A Technique To Eliminate Math Anxiety: Dr. Katie Nall (Transcript)

Here is the full transcript of Dr. Katie Nall’s talk titled “A Technique To Eliminate Math Anxiety” at TEDxOcala conference.

Listen to the audio version here:

TRANSCRIPT:

The Power of Mathematics and Overcoming Anxiety

Like many other couples, my prom date and I stayed out late that night to fool around. And you know, I mean, by solving math equations. Since I was a small child, I have always loved counting things, finding patterns, solving problems. I love math. From research and analysis, to finding the solutions, to most importantly, sharing my newfound knowledge with anyone who will listen.

I teach college math. Many of my students don’t appreciate math like I do. And sometimes that math can be a roadblock to their future. Some of the students have failed the class. Many of them have failed it more than once. These same students have earned A’s in other rigorous college classes. They didn’t fail because the work was difficult. They all had one trait in common. They hate math.

They hated math so badly that they wouldn’t even want to take a class. I was wondering, could I help them? Could I help them be successful in math by overcoming their anxiety about math? Hmm, a word problem. Solving a word problem like this is going to require a different kind of research. For you see, all the research I had said that to be successful in math, you had to have study tips. Study tips were not going to help students who were crying in my office or vomiting in the trash can just at the mention of math.

I had to find something different for them. I had to find something that would help them overcome their anxieties. After months and months of research, nothing was going to solve this.

Discovering a New Approach

Until I finally decided, what if I was asking the wrong question? Instead of asking how to help students overcome anxiety about math, I had to step outside the boundaries of math and ask, how do people overcome anxieties about anything? It’s ironic how a small change like that can make a big difference. For me, it was three little letters. EFT.

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique or Tapping. The students were going to need something different. I wondered, was this going to be different enough? Well, it was going to be worth the risk. They all had to have the class to graduate. I looked and found some research on it, and it turns out that EFT had a 30-year history. Starting with Stanford educated engineer, Gary Craig. He understood electrical circuits, and using his knowledge of circuitry, he streamlined the work of psychologist, Dr. Roger Callahan, who made use of meridians to help his patients.

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Meridians are 12 pathways in our body that are defined by traditional Chinese medicine and commonly used by acupuncturists. What do meridians have to do with stress and anxiety? Well, it turns out that Auburn University Research has recently released a study showing that there are microstructures in our body that mirror the pathways of the meridians. These microstructures may provide an answer on the connection between the meridians and reducing stress and anxiety.

It was worth a chance to find out if this would work or not. I mean, if I was willing to risk appearing a little odd to the students, if they were willing to risk trying something out like tapping.

Implementing EFT in the Classroom

So, what does tapping consist of? Basically, tapping on different pressure points on your body while repeating statements, usually negative phrases. Studies have shown that one or the other is not as effective as the combination. Research on this has been done worldwide. There are over 40 outcome studies showing 98% effectiveness using EFT to reduce stress and anxiety.

So, I offered this to my students. Those who were open to tapping and agreed to tap moved forward. Different students with different emotions required a different number of sessions, but I bet you’re dying to know what this looks like, right?

So, I’m going to invite you to tap along with me and we’re going to pretend like you’re a math student. So, start on the side of your hand and repeat, “Even though I have this fear about math, right here, right now, I feel safe. Even though I have this fear about math, and I feel it in my stomach, right here, right now, I feel safe. Even though I have this fear about math, and I don’t want to take this math class, right here, right now, I feel safe.” Top of the head, this fear. And the edge of the eyebrow, this fear about math. Inside of the eye, this fear. And then under the eye, this fear in my stomach. And then under the nose, this fear. Under the lips, this fear. And then on the shoulder blades, this fear about math. And then about four inches under your arms, this fear. Take a deep breath in.

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The Impact of EFT on Students

Then, we waited. Finally, the grades started rolling in. Four students who had failed the class in the past, all passed. Two earned a grade of C, one earned a B, and one came the closest to an A she’s ever been in math. They all had smiles of relief. For students who had once thought that math was difficult, and they were able to continue on. One student who had continued on, came back and dropped by my office unannounced.

It was Scott. He was as tall and as wide as the doorway. I could feel his energy as he entered. As he came in, before I knew it, he had swooped down, grabbed me in a bear hug, and said, “If it hadn’t been for that voodoo stuff you taught me, I never would have gotten my bachelor’s degree.” Many students were able to continue on because of tapping.

I’m going to invite my students from here on out to continue tapping as they go through math. I have found that students who are open to tapping and tap about their emotions about math are way more successful than the students who struggle with math and avoid tapping.

One student in particular came up to me and said, a chance encounter at a restaurant after the class had been finished. She timidly admitted to me, “You know, I get it now. EFT not only helped me get through your math class, it helped me in other areas of my life.” For you see, I found that EFT has been practiced worldwide. Not only does the Duchess of Cornwall tap for her fear of flying, attorneys tap for clarity, and some Olympic athletes tap before their event.

EFT practitioner Steve Wells in Perth, Western Australia, reports transformational changes in his business clients. An Australian managing partner of a top 10 law practice recently admitted after tapping with Steve, “I could feel the knots in my chest and the worries just dissolve as we tapped.” Entire schools have adopted tapping.

Pacific Grove Middle School in California, teachers and students tap for six minutes a day to relieve tests and stress anxiety. They have found that behavioral issues have decreased, tests and test scores have increased, and even they’ve noticed that special needs children are self-regulating better. So you see, anxiety isn’t an isolated issue. Anxiety affects not only our ability to learn, but also our ability to work, to relate, and our health. Studies cite 80% of medical visits are stress-related.

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Imagine what a difference this little three-letter EFT has already made on a four-letter word of M-A-T-H, math. Can you imagine what impact a three-letter word of EFT could have on a four-letter word of fear? I’m going to invite you to find out more about EFT. You see, when I became a certified practitioner, I found all the mistakes I had made as a self-taught one. It turns out that EFT is way more effective working with one person on a specific event and much more effective with a certified practitioner.

Now, as I continue my journey to become a trainer, I had to deal with some of my own fears. It was hard to choose just one. But I decided on one that had plagued me for years and annoyed my family immensely. It was my deep, paralyzing fear of housework. After a full day of tapping, I found the source of my anxiety.

Turns out, as the oldest child of a single mother who moved every six months, I was in charge of cleaning. Cleaning meant we were moving, at least in my subconscious. Today, I no longer have fear or anxiety about cleaning. I still don’t clean. I just don’t worry about it anymore. So you see, my math trick doesn’t have anything at all to do with mathematics.

But I do have this three-letter solution for you, for each one of your four-letter fears. I’m going to invite you to tell everyone you know about this amazing, amazing technique, Emotional Freedom Technique. And I’m going to invite you to take control of each of your fears. EFT.

A Technique To Eliminate Math Anxiety: Dr. Katie Nall (Transcript)

The Power of Mathematics and Overcoming Anxiety

Discovering a New Approach

Implementing EFT in the Classroom

The Impact of EFT on Students

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