ACUPOINTS: The ending points, on the surface of the skin, of the body's inner meridians or energy channels. These are what one taps on when doing EFT; see Tapping Points, below. (There are many more acupoints on the body than the ones used in EFT, but the small number that Gary Craig has identified as key players — by a process of trial and error and elimination — do the job extremely effectively.)

ACUPUNCTURE: The traditional Chinese medicine practice of inserting and manipulating special needles to stimulate acupoints along the body's meridians (or energy channels). EFT is sometimes described as "like acupuncture, but without the needles."

ACUPRESSURE: The same principle as for acupuncture, but pressure, rather than needles, is applied to the acupoints.

ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder, a common (arguably over-diagnosed) learning problem that affects large numbers of schoolchildren. EFT is proving very effective in treating the symptoms of ADD (for which the drug Ritalin is normally prescribed), and is being used to excellent effect by educator Don A. Blackerby (Ph.D.) in his pioneering work. (Don Blackerby is the author of Rediscover the Joy of Learning, and features on Gary Craig's second EFT Specialty Workshop DVDs.)

ADV: Initials you may see after an EFT practitioner's name, indicating that they have been awarded both The Basic EFT Certificate of Completion (see below, under CC), and the Advanced EFT Certificate of Completion, a written exam based on Gary Craig's advanced series "Steps Toward Becoming the Ultimate Therapist" DVDs. This exam is not administered by Gary Craig, but has his endorsement. It does not represent "legal certification" (a concept which does not exist for EFT).

AFFIRMATIONS: Many people have been successfully using affirmations — positive / wishful-thinking statements about oneself — for years (Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better and better, was much in vogue at the turn of the last century). Others have been turned off, finding them hokey / ineffective / overly self-centered / New Age-y etc. The question is explored in some depth, and quite persuasively, by Gary Craig in the Palace of Possiblities DVD series. He notes that affirmations do work: the question is what we are actually affirming. If we choose to say to ourselves I'm wonderfully thin and totally gorgeous!...and if this thought is followed by an inner Ha! Who am I kidding? We all know I'm fat and ugly! the latter (unspoken) statement is the real affirmation, the one that informs our reaction when we look in the mirror, for example.

APEX EFFECT: a disbelieving response to EFT in which a person finds a different rationale for feeling better and discounts tapping as the cause of beneficial changes. You just distracted me from my problem / It's the talking that helped, not the tapping...etc. This is quite normal, especially with people trying EFT for the first time. It is also common for people to forget the original intensity they had on an issue once it has been resolved. It's true I'm not really angry / upset / fearful anymore...but it wasn't such a big deal, I was probably ready to move on anyway...

ASPECTS: different facets that may make up what is seen a single "problem:" fear of flying, for example, might contain several aspects, such as fear of heights, of small spaces, of crashing, etc., each of which should ideally be treated as separate issues. After successfully defusing one issue — I'm so mad at my boss for shouting at me this morning! — another aspect well may come popping up in its place—and he doesn't pay me enough!. One needs to be on the lookout for new aspects surfacing: in the example given, one might still be feeling generally irked at one's boss after tapping on the first statement, fail to notice that it was a new aspect/issue making one cross, and erroneously conclude that EFT hadn't worked. Similarly, with physical pains, if you banish a headache, this may pave the way for you to notice a pain in some other part of the body. This other pain was already present, but masked by the headache, and now needs addressing with a new round of tapping.

BASIC RECIPE: The term used in Gary Craig's EFT Manual to describe the exact procedure for using EFT — how to do the "setup," which points to tap, and so on. This protocol is very clearly explained in the manual (downloadable by clicking on Gary Craig's free EFT manual ) and is to be found on pages 20 to 32.

BN: Abbreviation for the (not-often used) Below Nipple tapping point. It is omitted largely for modesty reasons: while one can fairly unobtrusively tap the other EFT points in public, this one is awkward for women. It is located, for men, about three inches down from the nipple; for women, it is where the skin on the underside of the breast meets the ribcage.

CB: abbreviation for the Collarbone tapping point. Slightly misnamed, as it's a point, slightly to the left or right, where the ribcage meets the collarbone. The easiest way to cover this point is to a) make a fist and gently tap, with four knuckles, on the point where the knot of a tie would be if you were wearing one, or b) spread fingers in a loose claw formation and tap both sides at once with all five fingertips. (See picture on my Homepage.)

CC: Initials attached to an EFT practitioner's name, indicating that they have been awarded the Basic EFT Certificate of Completion, a written exam based on Gary Craig's foundational series of DVDs. This exam is not administered by Gary Craig, but has his endorsement. It does not represent "legal certification" (a concept which does not exist for EFT).

