EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE

Tapping Away the Pain and Stress

We all suffer from stress and anxiety from time to time, some more than others. Some people struggle to cope with various situations such as attending interviews or speaking in public for example or dealing with phobias like fear of flying. Sometimes we are dealing with grief, anger and depression. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can help us release these negative emotions and get through difficult situations, regular practice can help prevent some negative emotions returning or at least limit the effect they have on our everyday lives.

WHAT IS EFT ?

In short, EFT is a process of tapping a selection of meridian points, verbalising the issue in the form of very short statements and focussing on the feeling until it is greatly reduced. The method is explained in more detail further down in the article. It can be used for immediate relief of negative feelings from a sudden situation, illness or accident and also for chronic long term issues or traumatic memories, many of which may be buried so deep that we are not aware they are having an effect on us in the present day. EFT is a quick and simple method of reducing the intensity of traumatic memories.

How childhood trauma affects us as adults

Over the years we build up a backlog of traumatic memories that are reinforced by negative experiences as we get older.  By the time we reach adulthood, we have formed behaviours and coping strategies based on these experiences. Our emotional growth has been shaped by them, and we may believe we’re destined to remain that way for the rest of our lives.

The traumatic events could be the result of abuse or neglect but also social conditioning can lead to self limiting beliefs that prevent us from reaching our full potential in later life. The cells of the body hold onto the memory of the traumatic events and beliefs and as well as having a mental or emotional impact on us, unresolved trauma can be held in the body in the form of pain and illness or anxiety. A few examples of this are:

  • Being teased or laughed at for doing something silly or making a mistake can lead to a belief that you are stupid and the thought of putting yourself in a position where that could happen in later life can lead to anxiety, panic attacks and all the physical symptoms that go with it, tight chest, shortness of breath, palpitations etc. etc;
  • Coming from a background of poverty where the lack of prospects is accepted in the family as being part of a ‘lower class’ can lead to someone believing they are not worth anything better. Feeling not good enough.
  • Physical trauma can also cause emotional stress in various ways; someone being very good at sport breaking a bone can cause many emotions like resentment, fear and anger because they are not able to do what they like and don’t know how it will effect them in the future.
  • A medical diagnosis can be a huge shock to the system, especially if it’s a condition that cannot be cured or even terminal. This can cause feelings of fear, anger and resentment.
  • An injury that has long since healed can still hold pain even if there is no apparent cause, it could be linked to some emotional event that happened at the same time as the injury that wasn’t addressed at the time or negative emotions from the the time of the injury such as, fear and insecurity about injury preventing someone from continuing a job or sport.

Traditional medical treatments are great for helping us heal from acute injuries or illnesses and they can also alleviate symptoms of chronic illnesses but these chronic illness don’t go away with medicine.  

These chronic illnesses can be helped using EFT by identifying emotions linked with the condition.  It could be the trauma that triggered the condition or the emotions felt during the period of illness or both.

When we can get to the root of the problem, we can release the emotions behind them and heal the symptoms caused by them.

How to use EFT

EFT is a simple method of tapping acupressure points on the body’s meridians with the tips of your fingers, whilst focusing on the issue causing you problems.  This self-healing method can be used for numerous issues.  

EFT focuses on tapping on nine meridian points that correspond to different organs of the body, these are:

  • Karate chop – small intestine
  • Top of head – governing vessel
  • Eyebrow – bladder meridian
  • Side of the eye – gallbladder meridian
  • Under the eye – stomach meridian
  • Under the nose – governing vessel
  • Chin – central vessel
  • Beginning of the collarbone – kidney meridian
  • Under the arm – spleen meridian

Tapping these points with the fingertips is said to send energy into specific meridians while the person thinks about the specific problem and uses a set of verbal affirmations. The combination of tapping meridian points and working with positive affirmations helps to release the emotional block from the body’s system, restoring the mind and body’s balance. EFT taps into the subconscious mind and is a great treatment alongside or in combination with practices such as hypnotherapy, mindfulness or meditation.

Affirmations

The verbal affirmations used during the treatment are also very therapeutic and help to integrate and create wholeness in the person.

The process starts with tapping the Karate Chop point shown on the figure about. Whilst tapping this point the statement ‘Even though I feel__________ I fully accept myself‘ is repeated three times. This sends a message of unconditional acceptance on all psychological areas, especially our wounded, repressed or shadow parts. It is these areas that are often in desperate need of being acknowledged.

Once the set up statements are completed the other points are tapped around seven times with shorter statements, it could even be just one word but also the emotion and situation is focussed on at the same time. Other memories and emotions may be revealed as the process is being worked through and these can also be addressed.

Useful Resource

I first heard about EFT watching Paul McKenna on television and then I did a Reflexology CPD course on Tapping for the Feet which allows me to offer EFT during Reflexology session.   I then discovered The Tapping Solution and watched their annual summit in 2015, since then I’ve used the system for a variety of issues.