OBJECT:
Face Tapping awakens and relaxes the trigeminal nerve.  This is accomplished by means of organized stimulation of the nerves, that is, by stimulating them in a way that follows their own organizational pathways.  The brain will track the stimulation that is done during the Face Tapping and try to anticipate where the next tap is going to be.  The fact that the tapping follows the organization of the nerves facilitates this anticipation.

This activity may help alleviate headache, reduce the pain of TMJ, support speech production, relieve facial tics and paralysis, etc.

The trigeminal nerve is one of the cranial nerves
emerging through the skull at the temple,
a hollow in the skull just behind the eyebrow,
below the crown of the skull and above the cheekbone.

PROCEDURE:
1)  From the temple - directly forward following the eyebrow, to the midpoint between the eyebrows, then up an inch or so, back down to the midpoint between the eyebrows and back to the temple.

2)  From the temple -first down, then forward across the cheekbone to the bridge of the nose and back to the temple.

3)  From the temple - directly downward to the bottom edge of the cheekbone, then forward along the gum line to the middle of the upper lip and back along the same path to the temple.

4)  From the temple - directly downward to the rearmost corner of the lower jaw then forward on a line on the gum line of the lower jaw to a point directly below the middle of the lower lip; again aiming for a spot on the gum line above the point of the chin.  Follow the same path back to the temple.

5)  From the temple - directly back to a point just above the top of the ears, then curving back around the ears to the end of the bone (called the mastoid process) and back to the temple.  This last pathway is not on the trigeminal nerve, but rather enhances the acoustic nerve via bone conduction.

The tapping is best done using two or three fingers on each hand and alternating from one hand to the other.  A good guide for the tempo of this tapping would be to the count of "one and two and three and four and five and six and seven and eight and" spoken in a brisk but conversational pace. Look for the top two paths, and the one behind the ears, to take about eight taps on each side, in each direction, for adults (4 for children).  Paths along the upper and lower jaw should take a few more taps.

Some general guidelines for the amount of energy involved in each tap:

This exercise is not aimed at the light pressure sensors on the skin, but rather at stimulating nerves that are situated between the skin and the bone.  The energy expended in each tap should not be painful.  Each should have about the same amount of energy as the others.  To get an idea of how much energy to give each tap, try it on a table top.  There should be enough energy in a given tap to be audible.  There should be a left-over feeling, kind of a buzzing or a tingle or a sense of vitality to the facial area after the tapping is done.  Not unpleasant or uncomfortable, but noticeable.