CHOICES: this typically refers to a variation of EFT pioneered by EFT Master Pat Carrington. It involves tapping as normal, but making a positive "choice" in the setup statement rather than using the I deeply and completely accept myself default phrase. An example would be Even though I'm very anxious about this interview, I choose to feel supremely calm and confident. (See Patricia Carrington's site for more details.)

COMFORT ZONE: shorthand for everything that we are used to, that is safe and comfortable and not challenging. (See, by contrast, the Palace of Possibilities entry.)

CORE ISSUE: a key underlying issue that will usually need to be identified and defused before a problem can be fully resolved. In other words, the root cause of a problem.

EB: short for the Eyebrow tapping point, located just above the beginning of where the eyebrow starts.

EFT: short for Emotional Freedom Techniques. An innovative tapping technique for releasing troublesome emotions or physical aches and pains. The key principle underlying EFT is, in the words of its originator, Gary Craig, "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system." Clearing the disruption, by tapping, clears the negative emotion (which, in turn, often underlies a physical symptom).

EMDR: This is unconnected to EFT, but is mentioned from time to time as an adjunct technique used by some EFT practitioners. It stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, described (by an EMDR website) as "a complex psychological methodology which accelerates the treatment of a wide range of pathologies." Lori Lorenz, who features in Gary Craig's first EFT Specialty Workshop DVDs, mentions that she views EMDR as something of a "can opener" (opening a can of worms) and EFT as the ideal technique for then "emptying" the can.

ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY : This is a relatively new umbrella term used to describe various therapies, notably EFT, that both draw from the traditional principles of psychotherapy and use the body's energy system to promote enhanced emotional health.

ENERGY TOXINS : Certain substances (e.g., alcohol, caffeine, nicotine cleaning fluids, etc.) that could, in theory, interfere with the success of EFT. (Note: In my experience, many hearty ingesters of "toxic" substances do very well with EFT!)

FOREST: A metaphor used by Gary Craig (in the Basic Manual and on the DVDs) and widely adopted by others in the field, the image of a forest is used to describe a person's general problem (such as self-image) as a forest made up of individual "trees." To quote from the manual: "I liken the general problem to a diseased forest in which each of the underlying specific issues is a negative tree. The forest, at first, is so densely populated with trees that it may seem impossible to find your way out. To some, it may even seem like a jungle. When we neutralize each specific event in our lives, we are, effectively, cutting down a negative tree. Continue cutting down these trees and, after a while, the forest will have thinned out so you can walk out of it rather easily. Each toppled tree represents another degree of emotional freedom."

GENERALIZATION EFFECT: A fascinating feature of EFT: after a number of related problems have been addressed, the process often has a generalized positive effect. For example, someone who has a hundred traumatic memories of being abused may find that after neutralizing just five to ten of these memories the rest — without ever being directly addressed — have also been defused.

KC: short for the Karate Chop tapping point, used in the "Setup." The fleshy point on the side of the hand, midway between the base of your little finger and where your wrist begins. The KC is usually tapped on with four fingers (index to little finger) of the opposite hand.

KINESIOLOGY: A diagnostic method that uses muscle testing to elicit information from the unconscious mind.

MASTER: This is an EFT designation for those practitioners (growing in number, but still a limited population) who are currently at the top of the field, and have personally been vetted by, and worked with, Gary Craig. A list of Masters can be found by clicking on EFT Masters.

MERIDIAN: The concept of meridians (the body's inter-connected channels of energy) derives from traditional Chinese medicine, and underpins the practice of acupuncture, acupressure, kinesiology and EFT. Disruptions in the body's energy (which is also known as qi or chi) has long been believed to be the cause of emotional and physical problems. Working on specific points on the meridians known as acupoints tends to offer swift relief.

MOVIE TECHNIQUE: As with the "Tearless Trauma" Technique (below), this is a protective, distancing, way of using EFT to help a person deal with traumatic memories as painlessly as possible. (This is not a technique one can use on oneself, but requires the help of a skilled practitioner.)

MUSCLE TESTING: This technique is used by kinesiologists, and by many EFT practitioners, to elicit information from the unconscious mind, such as, for example, whether a client is actually ready to give up smoking, or to start dieting. (The results of muscle testing often contradict what a client says and believes he or she wants; this ties in with the concept of psychological reversal.) There are many examples of different ways to do muscle testing on the Steps Toward Becoming The Ultimate Therapist DVDs. Many EFT practitioners, however (myself included), rarely use it.

