“The brain changes through what it repeatedly does.”

Every morning for the past three years, before I check my email or think about my to-do list, I make myself a cup of coffee, climb back into bed, and spend about five minutes giving my brain and nervous system a reset.

It isn’t complicated. I begin with three slow, deep breaths. Then I do one slow round of Tap & Breathe.

Next comes something many people have never heard of called the 9-Gamut Technique—a simple sequence of eye movements, humming, counting, and tapping.

Finally, I finish with another round of Tap & Breathe.

It has become as much a part of my morning as brushing my teeth. Not because I wake up anxious every day. Not because something is wrong. But because I’ve learned that preparing my brain and nervous system before life begins is one of the best investments I can make in the rest of my day.

What Is the 9-Gamut Technique?

The 9-Gamut Technique has been part of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) since its early days. While many EFT practitioners no longer use it regularly, I believe it’s one of the most underappreciated tools we have.

At first glance, it seems almost too simple to matter. After all, how could tapping on the back of your hand while moving your eyes, humming, and counting make any real difference?

That’s exactly what I wondered when I first learned about it. Three years later, I can’t imagine starting my day without it.

What I’ve Noticed in My Own Practice

When I first began practicing the 9-Gamut Technique, something surprised me.

Holding my eyes in certain positions was difficult. Moving them slowly in full circles almost felt uncomfortable. At times, it even felt like my eye muscles were resisting the movement.

Today, three years later, I can smoothly move my eyes around an imaginary clock in both directions, stopping at each “hour” without discomfort.

That change reminded me of something I often tell my clients: Our nervous systems can learn.

Just as our muscles become stronger with exercise, our brains become more efficient through repetition.

Every morning, I’m not just moving my eyes. I’m practicing flexibility. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Neurologically.

What I See With My Clients

Over the years, I’ve noticed another fascinating pattern while working with clients who struggle with anxiety. As they begin the first circle of eye movements, their anxiety often increases.

Some tell me they suddenly feel more nervous. Others describe a wave of discomfort. Occasionally someone even says they feel slightly nauseous.

Instead of stopping, I gently encourage them to keep breathing slowly and continue moving their eyes. Then something remarkable often happens.

By the time we’ve completed the second circle and followed it with another round of Tap & Breathe, their anxiety has usually settled dramatically—and many tell me it’s completely gone.

I’ve seen this happen often enough that I’ve come to expect it.

Why Might This Happen?

Researchers don’t yet know exactly why the 9-Gamut Technique can be so effective, but several well-understood principles of neuroscience may help explain what’s happening.

Your Brain Is Being Asked to Do Something New

Most of us spend our days looking straight ahead at phones, computers, televisions, or the road while driving. Very rarely do we intentionally move our eyes through their full range of motion.

Those movements require remarkable coordination between the eye muscles, brainstem, cerebellum, visual cortex, frontal lobes, and vestibular system.

It’s truly a whole-brain activity. Like an orchestra, all of those regions have to communicate and work together.

It Interrupts Autopilot

When we’re anxious, our thoughts often become repetitive. The brain gets caught in familiar loops of worry, fear, and overthinking.

The 9-Gamut continually asks the brain to shift.

Move your eyes. Tap. Hum. Count. Change direction.

Each new task interrupts the previous one.

It’s almost like pressing the refresh button on your brain.

Humming May Activate the Relaxation Response

One of my favorite parts of the technique is the humming.

Humming naturally lengthens the exhale while creating gentle vibration through the throat and vocal cords.

Research suggests this may stimulate the vagus nerve, encouraging the parasympathetic nervous system—our “rest and digest” mode—to become more active.

In other words, you’re repeatedly giving your body the message: You’re safe.

The Vestibular System May Be Involved

This is the part I find especially interesting.

The muscles that move your eyes are closely connected to your vestibular system—the system that helps control balance, movement, and spatial awareness. The vestibular system also communicates extensively with the autonomic nervous system.

That may help explain why some people briefly feel dizzy or even slightly nauseous during the first round of eye movements.

Rather than seeing that as a sign something is wrong, I often wonder if we’re simply waking up a system that hasn’t been asked to move this way in a very long time.

As we continue breathing, tapping, and moving through the sequence, those sensations often settle as the nervous system realizes there’s no danger.

An Interesting Connection

As I’ve become more curious about why the 9-Gamut Technique seems so effective, I couldn’t help noticing some interesting similarities to Brainspotting, a therapy developed by Dr. David Grand.

One of the central ideas behind Brainspotting is that where you look can influence how you feel. The theory suggests that certain eye positions may access neural networks associated with unresolved emotional experiences, allowing the brain to process them more effectively.

Does that mean the 9-Gamut works for the same reason? We simply don’t know. The research hasn’t yet answered that question.

But I do find it fascinating that both approaches recognize the powerful relationship between our eyes, our brain, and our emotional experience.

Perhaps our eyes do much more than simply help us see the world around us. Perhaps they also help our brains process it.

How I Do My Morning Reset

If you’d like to try the routine I practice every morning, here’s exactly what I do.

Step 1: Three Deep Breaths

Begin by taking three slow, deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and slowly out through your mouth. Allow your shoulders to relax and simply notice yourself arriving in the present moment.

Step 2: One Slow Round of Tap & Breathe

Complete one slow round of Tap & Breathe, moving gently through each of the EFT tapping points while continuing to breathe slowly and deeply.

Step 3: The 9-Gamut Technique

Begin gently tapping on the Gamut Point, located on the back of either hand between the knuckles of your ring finger and little finger, about an inch behind the knuckles. Continue tapping this point throughout the entire sequence.

Then move through these nine steps:

1. Close your eyes.
2. Open your eyes.
3. Look down to the right.
4. Look down to the left.
5. Imagine there’s a large clock directly in front of you. Starting at 12 o’clock, slowly move your eyes clockwise, pausing briefly at each number all the way around the clock until you return to 12.
6. Now slowly move your eyes counterclockwise, again beginning at 12 o’clock and pausing briefly at each number until you’ve completed the circle.
7. Hum a few seconds of a familiar tune.
8. Count out loud from 1 to 5.
9. Hum the tune again for a few seconds.

Step 4: Finish with Another Round of Tap & Breathe

Complete one more slow round of Tap & Breathe, allowing your breathing to remain slow and relaxed.

The entire practice takes me about five minutes.

If you’d like me to guide you through the complete Morning Reset, you can watch my guided video here.