A Powerful Healing Tool: Emotional Freedom Techniques

How are you feeling today? Fresh and energetic? Calm and peaceful? Or is there something bothering you right now? Are you angry or upset with someone? Do you feel tired and unenthusiastic? Or are you having butterflies in your stomach because of that crucial exam or meeting that is coming up?

All of us have to deal with a variety of challenging emotions, often on a daily basis. Some of us are able to shrug these off and carry on with optimism and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, there are many of us who remain pinned down by the depression, anger, grief, fear or anxiety that weighs on us like a ton of bricks.

These “heavy-weights” may trigger cravings or addictions. Suppressed or neglected, they may be continually causing a cascade of physiological changes, contributing to stress and stress-induced diseases. Negative emotions can build barriers around us. Walled in by our conditioned responses, we may fail to explore the full range of our talents and abilities. You may realize that you are limiting yourself, but are unable to break free from these restraining feelings or beliefs.

Is there any way to deal with such negative emotions? To start each day on a positive, healthy note, feeling happy and excited?

Fortunately, help is at hand. To be accurate, help is available at your own fingertips. EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques is a quick and effective procedure based on stimulating acupuncture meridians, by tapping with your fingertips at specific points on your body.

Acupuncture and acupressure are ancient healing systems that have been used by the Chinese for hundreds of years. It is believed that all emotional and physical disease is caused by a disruption in the energy system that governs the well being of our mind and body. Stimulating specific points corrects the disruption and restores the mind and body to its default state of health and well being.

Developed by Gary Craig(a Stanford engineer and ordained minister), EFT has demonstrated remarkable results in cases of depression, anxiety, phobias, pain management, performance improvement, etc…. The list of application areas is long and varied.

The official EFT website offers a free EFT manual. Every month, this site reports thousands of hits and downloads. Hundreds of success stories are displayed on the site and a search box will help you locate cases similar to your topic of interest.

It should be noted that while there have been no serious reports of any adverse reactions, EFT is a fairly new therapy and if you have a serious medical condition, you should consult a medical professional.

But if you are curious by now and take responsibility for your own health and actions, here is a short experiment that you can try for yourself:

1. Have a glass of water
2. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Focus your attention on how tired you are feeling at this moment. Assign this energy a number from 0 to 10. For example, if you feel too tired to even move a single step, use 10. On the other hand, if you feel relatively fresh and energetic, your number would be a 1 or 2. (I have to assume that your rating is at least 1 or 2, or there would be little point in you trying this out right now!)
3. Pretend you are hitting the table with light karate chops, with the side of one hand and concurrently repeat the following 3 times:

“Even though I am feeling tired, I choose to feel energetic and enthusiastic now.”

1. Tapping Sequence: With the index and middle fingers of one hand, tap lightly 5-7 times at each point given below, repeating “feeling tired” – once at each point while tapping. You can use either hand and tap on either side of the body.
   • Just below the starting point of your eyebrow (near the forehead).
     • At the outermost side of an eye
     • Just below the centre of the eye, on the cheekbone
     • Below your nose
     • Below your lips
     • On either side of the hollow at the base of your throat (where the collarbone ends)
     • Side of your chest, about 3 inches below your arm pit
2. Now tap 5-7 times with a flat palm on the top of your head repeating “feeling tired”.
3. Take another deep breath and relax. Re-test how tired you are feeling. In all probability, your number should have dropped from its original value.
4. Repeat the above steps from Step 2 to Step 6, until you are satisfied that your tiredness is now “zero”

As you will see, the procedure is simple, yet effective. One round takes barely a minute and the beauty is that this same sequence of tapping can be used effectively for all kinds of emotional and physical issues. The “set-up” statement that we used in Step 3 and the “reminder phrase” (feeling tired) are changed according to the issue being addressed. A more detailed explanation is provided in the free manual.

Brad Yates, a proficient EFT practitioner, offers a helpful video tutorial.

This short 7 minute clip is a great way to start the day on a positive note. Try it for a few days for yourself and feel the difference!

EFT is at the forefront of energy psychology and energy-based medicine. Used and endorsed by medical professionals, psychologists, social workers and teachers, EFT may prove to be the tool that not only frees you from your emotional burdens, but also empowers you to actualize your full potential and live a full, healthy and joyful life.