Emotional Freedom Techniques®
- Introductory Video
- How does EFT work?
- Origins of EFT
- What can it help with?
- Personal successes
- Advantages of EFT
- If EFT is so easy, why would I need to see a practitioner?
- Does it always work?
- How do I know if it will work for me?
- What is the EFT procedure?
- What happens in a session?
- How many sessions are needed?
- Can I do EFT on my own?
- Is there anyone who should not use EFT?
- How can I get started learning EFT?
View this introductory video on Gary Craig's website:
Emotional
Freedom Techniques (EFT) can be thought of as psychological acupressure
which often works where nothing else will.
It is based on the central
"Discovery Statement", that:
"All negative emotions are caused by a disruption of the body's energy system"
EFT
corrects these disruptions by stimulating the meridian system.
However, although it has proved
clinically effective countless times, the scientific basis for EFT
is not yet fully known - EFT should therefore be viewed as an experimental
technique.
EFT is one of many Meridian Techniques that make use of the 14 energy meridians that run throughout the body. These energy pathways have been known to the eastern traditions (e.g. Indian Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine systems) for over 4000 years and are the basis for Acupuncture, a therapy which is receiving increasing acceptance from the western medical community. Other physical therapies which make use of the meridian system include
Acupressure (Acupuncture without needles), Shiatsu (a form of massage), Touch for Health (a self-help system used for a wide variety of ailments) and Kinesiology.
The basic idea behind all Meridian Techniques is that health problems (including emotional issues) arise when the flow of energy round the body is blocked or disrupted in some way. Meridian Techniques work by restoring the energy flow.
In modern times, the use of meridian techniques goes back to the 60's and resulted in the development of Applied Kinesiology. In the 70's, a few psychiatrists began experimenting with using muscle testing as a diagnostic tool for psychotherapy. In
the 80's Dr Roger Callahan developed TFT (Thought Field Therapy) which involved tapping on specific meridian points while the client focussed on the issue at hand. Callahan specialised in phobia cures and was so successful (treating people in one or two sessions) he went out of business for a time!
In 1995, one of Callahan's students, Gary Craig, developed EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). Craig is a Stanford engineer by training and wanted a procedure which did not require lots of diagnostic
work to decide which points to tap and which was easy to learn and remember. He took the "100% overhaul" approach - which means tapping all the points, every time and for every issue. He then went about running many workshops and treating many people in order to take EFT to the public. Several other related techniques have since been developed by other people in the field and the area is growing fast. But because EFT is so user-friendly it remains the mainstay for many practitioners in this
area and for individuals looking for easy to learn self-help techniques. Gary Craig's website at www.emofree.com remains the definitive place to look for up to date information about EFT and its uses.
It can help with any form of negative emotion including fear, anger, grief, anxiety, painful memories, negative thoughts and limiting beliefs. However this short list does not do justice to the huge variety of specific issues which have been relieved using EFT. Gary Craig's manual and video training demonstrates EFT successfully used on the following conditions amongst others:
- Post-traumatic stress in war veterans, car crash victims and others
- Grief about childhood memories
- Anger towards parents and others
- Fear of public speaking, heights, flying, animals etc
- Cravings and addictions to food and cigarettes
- Guilt about childhood or relationships
- Inability to forgive self and others
- Self-blame and low self-esteem
In addition to emotional issues, EFT has often been found to be helpful for physical issues. This is because many physical issues have an emotional component. For instance, many migraine, asthma and eczema sufferers are well aware that stress can trigger these conditions - so it is often worthwhile using EFT on a physical issue to see if it can be removed or relieved. However, for physical issues you should always check for physical causes and consult your doctor, in addition to any emotional work you choose to do.
I have PERSONALLY successfully used EFT on the following issues :
- Painful memories
- Smoking cravings
- Chocolate cravings
- Jumpy legs
- Pre-interview nerves and confidence
- Fear of flying
- Fear of heights
- Headaches
- "Fuzzy head"
- Insomnia
- Anger towards others
- Frustration and anger over unemployment
- Inner turmoil
- Painful feet
- Stiff necks, arms, back and joints
- Itching
- Distress regarding a pet's health
- Work-related
stress
- Driving test nerves
- Panic attacks
- Getting over past relationships
- Relationship with food
- Increasing confidence
- Parental fears ("Am I a good mother")
- ....and many more.
The key advantage of EFT is it's simplicity. The EFT procedure is the same whatever the issue and whoever the person - all points are tapped on every time and for every issue. This means:
- It's easy to learn and remember for beginners and clients.
