What is EFT?

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques and was brought to us by a Stanford Engineer called Gary Craig (US). We do EFT by tapping on certain acupressure points, originating from eastern energy medicine, while focusing on issues we want change in. By tapping, massaging or simply holding a series of energy points of the face, upper body and hands whilst breathing comfortably, we are stimulating the energy system. When we look at problems we want to overcome with EFT you are asked to tune into the symptom, which reactivates the amygdala, however the subsequent tapping of acupressure points then calms the amygdala and persuades the body that nothing wrong is happening right now – so it doesn’t need to produce stress hormones. The body releases the distress and returns to operating in a more peaceful way. People have experienced relief and overcome problems by releasing blocks with EFT which have kept the problem stuck in the energy field. They are often amazed – and I include myself here many times over – at how different they feel even after one tapping round. EFT has been reported successful in thousands of cases covering a huge range of emotional, health and performance issues. It often works where nothing else does.

How can EFT benefit me?

EFT dissolves blocks to your happiness allowing you to move forward in your life and achieve the things you really want. There is an endless supply of life force energy, and with EFT we learn to literally tap into it, and release what is no longer serving us, as well as drawing in new qualities as in the case of Positive EFT. If you want to really thrive and overcome difficulties and achieve your goals try EFT; it is easy to learn, it’s completely natural and non-invasive and doesn’t involve any drugs, it self-applied and you can take it anywhere (many’s the time clients have told me when they were away from home and in company they tapped in the bathroom). It usually works very rapidly, gently and with long lasting results. Tapping has also been shown to increase the production of endorphins and help in overcoming cravings in the case of comfort eating. Try it on everything.

What sort of things can EFT help with?

Everything. Literally…

Modern Energy EFT and Positive EFT

Silvia Hartmann, the chairperson of the Guild of Energists, UK is the founder of Modern Energy EFT and Positive EFT which are evolutions of the classical EFT style brought to us by Gary Craig. The tapping points are slightly different from classical EFT as well as the set up. There are many different evolutions of EFT since Gary Craig’s original method, I tend to use Modern Energy EFT and Positive EFT nowadays, but some of my older YouTube videos are more classical EFT style, since this is what I used to use.

Not only that, in Modern Energy EFT the focus is not just on relief from symptoms, but there is a focus on the positive. For example the SUDS scale (Subjective Units of Distress) which focuses on how distressed we are, aiming to remove the distress and come from the minuses back to zero. In Modern Energy EFT we use the SUE scale (Subjective Units of Experience) which goes from minus ten all the way through to plus ten. With this in mind, we can look at the distress we feel as being in the minuses but also allowing the possibility of a corresponding opposite. A good example might be someone who has a fear of not having enough money, being a minus five, well a plus five might be that person feeling overjoyed as they realise they have plenty of ways of attracting money and are feeling much more abundance in their vibration (which helps to attract money, by the way).

Positive EFT uses the same techniques as Energy EFT but you think of what you want and tap on that. For example if you want more focus in your life you might tap on ‘focus,’ and then as the energy starts to improve and come in for you, you can change it to ‘more focus,’ etc. You can tell when the flow of energy is increasing as you may feel tingling, happy, lighter in your body, excited, and so on.

A little history of EFT

EFT’s forerunner was TFT (Thought Field Therapy) and was developed by American psychotherapist Dr Roger Callahan (1925 to 2013). In 1980 Dr. Callahan was working with a patient, Mary, for an intense water phobia. She suffered from frequent headaches and terrifying nightmares, both of which were related to her fear of water. To seek help, she had been going from therapist to therapist for years….with no material improvement. Dr. Callahan tried to help her by conventional means for a year and a half. He didn’t make much headway either.

Dr Callahan had been studying the body’s energy system and decided, out of curiosity, to tap with his fingertips under Mary’s eyes (an end point of the stomach meridian), since she had been complaining of stomach discomfort. To his astonishment, she announced immediately that her phobia was gone and she raced down to a nearby swimming pool and began throwing water in her face. No fear. No headaches. It all went away….including the nightmares. And it has never returned. She is totally free of her water phobia. This incident lead to what is called The Discovery Statement:
“The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.”

What Mary experienced that day is often referred to as a one-minute-wonder, and is considered rare. Usually EFT works in a more gradual way, particularly with chronic problems like Mary’s. It does however produce astounding results, and has success where many other things have failed. When experiencing EFT for the first time people are often amazed at how they suddenly feel more hopeful, more relaxed, or can see another way around the problem that never occurred to them before. It is thanks to Dr Callahan and Mary’s one-minute-wonder that we have this fantastic tool today. Dr. Callahan has since refined and expanded his findings to a series of related routines. They encompass nearly every area of emotional improvement imaginable….from phobias to panic disorders to sports performance. And, along the way, he has also applied these techniques to physical problems and addictive cravings with notable success.

EFT is based on all these procedures. There are many different styles of tapping now, but they are derived from the original procedure outlined by Gary Craig. Gary was a Stanford- trained engineer, who reduced years of diligent research and endless trial and error to a practical system. For more information about using EFT, case histories and the full EFT Manual you can visit the website now run by Dawson Church originally run by Gary Craig who retired in 2010. HTTP://WWW.EFTUNIVERSE.COM/

Are there any dangers of EFT or reasons it might not be suitable?

To my knowledge EFT doesn’t do any harm. However, everyone is different and if you are working on a very sensitive issue I would recommend seeking out a good EFT practitioner with experience in this area. If you have a serious mental health problem; if you have an eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa; if you are diagnosed with having a personality disorder or if you have a significant addiction problem then you should seek out advice from your doctor or care team. I believe EFT has a role in helping all of the conditions mentioned above, but with careful and experienced support in doing so. For example, somebody with bipolar affective disorder should be cautious when doing energy work of any kind as it can release stuck or repressed emotions (which are very commonly a problem in many mental health issues), and sometimes make you feel suddenly happy, which could trigger feeling high or ungrounded. This can be hard to deal with on your own. If you have complex issues don’t try to learn EFT by yourself from books or videos etc, find someone qualified and experienced to work with. If in doubt, check with your doctor first.