EFT

What is EFT?

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is an energetic form of acupuncture that does not use needles. Instead, the meridian energy points are tapped with the fingertips to stimulate them while the client is focussing on the problem.

EFT centers around the profound effects of the body's subtle energies based on the theory that the cause of ALL negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system. This includes fears, phobias, anger, grief, anxiety, depression, traumatic memories, worry, guilt and all other limiting emotions we can experience. This basic statement for EFT does not stress that a negative emotion is caused by the memory of a past traumatic experience, which is a mainstay in conventional psychotherapy. EFT respects the memory, but addresses the true cause, the disruption in the body's energy system.

How does EFT work?

About 5,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered a complex system of energy circuits that run throughout the body. These energy circuits or meridians are the centerpiece of Eastern health practices, and form the basis for modern day acupuncture, acupressure and a wide variety of other energy healing techniques like Reiki. By simply tapping near the end points of your energy meridians you can experience some profound changes in your emotional and physical health.

Let us look at a concrete case to explain the procedure of EFT for an emotional issue. The following session takes place next to and eventually in a swimming pool to test the results of the tapping. Dave has a phobia of water. He is in his late forties, has never learned to swim, has never voluntarily entered a body of water deeper than knee high. This acute fear of water was caused by his growing up next to a river, constantly being warned of the dangers of it, and the fact that he had been dunked in the water by his friends as a teenager in a misguided attempt to help him overcome his problem. Dave is asked to imagine going into the water of a pool and putting his head under water. He has to rate his fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most intense emotion. He starts off with a 9. The therapist customizes his problem with an appropriate setup affirmation "Even though I have this fear of water, I deeply and completely accept myself." The tapping procedure starts and Dave manages to reduce his fear so much that he can enter a swimming pool, feeling intensity 0. Another round of tapping with an adjusted affirmation is done and he manages to get down into the water up to his chin, feeling only a 0 or 1. Before he can dunk himself a few more rounds of tapping are necessary as new aspects of his problem come up, he is afraid of not being able to breath, afraid of being held under water and so on. After only 45 minutes, all aspects of his fear of water have been addressed and he is able to repeatedly dunk himself in the pool. Relieved and happy to be able to learn to swim now and enjoy the water in his spare time like other people.

EFT works as well on physical issues. Connie has a tightness in her jaw that comes from clenching her teeth at night. The clenching is so severe that she has to wear a bite plate at night to protect her teeth. With EFT, she achieves complete freedom from this problem in minutes even though it has been with her for 3 years. She also has a headache which she eliminates on her own using EFT.

Once the patient has learned the procedure, he/she can apply it to any emotional or physical issue that surfaces.

What is a session like?

A typical session involves preliminary discussion, a test procedure to see how well basic EFT addresses the problem and then a tailored EFT procedure that deals more directly with underlying issues, the different aspects of a problem like explained in Dave's case above. A session will last about an hour and in most cases that is all that is required. Once the tapping procedure is learned the client can work on his/her problem by himself/herself whenever he/she feels the need to.

What can EFT do for me?

EFT can be used to alleviate or eliminate:

• fears and phobias
• traumatic memories
• addictions, like smoking
• physical ailments, like headaches, stomach aches, back pains, allergies, insomnia, constipation, and PMS, just to name a few
• negative feelings about oneself (poor self image)