NLP: Short for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, NLP studies the ways humans think and experience the world, and is a tool much used by EFT practitioners, many of whom have undertaken formal training in it. In simplified terms, it is a process that (amongst other things) teaches one how to look at a situation differently ("reframing" ), to mimic the patterns of successful people ("modelling"), and to access at will a desired state—e.g. calm confidence—(by "anchoring"), all with the ultimate goal of helping one reach one's full potential.
A more formal definition (from the online Wikipedia encyclopedia) is: "a field of human endeavor concerned with empirically studying and modeling human performance and excellence, with the goal of creating transferable skill sets."
NLP was founded by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s.

NINE-GAMUT POINT: An acupressure point on the back of the hand, which is tapped continuously while making certain eye movements. Part of a "brain balancing" exercise that used to be an integral part of the EFT tapping sequence, it is now frequently omitted since the "Basic Recipe" works just as well without it most of the time.

ONE-MINUTE WONDERS: An expression used to conjure up the miraculously quick results EFT can achieve. Long-standing phobias, for example, are often very swiftly disarmed in a matter of minutes. (Some issues, naturally, take longer. See PERSISTENCE entry.)

PALACE OF POSSIBILITIES: a metaphor coined by Gary Craig. The premise is that we each live in a "palace" full of wonderful, often unexplored, rooms. Our tendency, within this palace, is to stay within our "comfort zone," e.g. in just a few safe and familar rooms. The metaphor forms the basis of the inspiring Palace of Possibilities series of DVDs.

PERSISTENCE: While EFT works at the speed of light compared with other therapies, there are times when it is necessary to use the technique consistently and persistently over a period of time to gain relief. ("If at first you don't succeeed...try, try again!")

PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in the wake of experiencing or witnessing life-threatening events such as military combat, terrorist incidents, natural disasters, violent personal assault or rape. EFT has been remarkably effective with ex-soldiers from Vietnam who, despite many years of counseling and other support, continue to suffer debilitating symptoms such as insomnia, night sweats, nightmares, flashbacks, paranoia in public places and so on. Watching Gary Craig and Adrienne Fowlie working with Vietnam vets (on the Basic Course DVDs) is one of the quickest and most unequivocal ways of banishing skepticism about whether EFT works.

PSYCHOLOGICAL REVERSAL / PR: This can be thought of as the self-sabotaging, often unconscious, thoughts or beliefs we have that prevent us from feeling at peace with ourselves or reaching our goals. The "Setup" part of the tapping procedure is geared to counteract this by orienting our psyche in the right direction for what we want to achieve. PR, as it is often referred to, is typically present with addictions and depression.

SE: abbreviation for the Side of Eye tapping point. The outer corner of the eye (towards your ear, rather than your nose), on the bone, as close to the eye as possible without actually poking yourself.

SELF-TALK: What you say to yourself in a given situation. Suppose you drop a glass on the floor, for example: are you more likely to say to yourself Bother, I dropped a glass, oh well, never mind, or Why am I so clumsy, I'm always dropping things, I'm such an idiot (etc.)?
The (often rude and mean) things we unconsciously say to ourselves can have a profoundly destructive effect on our level of happiness. EFT, especially when used in a sustained way, has a remarkable way of transforming our self-talk from negative to positive/non-judgmental.

SETUP: The first step in a round EFT tapping, in which you correctly orient yourself (psychologically and energetically) to address the issue you wish to deal with. It can be thought of as setting out the ingredients before cooking—a crucial first step. The Setup involves tapping continuously on the Karate Chop point while stating both the problem and a corollary positive affirmation or choice. The setup effectively counteracts psychological reversal/one's resistance to solving the issue at hand.

SHORTCUTS: There are many shortcuts that can further speed up an already very swift procedure, and these are explained on Gary Craig's DVDs. The "shortcut" tapping points (smaller in number than those listed in the manual, and currently used by most practioners) are: EB, SE, UE, UN, CH, CB, UA and TH (see individual entries).

(BEING) SPECIFIC: EFT usually works best when a problem is broken down into the specific events that underlie it, and when each event is individually addressed and neutralized. A belief such as I'm hopeless in relationships does not come from nowhere. Tapping on the individual events that helped form this belief will undermine it to the point where it will soon seem untrue or inapplicable.

SUDS: short for Subjective Units of Distress Scale: a scale from 0 to 10 used to rate intensity on a particular issue, where 0 = not troubled at all and 10 = extremely intense. One way of measuring improvement with EFT is to define a "SUDS" level on a particular issue before tapping, then again afterwards; it's not unusual for the intensity of a feeling to drop from a 10 to a 0 in a few rounds of tapping. (Making a note of SUDS levels before and after tapping can help counteract the "apex" effect, defined above.)

TAIL-ENDERS: unconscious "Yes, But" thoughts that can interfere with a goal or an affirmation: I'd like to lose weight, for example, might contain several "tail-enders" that would need to be tapped away, such as But then I'll be hungry all the time... or I won't be able to eat the same meals as my family / I'll never manage it / It's my metabolism that stops me losing weight / Diets don't work, at least not for me... etc.

