What is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and how does it work?

Put very simply EFT is acupunture without the needles. And can be faster and more effective too. Nobody really understands how it works or the Science behind it. Gary Craig, who developed EFT, says that ‘all negative emotion is caused by a disruption in the energy system’  therefore by ‘rebalancing’ our energy system (by tapping on the points along the Meridians) whilst we focus on the original problem, we can change the way we think, feel and respond to things in our lives. It sounds too simple doesn’t it? Yet amazingly, it can be. Instead of taking months or years using conventional “talk therapy,” EFT often does the job for you swiftly in one or two sessions … and we often achieve noticeable results in a few brief rounds of EFT. Sometimes just one quick round can erradicate a whole behaviour!

EFT is by far one of the best things I have ever been taught – it eliminated my own debilitating phobia – and I see numerous clients release all sorts of negative emotions and behaviours everyday.
Once you see how effectively EFT removes emotional debris, your next step is to notice how physical ailments start to fade too. Headaches, back pains, sore throats and other discomforts often tend to improve or vanish as emotional issues are resolved (the essence of Mind-Body connection). You may feel as if you have greater clarity about problems and issues and that you are much more able to cope with everyday stresses.

The great thing is that you can apply EFT it to just about everything! It’s versatility is one of the most amazing things about it. You use the same basic procedure for your fear of flying as for improving your golf swing. You can also use it for everything from hayfever to multiple sclerosis. Accounts of EFT success stories range from fears to trauma, depression, grief, low self esteem, addictions and physical ailments. The list is endless. And if you have a set of beliefs that say you have to fully understand something before you can use it, you could try tapping on those beliefs, because they probably hold you back in other areas too. Of course, you will still be left with lots of unanswered questions after reading this explanation. We don’t really know how electricity works – no-one really does! But you still switch on a light, and you still run your washing machine on it. It’s true, even the most knowledgeable scientists don’t know exactly how electricity works.

A Belief is a Thought that we are Emotionally Attached to

• If I tell you that at home I have a big open fire place, your mind will accept that information. If I then tell you actually it’s not an open fire place, it’s a wall mounted gas fire, your mind will accept that information too. A thought is like that – easy to change. You receive new information and your mind accepts it.
• If however, you touch a hot stove and feel pain, your mind will receive the programming that stoves are not safe to touch. If someone tells you that the glowing red stove is safe to touch, you will not accept what they are telling you. The difference is the emotion of physical pain, which is attached to the information.
• This is the difference between a thought and a belief. An emotion becomes attached to the thought, as a signal to the mind that the thought is necessary for survival, and as a result the thought can not be easily changed.
• Tapping with EFT releases both negative beliefs and negative emotions attached to our thoughts!
• Negative emotions are imbalances in the nervous system. Positive emotions occur when nervous energy can roam freely in the body whilst negative emotions occur when nervous energy gets stuck. Imagine it, perhaps, as a wave of energy formed in one of the nerve channels in the body.
• This is why we feel different emotions in different parts of our body. Sometimes we feel nervous in our stomachs, stress in our shoulders, fear in our hands, etc. Energy is trapped in nerve channels that run through those parts of the body.
• When we use EFT, sometimes we tap on a feeling, and sometimes on an actual belief. In fact there is no difference. The emotion that is attached to a particular belief might be very strong, so we don’t even notice the belief, just the feeling. Or it might be very weak, so we don’t even notice that there is a feeling attached to the words. But the feeling is there, otherwise we would not hold the belief.

So what is EFT?

Every client, issue and problem is unique therefore each application of EFT is very different. In a nutshell, we apply the EFT procedure by tapping along certain points along the meridians (energy channels that run through and around the body). We begin by focusing on the problem and as we tap we state the belief that corresponds to this. Tapping Balances the Nervous System: Each point we tap is the end of a nerve channel in the body and tapping sends a shockwave down that channel. There is no easy way to know which nerve channel is holding a particular emotion, so we just tap them all. We continue to tap around on the points – often focusing on different aspects of the problem – until it has been resolved or significantly reduced. When the emotion is gone, your mind is no longer attached to the belief. Suddenly your mind is free to re-process it, and realise it isn’t true or that there are easy ways around it.
You will find that EFT is usually quite gentle and you can often achieve substantial relief with little or no pain. Of course this can depend on the client and the problem. Sometimes issues can be so intense that the mere mention of them causes emotional or physical pain. But, given time, even these may be resolved efficiently with EFT.

EFT often works were nothing else does and it’s results can be amazing. However, it is not 100% perfect and does have it’s limitations. Having said that, it is a very powerful tool and I use it with clients, as well as teach them how to use it themselves. I am always happy to give clients simple scripts and instructions so that they can make EFT an important part of their ongoing progress towards positive change.