About EFT

ABOUT EFT...

WHAT IS EFT?
EFT is an exciting new technique that is becoming widely used to help overcome a wide range of psychological and physical problems. In its most basic form, it involves tapping eight key points (mostly on the face) that link to the main meridians in our energy system, while focusing on the problem to be solved. EFT is used to relieve anxiety, alleviate fears, cure phobias and to "neutralise" unpleasant or traumatic memories, amongst many other things. (It can also, quite simply, improve your mood from one moment to the next!) It is an extraordinarily effective, quick, and gentle therapy: underlying issues (if any) that might need addressing tend to emerge swiftly and to be surprisingly speedily resolved.

EFT can be used for minor everyday matters or ailments just as well as for deeper-seated issues. Unlike many complementary therapies, "tapping" is quick and easy to learn and is something that you can easily do by yourself. While initially working with a practitioner is extremely helpful, you will soon be equipped with a tool for life that you can use on your own, wherever and whenever you please.

WHAT IS IT USED FOR?
The technique has proven effective in so many areas, it is not possible to list them all. As the originator of EFT, Gary Craig,* suggests, if in doubt we "try it on everything."

A partial list of the successful use of EFT includes (in alphabetical order): addictions, anger, anxiety, backache, eating disorders, compulsions, depression, fears, grief, guilt, insomina, headaches, learning disabilities, low self esteem, migraines, nightmares, obsessions, panic attacks, pain management, phobias (agoraphobia, claustrophobia, snakes, spiders, etc.), physical aches and pains, post-traumatic stress, resentment, sadness, shame, sports performance, and weight loss. It also has many applications for children, such as ADD, bedwetting, bullying, etc.

* visit Gary Craig's website

HOW DOES EFT WORK? WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL?
We know from brain imaging techniques (such as MRI) that when we stimulate the points used in EFT (either with needles, or electrically, or by tapping), it is the "emotional" part of the brain that "lights up" and activated. We also know that when we are talking it is the logical, reasoning part of the brain that is active.

In traditional talk therapy, we rely on the logical side of the brain to do the job: we try to talk ourselves out of feeling the way we feel. (This, as many of us know for ourselves, is limitedly effective, often time-consuming, and not always immediately rewarding: it's not uncommon for a patient to leave a talk therapy session feeling enlightened as to the roots of their problem, but thoroughly disheartened!)

The connection (as in the neural pathways) between the logical and the emotional parts of the human brain is not at present particularly well developed. This is something we sort of know empirically: when overwhelmed by an emotion, it's hard to be rational, sensible, and logical. (To test this: next time you're really angry or upset, see if you can stay with the feeling and simultaneously work out the square root of 64, multiplied by three, minus 8...Or, see how you react, when you're furious, and someone tells you to "calm down" and "be reasonable"!)

What is so clever and unique—I believe—about EFT is that we are simultaneously activating the emotional part of the brain (by tapping the points) and engaging the logical side (by using words). The results are far swifter and more effective when we are firing on these two cylinders, rather than one.

HOW DOES EFT CLEAR PHOBIAS?
Let's first consider a normal response to danger:
If confronted by a tiger in your backyard, you will have an instant reaction: fight, flight or freeze. This reflex response is triggered by the amygdala, the part of the brain that appropriately alerts us to threat. As chemicals (such as adrenaline) are released into the bloodstream, your heart rate and blood pressure will increase; blood will be diverted from the brain to your muscles, facilitating a quick getaway. (In the case of the tiger, this is extremely helpful!)

Now let's consider, by contrast, the case of a person with e.g. a spider phobia:
Merely looking at a picture of a spider will typically set off this same chain reaction, causing entirely inappropriate panic.

Tapping the key EFT points, while focusing on the idea of a spider, appears to send calming impulses directly to the amygdala, significantly and demonstrably reducing the the alarm response. Repeating the procedure a few times effectively "retrains" the brain not to react with panic to a harmless photograph.

(This explanation is adpated from "The Healing Power of EFT & Energy Psychology" by David Feinstein, Donna Eden & Gary Craig, published by Piatkus Books Ltd in 2006)

HOW MIGHT THIS APPLY TO YOU?
While you may not actually have a phobia, it's possible that there are certain situations in which you find yourself "over-reacting."
Perhaps certain situations or people (mother/father/child/spouse/sibling/boss/colleague/ neighbor) routinely irritate you? While you can't change them, by focusing on the "trigger" person or event and tapping, you can change the way you feel in the present, and how you are therefore likely to react in the future.
You may also be troubled by uncomfortable feelings in the present or by past memories.
(Sometimes, our reactions are—often subconsciously— linked to something in our past. In such cases, EFT is an extremely swift and effective tool for uncovering and neutralising the issues that underlie behaviors or feelings we are not happy with.)

TAP YOUR WAY TO HAPPINESS!
Having used EFT to release uncomfortable memories and any limiting beliefs that stand in your way (my teacher said I was stupid, so I must be...I'm not good enough...it's only a matter of time until people discover that I'm a fraud...I'll never be thin / fit / wealthy / wise / happy...I'll never find a partner...), you can use the same technique to help you forge ahead and reach your goals.
Think of it, perhaps, as first spring-cleaning your home, then deciding, with excitement and confidence, to go ahead and redecorate!

DO YOU EVEN NEED A PRACTITIONER?
Possibly not. It rather depends how intuitive you are about yourself and what might lie beneath the surface of whatever problems you are experiencing. While you can certainly download the manual (for free) from Gary Craig's website and teach yourself the technique, it is often easier to work with a caring, perceptive individual who will listen carefully to you as you outline the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that make up the picture of your problem. (And if you think or know that seriously troubling issues might surface—e.g. childhood abuse of any kind—you would be well advised to work with a professional who can help you feel safe and be your guide as you navigate deep waters.)

The technique as used currently by most practitioners includes shortcuts and helpful variations that are not in the manual, and omits certain steps that—while they can be helpful in some situations—are not strictly necessary. My advice would be, if in doubt, to start off with a practitioner as the safest way to proceed. After that, you will most likely be able to steam ahead on your own!