I love introducing Emotional Freedom Technique to everyone and anyone! It has been an amazing tool that I personally use daily for stress, anxiety, and just about any emotion that needs clearing and release.
Emotional Freedom Technique, known as EFT or Tapping, is a personal development tool that was discovered in the 1970’s by the psychologist Roger Callahan. EFT is an acupressure tapping method for clearing emotional and physical issues. No needles are used. EFT is performed by tapping the fingers on nine acupressure points on the body. EFT responds to and is centered on the fight and flight response or stress response. Negative thoughts and limiting beliefs lead to the stress response which produces increased stress hormone, and cortisol levels begin to rise. Tapping on specific acupressure points stimulates the body’s energy system, thus releasing blockages and restoring homeostasis.
As a result, stress hormones decrease, and the stress response is altered in the body and the limbic system in the brain. EFT is like flipping a switch; emotional responses to memories and thoughts no longer have an effect on the autonomic nervous system. EFT disconnects those emotional responses, and worry, fear, and negative thoughts no longer produce their powerful effect. The exact way EFT works is not known, however, a link to the research studies previously performed is included at the end of this article.
History of EFT
While studying the ancient Chinese art of acupressure, Dr. Roger Callahan began tapping on points related to emotional responses. The art of acupressure is based on a system of energetic pathways that run throughout the body. These pathways are referred to as meridians. His first patient had a phobia of water. Dr. Callahan asked his patient to tap on the acupressure point underneath the eye. This acupressure point corresponds to the areas where fear and anxiety are located on a specific meridian. The patient’s phobia completely disappeared and never returned. Dr. Callahan began to create algorithms that connected various emotions and physical issues. Ultimately, Dr. Callahan developed a detailed map of the body using the EFT application to address a host of issues. One of his students, Gary Craig, revised his work and developed a simpler EFT method. This current method is the standard ‘EFT Recipe’ used by over 10 million people all over the world.
Benefits of EFT
Several clinical studies have documented the benefits of EFT. One particular study performed by Dr. Dawson Church, Ph.D., investigated the efficacy of EFT related to fear and anxiety in 3 groups of people. Cortisol levels (stress hormone) were measured pre and post study. One group had a counseling therapy session, one group performed EFT, and the third group had no intervention. The results showed a 30-50% decrease in cortisol blood level in those using EFT over the therapy and no treatment groups. This was such an outstanding result that the equipment used for testing was recalibrated. The same results occurred after the study was repeated.
EFT has shown to be effective for the following:
Pain- Anger
- Fear and phobias
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Addictive Cravings related to food and smoking
- Stress
- Sadness
- Depression
- Self-Image
- Insomnia
- Compulsions
- Feelings of Abandonment
- Anxiety
- Limiting Beliefs
Pain
EFT may be used for any emotional and/or physical issue. There are no documented negative effects. However, EFT may be contraindicated for people with a seizure disorder or severe psychiatric mental illness.
Give EFT a try and see how quickly this simple tool can assist you in gaining control of your emotions and physical symptoms. Many EFT resources have been included for your review.
If you would like to dive deeper, I invite you to contact me at my website for a Free Discovery Session and you can see what it’s all about.
EFT RESOURCES
www.EFTuniverse.com (research studies)
www.emofree.com
www.aamet.net
www.stressproject.org
www.createglobalhealing.org
REFERENCES:
Donn, Peter EFT Level 1 &2 Training, P 10, The EFT Training Centre, UK
Pictures: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=eft+tapping+picture
