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EFT / Emotional Freedom Technique

INDEX:
Uses For EFT
What Is EFT?
Basic Instructions
Tapping Points
Recommended Links
Jo Hainsworth's Story

When I was first introduced to EFT the idea that I would be able to "tap my troubles away" seemed ridiculous. But my instincts told me to give it a try anyway, and I am glad I did because I discovered that EFT is a valuable tool in overcoming the emotional and physical manifestations of illness.

EFT incorporates the use of acupressure/acupuncture points that affect the subtle energies that flow throughout our bodies. EFT is based on the discovery that imbalances in the body’s energy system have profound effects on ones personal psychology. Correcting these imbalances is done by tapping on certain body locations (acupuncture points) which often leads to rapid remedies. The EFT Discovery Statement says, “The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.”

My personal interpretation of how it works is this: emotional and physical symptoms can become locked in the cells of our body and can interfere with the flow of chi (energy)…by acknowledging these symptoms and tapping on specific body points you may be able to unlock and release these symptoms.

You can use EFT for just about anything - from pain and other physical symptoms, to anxiety, fear, anger and disappointment. See below for Basic EFT Instructions.

Uses for Emotional Freedom Technique - EFT

You can tap just about everything - from pain and other physical symptoms to anxiety and fear. The idea is to identify an emotion that is potentially blocking the flow of energy or creating symptoms in the body. For example, if you are suffering with a headache after having a stressful day - EFT can be useful for relieving the pain from your headache by doing a tapping round specifically for the pain. Or you can do a round specifically related to the root of the problem, which is the stress. Or for even greater effectiveness you can tap on the cause of the stress itself. I have used EFT for all of these things - pain, uncomfortable physical symptoms, anxiety, fear, negativity - you name and EFT can be instrumental in letting releasing not only the emotion, but the phsical symptoms as well.

What Is EFT?

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is an energy psychology technique based on the principles of Chinese acupuncture founded by Dr. Gary Craig; an engineer and performance coach. EFT helps to clear the blocks to healing from painful experiences, stress, physical pain etc. with remarkable speed and long lasting effects. It is basically an emotional version of acupuncture without needles.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes there are 12 meridians that move throughout the body that brings energy to all the organs in the body. In acupuncture; needles are used to unblock the energy and restore health. In EFT; instead of using needles, you stimulate certain energy/meridian points on your body by tapping on them with your fingertips while you tune into your particular issue. By restoring the balance of the energy system, we are also neutralizing and reducing negative emotions. It is a simple easy method to apply and you will often be surprised at the results you achieve. In all my years of practice, I have never seen or witnessed a technique that the client can achieve results on their own ; whether it be for healing, growth or change. This is a most phenomenal approach to work with just about anything.

The premise of EFT is "the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption or blockage in the energy system". These blocks includes fear, anger, phobias, grief, trauma, anxiety, and other restricting emotions that can create physical problems as well. When you clear the disruption, you have physical and emotional freedom.

In the 1920's Einstein told us that everything (including our bodies) is composed of energy as described in his theory of relativity. EFT views the human body as an" energy configuration". Physicians use devices such as the EKG and EEG which measure the electrical activity of the heart and brain. So,it makes so much sense that we utilize energy sources to heal from problems which conventional methods have overlooked. Whether you experience grief, loss, hurt , fear or anxiety; EFT is a superb way to help relieve your body, mind and spirit of the conflict and tension. In my 26 years as a clinician, this has been one of the most profound tools for lasting change that I have ever seen.

Contributed by Ruth Stern, EFT practitioner and licensed mental health counselor. (www.taptotransform.com)

Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping Points

You will be tapping with your fingertips (using 2 or 3 fingers) and tap at least 7 times on each stress point (I tap pretty quickly)

Karate Chop Point (KC) - With the fingertips of the index and middle finger, you tap the other hand vigorously. . You are tapping on the fleshy part of the outside of the hand – the part of your hand you do a karate chop. You can tap on either hand and switch hands if you like.

Eyebrow(EB) – Tap at the beginning of the eyebrow, just above and to one side of the nose

Side of the Eye (SE) - Tap on the bone bordering the outside corner of the eye

Under the Eye (UE) – Tap on the bone under the eye about 1 inch below the pupil

Under the Nose (UN) - Tap between the bottom of your nose and the top of your upper lip

Chin (Ch) – Tap in the crease of your chin

Collarbone (CB) – Tap where your breastbone and collarbone and first rib meet. To locate it, put your finger in the U-shaped notch at the top of the breastbone (above where a man would knot his tie). From the bottom of the U. move your finger down toward your navel and then go 1 inch to the left or the right. You are tapping an indent under the collarbone.