- Once people are familiar with the procedure they can use it wherever and whenever they like.
- People are not bound to see a therapist, especially for straightforward cases, unless they CHOOSE to - this puts choice and power back in the hands of the person.
- There is no need to perform diagnosis using muscle testing or other methods which require additional training - the "diagnosis" is simply what the person perceives to be the problem.
- A complete sequence takes around a minute - so you can see results quickly, or try out different Setup phrases with minimum effort.
- EFT does NOT involve having to talk in detail about upsetting issues. In fact it is possible to achieve results without the client ever explicitly saying what the issue is. Techniques such as the Tearless Trauma Technique allow painful memories to be completely cleared without the client ever getting into a state of severe distress. If your issue relates to a past trauma, or simply if you fear being overwhelmed by emotion, be sure to check that your practitioner knows about Tearless Trauma Technique.
- EFT engages both the conscious mind (by saying setup statements) AND the physical/energy system (by tapping). This acknowledges the close relationship between body and mind and involves both in the healing process - achieving a much more holistic effect, in my experience. Often the EFT process uncovers insights and realisations, further bringing body and mind in alignment - and this is often appealing to those who like to not simply receive emotional healing but also want to understand the problem on a conscious level.
- EFT explicitly identifies and deal with blocks or resistance to healing. For instance, if someone is experiencing stress but has a belief that "I need stress in order to motivate me" - then this belief could undermine the effectiveness of the technique. EFT is able to identify and UNDO these limiting beliefs as part of the process.
NB
- Although EFT has all the advantages listed above, this is not
intended to imply anything negative about any other techniques for
dealing with emotional issues. The list above is simply to allow
you to see whether EFT has features that appeal to you and your
preferences. For instance - some people like to talk in depth about
their issues and may prefer a counselling type of therapy. Some
people don't want to engage their conscious attention on an issue
and prefer a therapy which works purely on the physical or energetic
levels (e.g. massage or reiki).
If EFT is so easy, why would I need to see a practitioner?
In many cases you wouldn't. When I was starting to learn EFT (long before I got my practitioner certificate) I achieved success on many issues simply by following the basic procedure as described in Gary Craig's manual. Many other people have had success with EFT just working by themselves and you may want to get started on your own using the EFT QuickStart Manual. But there are some situations where working with a trained practitioner is recommended:
- Some issues by their very nature involve strong feelings and painful memories. Examples might be extreme trauma or upsetting childhood memories. For issues like this, even thinking about the possibility of working on them can provoke distress. However, working with an experienced practitioner will ensure that the session is paced in a way that ensures your emotional safety and well-being without resulting in overwhelming levels of emotion. A trained practitioner will be able to ensure that you complete each session in a positive and calm emotional state, even if there is more work to be done later.
- Some people just prefer working with someone else. Reading manuals and getting started CAN be a barrier to some people, especially if they are busy. By going to a practitioner you can be sure of learning the procedure correctly as well as quickly.
- There are a set of common reasons for EFT not to work first time, or to achieve partial success but to not clear completely. A practitioner will be familiar with these and know what to do to correct them and make progress.
- Some issues are not straightforward. Sometimes the reason for an issue is hidden below the surface and it is helpful to have a practitioner to ask questions and get to the root of what's going on, using the right language and so on.
Think of it like DIY. While
there may be many DIY tasks around the home that you feel confident
about doing yourself, there will always be some jobs that are too
big or too complicated to handle by yourself - for these tasks you
will be saving time and distress in the long run by getting outside
help.
No-one
has claimed 100% success rates for all people at all times and for
all issues.
It is estimated that beginners can achieve
50-80% success just using the basic mechanical procedure and without
additional training.
Increased success rates can be achieved
by trained practitioners who have experience in how to work with
a client to identify the root of a problem and formulate effective
language to help the client "tune in" to the issue. With
this type of training, success rates are estimated to be well over
80%.
In general, success rates for physical issues appear
to be lower than for emotional ones, simply because, of course,
many physical issues also have a physical root that requires physical
treatment.
EFT does not claim to cure particular
diseases - but it can be very helpful in managing symptoms (e.g.
pain, itching) and in reducing negative feelings about having the
disease (fear, stress, anger, guilt etc). And of course, relieving
the burden of pain and negativity can assist the overall physical
healing process.
How do I know if it will work for me?
I am often asked this by clients, especially if they have tried other methods for their problem before with only limited success. It's natural to want some assurance about the liklihood of success before handing over yet more money.
The honest answer to this one is - we don't know until we try!
