Emotional Freedom Technique

Overview

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is primarily useful for resolving acute or long-standing emotional problems, using a simple yet powerful synthesis of the ancient principles of Chinese medicine with the modern understanding of the mind-body connection. EFT treats emotional problems as an imbalance of the entire body, rather than as an isolated mental phenomenon, which makes it incredibly effective when compared with traditional psychological approaches. Using Emotional Freedom Technique, specific emotional issues can be released one by one in a fairly short time, leading to relief from bothersome thoughts and feelings.

Clinical method

At the heart of EFT is a very simple procedure which is applied in a customized fashion to the wide range of issues. Negative thoughts or feelings bring up a tension that is felt by the person as a whole, in the body as well as the mind. With EFT it is possible to neutralize this tension and eliminate the associated negative experience. This is achieved through recalling the negative feeling or emotionally charged event while tapping on specific locations on the body. There are also advanced techniques for addressing especially painful memories without rekindling the pain associated with them.

The locations tapped during EFT treatment are acupuncture points long familiar from their use in Chinese medicine, where they are known for their wide-ranging influence on health. The very concepts of body and mind were invented in the West, where medicine and psychology are distinct disciplines, but in Chinese medicine the unity of body and mind is preserved: thus Emotional Freedom Technique simultaneously engages both body (through meridian tapping) and mind (through recollection of negative phenomena).

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Simplicity

EFT has been popularized in recent years throughout North America by Gary Craig as a simplified yet equally effective amalgam of pre-existing mind-body techniques. As a result of EFT’s technical simplicity, patients can bring home their knowledge of EFT which they gained in the clinic visit, continuing to use the system to deal with daily challenges as they arise. Over time the need to use EFT diminishes, as patients gradually become emotionally stronger and more balanced than before.

“The Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, is the psychological acupressure technique I routinely use in my practice and most highly recommend to optimize your emotional health ... more than any traditional or alternative method I have used or researched, EFT works.” Dr. Joseph Mercola (author of www.mercola.com, the Internet’s largest natural-health site)

Efficacy

Emotional Freedom Technique can be used for any psychological condition, but is especially known to be effective for:

Fears and phobias: Heights, public speaking, animals (spiders, dogs, snakes,…), open or public spaces (agoraphobia), etc.
Emotional trauma: EFT can quickly release specific, “I've never been well since” emotional shocks. Surviving a car accident, experiencing the death of a loved one, or witnessing a frightening scene sometimes create debilitating emotional consequences that prove worse than the traumatic event itself. Dealing with the memory using EFT can quickly release its hold on your life and allow you to get start getting over it immediately — regardless of whether the event occured a short time ago or many years back.
Tormenting thoughts and feelings: Although persistent thoughts and feelings are normal, they can become so prominent that they come to affect people’s sense of well-being and ability to deal with everyday life. If you suffer in this way, EFT can be used with pinpoint precision to neutralize specific issues.
Behavioural problems: Problematic thoughts or feelings may lead to unhealthy behaviours that can have a deleterious effect on all aspects of life. EFT addresses these behaviours by addressing the underlying emotional causes.
Performance enhancement: EFT can be used to improve performance in business, academics, sports, and more by addressing emotional aspects that interfere with the optimal performance of those activities.
In addition to all of the above, Emotional Freedom Technique can be helpful in many cases of physical illness because physical problems most often relate to underlying emotional problems. EFT does not interfere with any other medical treatment that might be required, and is a perfect complement to classical homeopathy or Bowen Technique.

For more information on Emotional Freedom Technique please visit www.emofree.com, where you will find case studies, video courses, and more from Gary Craig, the originator of EFT.