EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques
In simplest terms EFT is ‘Acupuncture without needles’. It is an emotional form of acupuncture which releases unwanted negative thoughts, beliefs and energies.
The ancient Chinese, and many other cultures, believed that we are made up of much more than just our physical body of flesh and bone. They believed we have an ‘energy body’ of life force energy which they called ‘chi’, and that energy flows through this energy body in lines or channels called ‘meridians’. They believed that when the meridians are blocked, or circulating negative energies, then we become emotionally, mentally or physically ill. Modern acupuncture, healing, reflexology and other forms of energy treatment, work towards cleansing the energy or ‘chi’ and enabling it to flow perfectly through the body; thus enhancing our physical, mental and emotional health.
This belief was only accepted by the West recently, because you cannot ‘see’ the meridian lines in the body. However in 1985 a French researcher, Vernejoul, injected a radioactive tracer dye into acupuncture points. The resulting pattern of dye was photographed and clearly shows the traditional meridian lines, which have long been understood by the Chinese and other energy healers. See (Vernejoul, P, et al (1985) Etudes des meridians d’acupuncture par les traceurs radioactifs).
As a result of this research, EFT and other form of energy treatment are now increasingly incorporated into traditional and psychological medicine.
Dr Roger Callahan is widely known as the originator of EFT. Trained as a traditional doctor and psychiatrist, he was very interested in complementary therapies. His disillusionment with the success rate of psychiatry and psychotherapy spurred him to develop the ‘tapping’ technique as treatment for a variety of emotional disorders. This treatment involved tapping on a sequence of meridian energy points in a set sequence.
Later, one of Dr Callahan’s students, Gary Craig, developed this further using 12 of the meridians and called it ‘Emotional Freedom Techniques’. The therapy is highly effective and works by ‘tapping’ the ends of the meridians while the patient focuses on a specific issue or emotion in order to release it. Once taught, this therapy can be safely and effectively carried out by the patient at home, between visits to the therapist.
EFT works extremely well with hypnosis. It can help to:
- Discharge negative emotions and beliefs.
- Neutralise painful memories.
- Eliminate phobias.
- Eliminate addictive tendencies and dependency.
- Reduce pain and discomfort.
- Improve healing in cases of serious illness.
- Overcome blocks to success.
- And much more besides.
Along with other energy therapies, EFT is now being taken up by many professionals working in the field of emotional healing.