TAB: Short for Touch and Breathe, this is a variation on EFT in which you touch (but do not tap on) the same usual points and take a slow breath. TAB can be helpful for those with fragile skin (i.e. the elderly) or if normal tapping is for any reason uncomfortable or impractical.

TAPPING POINTS: The acupressure points to tap on when doing EFT (typically using the pad of your index and middle finger). These are abbreviated to EB (eyebrow), SE (side of eye), UE (under eye), UN (under nose), CH (chin), CB (collarbone), UA (under arm) and TH (top of head). A further point, often omitted, is known as BN (below nipple). There are also the finger points: TH (thumb), IF (index finger) MF (middle finger), BF (Baby Finger).

TEARLESS TRAUMA TECHNIQUE: A protective distancing mechanism used in EFT to help a person deal with traumatic memories as painlessly as possible. (For details, see Gary Craig's website; a moving example of the technique is demonstrated in the EFT sessions with Vietnam Vets, which features in the Basic Course DVD series.) As with the Movie Technique (above), this is not something one can use for oneself, but requires the help of a skilled practitioner.

TAT: short for Tapas Acupressure Technique, this is a variation of EFT, pioneered by Tapas Fleming. Details may be found on the TAT website. Tapas demonstrates the technique on Gary Craig's Steps to Becoming the Ultimate Therapist DVDs, neutralising long-standing allergies for a couple of workshop participants in a matter of minutes.

TESTING: In the context of EFT, this refers to thoroughly checking whether the issue that is being worked on has or has not reduced in intensity. If a client, for example, after a few rounds of tapping says "OK, I'm fine now with the fact that my wife left me," a follow-up "testing" (tongue-in-cheek) question by the practitioner might be "Are you sure? I mean, if she left you, doesn't that mean you were deficient in some way?" The client whose issue is, indeed, resolved, will tend to laugh this off. A client who isn't yet at peace with the issue will react in such a way that the practitioner knows there is more work to be done.

TH: abbreviation for the Top of Head point. This does not feature in Gary Craig's original manual, but is commonly used now, both by him and other EFT practitioners. The point was drawn to his attention by a delegation of acupuncturists, who felt its significance to the meridian system should not be overlooked. (It is known in Chinese medicine as The Meeting of A Hundred Paths.)

TFT: Short for Thought Field Therapy, TFT was pioneered some 40 years ago by Dr Roger Callahan, a clinical psychologist in the US. Callahan derived TFT (which is the precursor of EFT) from the combined principles of acupuncture and applied kinesiology. (He is famous for suddenly—and permanently—curing his patient Mary of her lifelong, debilitating, water phobia, by tapping her briefly under the eye, the end point pf the stomach meridian.) Gary Craig, having trained under Roger Callahan, simplified and refined TFT significantly, named the new technique EFT, and set out to make it freely available to all on the internet.

TREES: A metaphor for the specific issues that, taken together, form a general problem (such as poor self-esteem). See the FOREST entry, above.

UE: abbreviation for the Under the Eye tapping point: this is located just under the center of either eye, quite close to the eye (you can feel it as a bony spot.)

UN: abbreviation for the Under the Nose tapping point: in the dimple/indentation just under your nose and above your upper lip.

UA: abbreviation for the Under the Arm tapping point: to find this point, lift up (either) arm and, with the flat of your hand, tap the area that falls a) directly under the armpit and b) is in line with your nipple.

WRITING ON THE WALLS: A powerful metaphor of Gary Craig's, expanded on in the Palace of Possibilities DVDs. The theory goes thus: the "rooms" we live in contain writing on the walls, which we constantly consult as a reference point when making decisions or judgments, or when deciding how to react. Some of this "writing" is helpful, some not. A key point is that we tend to be unaware of what is actually on our walls, which may include a certain amount of hand-me-down "wisdom" that is either unhelpful or untrue or both (carrots help you see in the dark, to give a benign example.) Some of the writing we have put there ourselves. Other writing come from parents / teachers / religious sources / siblings / literature etc. An example of an unhelpful piece of writing, could be don't get too excited...you'll only be disappointed. Or men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses...(an old-fashioned one, that!) or Rich people are greedy. On the other hand, "Stop Drop and Roll" (writing I've intentionally installed on my children's "walls") is useful advice to have on your walls (or up your sleeve) if your clothes should catch fire.
A refinement of the metaphor is that the writing on our walls is not indelible, as it is inscribed in chalk. Anything unhelpful written on your walls, including negative and limiting beliefs about yourself (I'll never be successful at anything), is therefore easily erasable with EFT.