Under the Arm (UA) - Tap about 4 inches down from your armpit on the side of your body. For men, it is even with the nipple and for women it is where your bra strap would hit.

Top of the Head (H) – Tap on the top of head in a circle towards the front

THE BASIC RECIPE

1. The Setup... Repeat 3 times this affirmation:

"Even though I have this ________ , I deeply and completely accept myself." while continuously rubbing the Sore Spot or tapping the Karate Chop point.

2. The Sequence... Tap about 7 times on each of the following energy points while repeating the Reminder Phrase at each point.

EB - Eyebrow
SE - Side of Eye
UE - Under Eye
UN - Under Nose
Ch - Chin
CB - Collarbone
UA - Under Arm
H - Head

3. If needed after the initial round, while still tapping your karate chop point, repeat the REVISED AFFIRMATION: "Even though I still have SOME of this ________, I deeply and completely accept myself." This can be repeated again if necessary.

Tapping tips: You can tap with either hand but it is usually more convenient to do so with your dominant hand (e.g. right hand if you are right-handed). Tap with the fingertips of your index finger and middle finger. This covers a little larger area than just tapping with one fingertip and allows you to cover the tapping points more easily. Tap solidly but never so hard as to hurt or bruise yourself. Tap about 7 times on each of the tapping points. I say about 7 times because you will be repeating a "reminder phrase" (covered later) while tapping and it will be difficult to count at the same time. If you are a little over or a little under 7 (5 to 9, for example) that will be sufficient. Most of the tapping points exist on either side of the body. It doesn't matter which side you use nor does it matter if you switch sides during The Sequence. For example, you can tap under your right eye and, later in The Sequence, tap under your left arm.

Basic Instructions - How To Do EFT

Step 1: Choose a problem to work on and try to be as specific as you can. Example: I have stress (general problem) Specific: I am stressed I can't get all my chores and deadlines done

Step 2: Rate your anxiety or discomfort on a scale of 0-10 (this is called the SUDS scale) 0 = no disturbance and 10= highest disturbance. When you think about it right now, how disturbing or upsetting is your stress? Write down your number.

Step 3: Perform the Set-Up phrase (see the picture below for the tapping points )While tapping on the Karate point, say the following phrase 3 times

"Even though I feel ______________________, I deeply and completely accept myself".

Example: Even though I have this stress with chores and deadlines, I deeply and completely accept myself

Now, use a short reminder phrase that represents the problem, such as "this anxiety" or "this stress of chores" when you tap on the stress points

Step 4: Tap on the stress points (see picture below). As you tap on each point, say your reminder phrase "this anxiety"). You can tap each point from one to seven times
.

As you say the phrase you are tapping on the point:

Tap :EB - (Eyebrow) as you say Phrase, such as: this anxiety
Tap: SE - (Side of eye) Phrase: this anxiety
Tap: UE - (Under Eye) Phrase: this anxiety
Tap: UN - (Under Nose) Phrase: this anxiety
Tap: CH - (Chin) Phrase: this anxiety
Tap: CB - (Collarbone) Phrase: this anxiety
Tap: UA - (Under Arm) Phrase: this anxiety
Tap: TH - (Top of Head) Phrase: this anxiety

Take a deep breath!

Step 5: Now rate your anxiety or stress. Ask yourself how stressful or disturbing this is to you now on the 0-10 scale. If the SUDS number is going down, perform another round of tapping starting with the Karate chop and say"Even though, I still have some of this stress, I deeply and completely accept myself". Then tap on all the rest of the stress points, using a short reminder phrase.."This remaining anxiety" on each point.

Step 6: If the number is not going down or going down very little - ask yourself- what else am I feeling about this. Or, if you are not sure, ask yourself...what could I be feeling about this? Take a guess and go with that guess. Often your guess is very accurate. This is important ; as you want to tap on all the feelings that are feeding into the problem.

Example: I am also feeling angry that I have no time for me.

Step 7: Start with the Set- Up again with your new phrase: "Even though I'm angry that I have no time for me, I deeply and completely accept myself". Tap on all the stress points with your new reminder phrase "this anger". Measure your upset feeling again on the SUDS scale. Do another round until you feel little or no upset.