If you call or email and briefly tell me your problem, I can tell you if other people with your problem have been helped by EFT in the past - or you can look up some case histories on www.emofree.com and see for yourself. But there is no absolute guarantee that it will work for you - any more than a doctor can absolutely guarantee that a particular medication or operation will be successful in your case.
However, it is possible to assess someone's general receptivity to EFT before we start work - often over the phone before any appointment is booked. If you haven't used EFT before then I will guide you through a short exercise on an issue unrelated to your main problem. If you have used EFT before successfully on ANY issue, it means your energy system does respond to EFT. If the issue then doesn't seem to respond to EFT initially this simply means there is more work to do to find the root cause (the beliefs or reversals keeping the problem in place).
If you
want to test your own receptivity before making an appointment,
you can have a go at using EFT yourself by downloading my QuickStart
Manual - or
getting Gary Craig's manual from www.emofree.com.
EFT involves no drugs, no needles and no special equipment. To apply EFT, you repeat phrases describing the issue involved (Anger, Grief etc), while gently tapping on a sequence of 14 meridian points on the face and hands. The full procedure is described in the EFT QuickStart Manual on this website.
The initial session is usually 2 hours and consists of taking relevant details about your history and the issue you want to work on, agreeing your criteria for success, and tuition in EFT. Subsequent sessions can be 1 hour or 2 hours depending on what you want.
Sessions can be successfully carried out over the phone, although face to face sessions are available by arrangement. The only necessity for phone sessions is that
you are familiar with the location of the points to be tapped on. These can be easily learned by looking at the EFT QuickStart manual downloadable from this site. Alternatively I can email you a diagram of the points before the session.
Applying EFT happens from the very first session, and for some very specific emotional issues one session MAY be all you need.
It is important to be clear about your success criteria because as one or more issues are cleared with EFT, it is usual for other issues
to present themselves which perhaps did not seem so pressing before.
Specific and straightforward issues may only need 1 or 2 sessions to achieve significant results. A "specific issue" means a specific traumatic memory involving a single incident (such as a car crash, burglary, or childhood trauma).
More complicated issues with many aspects and layers may need a longer series of sessions to clear thoroughly. Examples of issues where you should expect there to be many aspects include:
- Any type of addiction or craving issue such as food or smoking
- Issues involving
many memories relating to the same issue such as repeated trauma
- Issues where the emotional causes are unknown
- Issues involving current and ongoing triggers such as work stress, relationship issues or family worries
- Or some phobias with many aspects and unknown origins.
You will learn the full EFT procedure in the first session, so you can continue to make progress in between sessions, potentially reducing the number of sessions you need overall.
It is common that as issues get cleared with EFT, other issues emerge which didn't seem so important to start with or which had been forgotten. It is totally your choice whether to continue with further sessions to clear these issues, or to work on these yourself in your own time.
At the first session I will discuss with you your criteria for success, so that we ensure focus on the most important issue for you and so that we both know when we're done. It's my general aim to achieve your goal in as few sessions as possible, while making sure you have everything you need to use EFT on your own whenever you want to.
Yes. Once you are familiar with the technique you are completely empowered to do additional EFT between sessions and after the last session on any other emotional issue you wish. You may also want to try out EFT for yourself using the EFT QuickStart Manual from this website.
However, there are a few people who should not use EFT by themselves...
Is there anyone who should not use EFT?
Although EFT has no known negative side effects, it can bring memories and feelings to the surface which some people may find hard to handle. In a practitioner supervised session, these can be managed and neutralised without causing undue distress i.e. you might experience strong emotions momentarily, but I take great care to ensure that clients are brought into a calm state within a minute or two if this does happen. But if you are a beginner working alone, you may not want to bring up strong feelings unless you feel confident that you can cope with them.
In particular, people with diagnosed psychiatric conditions (such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, disassociative disorder, clinical OCD - or any other condition where a severe emotional reaction could occur) should not use EFT without the knowledge and supervision of their doctor or therapist.
People with epilepsy are also advised not to use the tapping form of EFT since the rhythmic nature of the tapping may in theory be an epileptic trigger.Touching or gently massaging the points is a safe alternative for people with a risk of epilepsy.
How can I get started learning EFT?
Get your free EFT Get Started Package from Gary Craig's website.
Alternatively download my own QuickStart Manual. Just 7 pages long, it distils the essential information beginners need to get started with minimal background or elaboration
Download EFT QuickStart Manual now (311k)
(pdf file, viewable using Acrobat Reader. Download it free from the Acrobat website.)
What if I want to go further with EFT?
Check out additional training options in the Training section.
