School districts are working hard to meet the needs of their students. Efforts are being made to access resources such as, Bi-Tapp to help reduce the high levels of stress and anxiety that students of all ages are experiencing. It is difficult for a student to perform well academically if they are overwhelmed, anxious or going through a difficult time in their life.

The data collected by the Counseling Department at Canyon View High School, located in Cedar City, Utah has shown remarkable results.

KarriAnn Raddon, School Counselor and Developer of the Tapping to Wellness Program stated, “Our teachers have been able to keep kids in class when they are anxious. We’ve seen test scores go up and we’ve seen some really great results in our offices when working with kids who are dealing with trauma or any kind of crisis situation. From November 2018 through May 2019, we had a 53% reduction in anxiety in presenting issues students claimed while using the tappers. In our Math 2 class, there was a 13% increase in scores of those students using the tappers while testing or doing assignments. I look forward to the continued success of the Tapping to Wellness Program at our school.”

Regulation before Reasoning

A teacher of over 20 years of experience said it best, “I know what to do when a student is mildly upset, but where I need help is when a student has escalated beyond my ability to reason with them.”

No matter your age, you will function at your best when you are in your window of tolerance, a term coined by Dr. Dan Siegel. When you are in this zone, sometimes called your optimal level of functioning or the green zone, you are better able to do the following:

• Absorb new learning
• Experience your emotions without getting overwhelmed by them
• Interact and connect with others more easily
• Your thinking is more flexible versus being rigid or reactionary

Anyone who has ever tried to reason with a child when they are upset, knows this doesn’t work. In truth, it doesn’t work for any of us. Our primary focus has to be on calming down when we are upset, anxious or overly stressed, whether we are in the classroom or not.

Bilateral tapping is a calming resource

Bi-Tapp is a product that can help you return to your window of tolerance in a short amount of time. So how do you know if you are moving out of the green zone towards the red zone?

• Heart rate increases
• Feeling anxious, overwhelmed or panicked
• Thinking can become more rigid. An example of this would be: “I can’t do this.”
• You might become more reactionary and say things you later regret.
• New learning cannot take place outside of your window of tolerance

Simply hold the tappers when you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed or upset. You can use the tappers as a stand-alone resource or you can use them with other grounding techniques such as taking a deep breath.

Why does bilateral tapping work?

As you hold the tappers, the lower regions of your brain will sense the tapping. When the sensing part of the brain is activated, it helps your nervous system begin to relax. (1)

The tapping takes place between two Bluetooth tappers. They can be held in your hands, put in your pockets or in your socks. As the bilateral tapping occurs, the amygdala, which is the part of the brain associated with sensing your emotions, including fear, is inhibited. (2) This process slows the release of stress hormones, which helps you feel calmer and more focused.

Bi-Tapp is helping many students reduce their stress and anxiety as well as improve their ability to focus during tests and assignments. To learn more about this resource, go to https://bi-tapp.com today. The review section includes a section on how the tappers are being used in schools.

References:

1. Grant, M. (2011) Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain (2nd ed). Brisbane, Queensland, Sunset Digital Pty Ltd, 103-105
2. Scaer, R. (2012) 8 Keys to Brain-Body Balance. New York, NY, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 144-145.