Jo Hainsworth's Story

I was chronically ill for nearly 20 years. My health challenges began in earnest when I was 9 years old, and initially manifested as sinusitis, which was diagnosed by various doctors as chronic sinus infections. I was treated with antibiotics, and while the symptoms of the infections abated initially after each lot of antibiotics, my bouts with sinus infections became more and more regular. Many other symptoms started to creep in, and most of my teenage years were spent with chronic fatigue and a lot of pain throughout my body. In my 20’s, I had periods of time where I was unable to work for several months on end, because I was so fatigued and in so much pain that I wasn’t even able to muster sufficient energy to have a shower most days. While I never stopped searching for answers, and tried all manner of different natural and medical methods to heal, the lack of answers, coupled with the pain and fatigue, inevitably resulted in periods of depression.

After many visits to doctors, including various specialists, I was eventually lucky enough to come across a doctor who, while he was mystified as to how to help me, acknowledged that I was very ill and he was determined to find a way to help me. He referred me to another doctor who was also trained in naturopathic ways of healing who confirmed the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (a.k.a. CFS/CFIDS/ME) and Systemic Candidiasis. This doctor was able to help me to get back to functioning enough to work, and to better understand the physical aspects of my illness.

Early in 2007, my health was relatively stable so long as I stayed on the restricted diet I had adopted. I was however keenly aware that the smallest thing could tip me over. Exposure to a small amount of agricultural chemicals had in the past resulted me not being able to get out of bed except to go to the toilet and to try to eat, for two weeks. Accidental exposure to foods that I appeared to be allergic to could result in me being very ill for days on end, even if I wasn’t aware that I had eaten any of the foods (on several occasions we only tracked down that I had eaten a substance I was reacting to after I had been ill for some days with the symptoms of an allergic reaction.) Filling up the car with petrol left me with a nasty headache for hours on end, and exposure to someone’s perfume could result in me feeling sick for hours too, so I tended to have to avoid enclosed spaces like elevators, and going to things like concerts or flying in aeroplanes were often problematic.

At that time I re-discovered a form of healing that I had previously been introduced to, but had written off as being mechanical and ineffective. The method is called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), and involves a simple process of tapping on various acupuncture points on the body with you fingertips. Despite my initial scepticism and being sure that my allergic reactions were an inevitable result of the damage done to my immune system by the medication over the years, I decided to give EFT a go. It was a decision that I will always be very thankful for.

In three sessions, all less than an hour long, working with my partner who was also new to EFT and wanted to support me, using ideas we had picked up from reading about EFT and watching some EFT training DVDs, we got to the bottom of my life long battle with ill health. I was incredulous to discover that my problems had started at birth – when I was born with the umbilical cord wrapped several times around my neck and I was born in a very stressed state. If I had not experienced this myself, I would not believe that it was possible to heal so rapidly, with no side effects and minimal cost.

Now, 18 months on from doing those life changing EFT sessions, it’s hard to believe that I ever reacted the way I did. Long gone are the days where I couldn’t fill up the mower or car with petrol, because I would feel so incredibly unwell, and I have even occasionally been known to eat an entire pizza, followed by a desert (either one of which is a essentially a cocktail of many of my former allergens), and feel great doing so. Spring has become a season I can enjoy—in the past I avoided all flowers that had the potential to set me off with one of my reactions, and now I find myself deliberately placing my yoga mat near the flowers so I can enjoy them while breathing deeply with yoga. Where there were so many times I didn’t even have the energy to have a shower, I now live a very active life, exercising every day, and am full of energy.

I am living life with a sense of freedom that for so many years would have been unimaginable. I had no idea how much my feelings of being unsafe, that I had carried since my birth, had permeated my life, until I was released from the prison of those beliefs. It is just incredible, and something I will forever be thankful for. Where in the past, I for so long had the metaphor of myself as canary in the coalmine – alerting the world around me that what we are doing to the environment and our own bodies is not OK, the metaphor has now changed, and the canary is now out of the cage and flying free. Instead of seeing myself as weak and vulnerable, I now feel so healthy and strong that my entire self concept has changed.

Healing from my years and years of physical challenges has resulted in major changes in my life. I’m passionate about spreading the word about this amazing method, and keen to see people empowered to be using it for their own healing. I’m keenly aware that there are many people who have been unwell for some time who are not in the position to be able to afford to work with a practitioner, so I have recently written a book which is available to download free of charge from the Self Healing Portal*. If you, or anyone you know, may be able to be benefit from learning this amazing method of healing, please download and share the free e-book, called “You CAN Heal with EFT.”

~ Jo Hainsworth www.selfheal4me.com