soft part between your little finger and your wrist. We tap there with the fingers of the opposite hand (it doesn’t matter if the left taps on the right or the other way around), and we repeat our “Set up Sentence” three times. 

The set-up sentence is “Even if I have this problem (describe the problem), I still love and accept myself.”

Then we start tapping (with one hand or both hands) on all the EFT Tapping points.

And whilst we tap on the points, we acknowledge the problem we have and bit by bit, we start accepting and letting it go…

When we tap on the points, we activate them, and this sends a calming signal to a part of our brain called the Amygdala, which is responsible for producing Cortisol (the stress hormone) in a situation of danger.

When we are experiencing fear, our Amygdala perceives danger and starts giving the order of producing more cortisol (that is why we feel scared and panicky).

Practising EFT Tapping calms the Amygdala, meaning a reduction in cortisol in our bloodstream and a sense of calm and well-being.

Example of EFT Tapping “rounds”

“So, what do I actually have to say and do if I want to practice EFT Tapping next time I feel worried about toilets?”

This is what you would say and do:

1. Acknowledge your issue and rate its intensity from 0 to 10

2. Start tapping on the soft part of your hand (between the little finger and the wrist) and repeat the Set-up sentence three times, say this:

“Even if I am worried about leaving the house because I fear I might not have a toilet near me, I accept I feel like this, and I still love and accept myself” -repeat this three times whilst tapping on the side of your hand.

3. Then start tapping on the points, and for each one of them, say the words:

• Beginning of the eyebrows:

“All of this fear”

• Side of the eye:

“All of this fear about not having a toilet near me…”

• Under the eye:

“All of this fear about not being able to reach a toilet in time…”

• Under the nose:

“I am really feeling this fear…”

• Under the mouth:

“And it’s ok…”

• Collarbone:

“I accept that, at this moment in time, I have this fear…”

• Under the arm:

“But this does not define me…”

• Top of the head:

“I am facing my fear…”

4. Hitting all the points is called “One round”. If the intensity of the issue has increased from before you started (which is ABSOLUTELY NORMAL, by the way, as we are actually FACING our fear), repeat this round until your ratings start to go down.

5. When you feel happy to carry on, do the second round:

• Beginning of the eyebrows:

“I am facing my fears”

• Side of the eye:

“I can accept this fear and let it go”

• Under the eye:

“I decide to let it go”

• Under the nose:

“I am not a slave of this fear”

• Under the mouth:

“I love myself”

• Collarbone:

“I show myself self-love and self-compassion”

• Under the arm:

“I am stronger than my fears”

• Top of the head:

“My love for myself is stronger than any fears”

6. Take a deep breath and let it go.

7. Check on the intensity of your fear.

8. If needed, do the last round again until you get to a low intensity for your initial issue. Aim for a few marks lower than when you began. If you could reach a 1 or 0, that would be great; if not, any marks towards that would be a sign of improvement.

9. Drink a big glass of water.

This is how you would practice EFT Tapping when a fear arises. You can do this anywhere and at any time.

The Power of Tapping

So, to recap, toilet anxiety is more common than you might know, and people of all ages can suffer from it, but it’s not a life sentence!

A good diet, a good intake of water, exercise and speaking to a Gut Health Specialist can really help make a difference.

With practice, you can learn how to lower your stress and take charge of your fears with techniques like EFT Tapping. A simple yet effective technique that can be practised anywhere, at any time and by anyone!

Should you wish to know more about EFT Tapping, please get in touch by visiting my website or reach out by email at a.amicojones.eft@gmail.com

Happy Tapping!

Alessandra

Alessandra Amico-Jones

Fully Accredited, Certified EFT Practitioner

Alessandra is an award-winning EFT Practitioner and Children’s Book Author, dedicated to helping parents overcome the lingering effects of past traumas, whether physical, emotional, or relational. With her compassionate guidance, Alessandra empowers parents to heal from issues that affect their ability to fully show up for themselves and their families, transforming patterns of anger, insecurity, or dependency into strength and self-assurance. Her work has earned her the prestigious Midlands Start-Up Award in the category of Health and Wellbeing for 2024.

Alessandra is also the author of The Magic Within You, a children’s book that introduces young readers and adults to the powerful technique of EFT Tapping, helping them unlock their own potential for healing and self-growth.

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