Emotional Freedom Techniques - EFT
How Would You Like To Be?
Would you like to live your life in excellent health, with emotional balance and inner peace? Emotional Freedom Techniques can help you overcome your past and live life in the present; vibrant, happy and free.
You can:
- be calm and relaxed
- create positive relationships with others
- be in excellent health
- realise your true potential
- be in touch with your emotions
- find fulfillment in all areas of your life
- live life in the present, happy and joyful
What is EFT?
EFT is a form of energy medicine, or more precisely, a form of Energy Psychology. It was founded by Gary Craig, an incredible individual who has single handedly made it a worldwide phenomena. It has been labeled the most talked about therapy of the new millennium and many leading health professionals in the field of mind-body medicine are suggesting that it may be the most important new therapy in modern medicine.
EFT is used widely by internationally recognised medical doctors such as Deepak Chopra, Norm Shealy, and Eric Robbins. It has also been popularised by the likes of Paul McKenna, and Dr Joseph Mercola. It is starting to become more commonly used in organisations such as the NHS, in schools, and in therapeutic clinics worldwide.
Although often combined with other practices it is highly effective as a stand alone therapy. It's popularity has risen due to the fact that it has swift and lasting effects, and often works where nothing else will.
What Does EFT Involve?
Originally adapted from Roger Callahan's Thought Field Therapy, EFT is a much more simplified and accessible version of its predecessor. It is based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian system - the same system that has been used for thousands of years in acupuncture.
In fact EFT is often described as a form of emotional acupuncture, but the important distinction is that in EFT no needles are used. Instead a series of points on the body's meridian system are tapped with the fingers. Whilst the points are being tapped, the recipient brings to mind and verbalises, in a very specific manner, a health issue or emotional problem that they are experiencing. This causes changes in the bodies energy system, and helps to release stored emotions or patterns of illness from the body.
Review the EFT tapping points and protocol here.
How Does EFT Work?
To understand how EFT works, we must make the distinction between the Western understanding of
energy in the body which is derived from food, sleep, sunlight, air etc, and the Eastern concept
of subtle energy which is the life-force that flows within us. It is this life force that EFT is
working with.
When we are in good emotional and physical health this life force flows through
various energy systems in our body. One of these energy systems in the meridian system - a series
of energetic pathways that run through our body. Many ancient Eastern practises such as Tai Chi,
Qi Qong, Acupuncture, Acupressure and Shiatsu were designed to keep this meridian energy flowing
to support health and well-being. However, trauma and stress in it's many forms create blocks in
this energy system, which lead to illness and disease. In fact the founding statement of EFT made
by its originator Gary Craig is that "the cause of all negative emotion a disruption in the body's
energy system", and EFT works to release this disruption so that energy can flow freely.
How Do My Emotions Affect My Body?
So lets look closely at what happens in your body when you have an emotional response.
Many of these responses come from either re-living traumatic memories from the past, or anxiety
about what is going to happen in the future.
When you remember something traumatic that has occurred or reflect on something that you fear might happen, your body chemistry changes. This is the mind affecting the body. It is not the memory of the past event or the thought of the future event that actually causes the problem. It is the meaning that we attach to our thoughts that in turn alters our body chemistry.
In fact, our subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between whether the event is happening now in current time or whether it happened in the past. Once the emotional response is triggered our bodies go into fight or flight as if the memory or thought was happening in current time.
How Can I Change My Emotional Response?
With EFT you can release the emotional disruption that a thought or memory causes, and thus
change our relationship to it. It doesn't matter whether it is a physical pain or an emotional
one, once we release the blockage with EFT both pain and emotional turmoil subside.
Benefits of EFT
EFT can be used to treat a whole host of physical and emotional problems. This list is not mutually exclusive. The motto of Gary Craig, founder of EFT, is try it on anything. But the list gives some idea of the conditions that EFT can benefit, and the areas in which it achieves great results:
| abuse issues | children's issues | fears and phobias | OCD |
| ADD/ADHD | chronic fatigue syndrome/ME | food cravings | pain management |
| addictions | cigarette addiction | grief and loss | peak performance |
| agoraphobia | claustrophobia | guilt | PTSD |
| alcohol abuse | compulsions and obsessions | headaches | self image |
| allergies | concentration | implementing positive goals | sexual abuse issues |
| anxiety and panic attacks | depression and sadness | insomnia | shyness |
| anger | diabetes | jealousy | sports and other performance |
| asthma | drug addiction | negative emotions | traumatic memories |
| blood pressure | dyslexia | negative memories | vision |
| carpal tunnel | eating disorders | nightmares | weight loss |
"The EFT has helped with my abuse issues. I had psychotherapy in the past which helped me but did not change the fact that I still had lots of images in my head. The strange thing with EFT is that the images haven't gone, but they do not hold pain for me like they used to." F.L. - EFT client, Bristol
