EFT: EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHINQUE

Introduction
Recommended Links
Uses For EFT
A Practitioner's Perspective
Basic Instructions
Tapping Points
Jo Hainsworth's Story

When 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 can be 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.”

After limited study and use of EFT techniques, 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.

~

Recommend Links for Information and the Official EFT Website:

Jo Hainsworth, a regular contributor to the official EFT newsletter has an informative website and a wonderful new book about EFT ("You CAN Heal with EFT") available FREE on her website, www.selfheal4me.com. I highly recommend this site - Jo is a great source of inspiration and her approach to healing, including the use of EFT, is worthwhile reading.

Ruth Stern is an EFT practitioner who does in-person and phone sessions. For information about Ruth and for additional details about EFT check out her website, www.taptotransform.com. Also click here to view the Guest Speaker article she wrote for Heal With Hope: Guest Speaker article by Ruth Stern.

Gary Craig, founder of EFT, shares his life-changing technique with the world on the official EFT website: www.emofree.com. There you will be able to view a video that may better help to explain the technique, as well as have the opportunity to sign up to receive a FREE copy of the EFT Instruction Manual. This manual will provide greater detail about the technique, how to use it and testimonials. You can also purchase DVD’s that teach the various techniques, as well as find a practitioner in your area, which I would highly recommend. Learning the technique is relatively easy, but really delving into the emotional and core issues can be more challenging, but well worth the effort. And many EFT professionals are trained in "positive tapping" - instead of only tapping away negative emotion and symptoms, there is a technique for then tapping on the positive, for example the way it is you want to feel.

~

Uses for 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, youare suffering with a headache after having a stressful day - perhaps you are anxious about something that happened, in which case you would use EFT to tap away the anxiety...or you are angry with someone - use EFT to tap away the anger.

~

A Practitioner's Perspective:

Ruth Stern, EFT practitioner and licensed mental health counselor has graciously allowed us to reprint the following EFT facts, along with the basic tapping techniques, from her website: www.taptotransform.com.

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.

~

Tapping diagram was used with permission of Gloria Arenson, author of Five Simple Steps To Emotional Healing.

~

EFT Tapping Points

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.

~

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