June 2007 Ruth Stern

Healing at Your Fingertips: Learn the Emotional Freedom Technique:

Are you someone who suffers from stress and anxiety? Chronic pain? Uncontrollable food cravings and overeating? Depression? Unresolved grief or anger? If any of these issues resonate with you, read on. In 2006 I had the privilege to learn about EFT (Emotion Freedom Techniques) and began to study it and practice on myself for severe cravings for sugar. What I found was quite amazing. After only a few rounds of the procedure my cravings would reduce significantly. I began using EFT with my clients. Even better, this is one of the few techniques I learned that clients could do for themselves, creating significant results on their own.

What is EFT? EFT is one form of energy psychology. The basis of EFT is rooted in the principles of Chinese acupuncture. As Gary Craig, the creator of EFT, states it is "acupuncture without the needles." He believes, "All negative emotions create an imbalance in the energy system." With EFT, the client taps on certain meridian points on the body to unblock the energy disruption. Often this rapidly reduces or eradicates negative feelings or cravings.

About 6 months ago, I was diagnosed with stage 3 invasive breast cancer. After my initial shock and denial, the fear and sadness and overwhelming feelings of loss, which I had never experienced before, set in. Fortunately for me, I had been using EFT and witnessed great results with many clients. It was on my third day and I was feeling weak and sick from a very toxic chemotherapy. I remember overwhelming helplessness and depression. I literally felt I could barely move my body. Imagine Raggedy Ann on valium – that was me!

Then I began to tap on my weaknesses and fears. Within trhee rounds my energy began to lift. I didn’t even believe it at first, but I was able to get out of bed and feel much more normal. One of the key pieces that helped me throughout my recovery was tapping on the positive such as:

1. allowing the universe to send healing white light into all the cells in my body
2. healing myself and being free of cancer
3. seeing myself whole and healthy and vibrant
4. seeing all my cells light up brightly

Using visualization with energy meridian work can be very uplifting and powerful. EFT was my saving grace along with a great support system in my journey to heal. This was such an amazing gift: to be able to make this recovery a journey of healing, rather than of doom and gloom. Just like the law of attraction, which is based on the principle that we can attract positive (or negative) energy with our thoughts, EFT allows us to change or eliminate negative thoughts and energy. The "law" states that you attract everything through your thoughts which become your focus and then it expands from there. It's as if you are emitting signals out to the world and attracting positive signals back to you. So our life becomes a physical manifestation of the thoughts we have. If we are in a bad place in our lives, it is difficult to make positive statements and resonate with it. However, when you use an energy tool, like EFT, you have the ability in a sense to overhaul your system, balance the energy so that your brain can accept a new set of positive reframes. And then the gift you've given yourself is a shift from a dark place of negativity to hope or empowerment or simply pure joy!

Ruth Stern is a licensed mental health therapist in Winter Park, Florida. She has been practicing for over 25 years and conducts workshops in the community. Having recently completed her advanced certificate for EFT, Ruth is happy to mail or fax the tapping points, so you can get started in your personal healing. She may be reached at (407) 671-9555. Or visit www.emofree.com for information and to watch an informative
video...you can also order a free info packet.