Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
Overview and History
The Emotional Freedom Technique is based on the premise that emotional states are caused by a disruption in the body’s energy system. From the viewpoint of Gary Craig, one of the researchers of this technique, negative emotions or cognitions are actually caused by this disruption. Through using the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), a person is taught to balance their energy systems by activating key acupressure points on the face, upper torso, and hands.
The power of Emotional Freedom Therapy and other Meridian based therapies is that they teach the patient that it is possible to work any specific to life issues. In order to make progress, the energy is balanced in the meridian system that is connected with the mental emotional imbalance. EFT’s basis is derived from the principles and techniques if Eastern medicine, which means you “plug into” the body’s energy system in order to integrate psycho-emotional problems.
Gary Craig, the designer of Emotional Freedom Therapy, is a personal performance coach in California. This new class of treatments is known as Energy Psychology. Craig has dedicated his work and life to teaching people the ways to overcome emotional and physical blocks to success. It is believed by some to be the most effective, efficient, and gentle treatment techniques to have been discovered in the mental health field for at least the past fifteen years.
It was discovered over 5000 years ago in ancient China that our bodies have meridians or pathways through which energy flows. It was also observed that during an imbalance or blockage in the flow of energy within the meridians, it causes different types of emotional disturbances coupled with their corresponding mental issues or problems.
Recent Discoveries
Through the work of several researchers over the past ten to twenty years, including Dr. Roger J. Callahan and Gary Craig, the reverse has been found to be equally true, meaning that when the energy in the meridians is brought back into balance, then emotions are then integrated and restored to their previous state of balance.
As difficult to believe as this is, every dis-empowering negative belief or context that we hold has a connection to a corresponding imbalance in our energy system together with a negative emotion. By correcting the imbalance in the energy system, the emotion and the negative belief are released at the same time.
A new process called “Choices” allows new directions to be formed at the same time old beliefs and emotional attachments are released. After this process it becomes possible to chart a new direction in any area of your life in order to begin living a life of choice instead of just a programmed reaction.
Protocol for the Emotional Freedom Technique involves the activation of the key meridian points that are associated with the emotional and energetic imbalance. An EFT session will teach you “lapping” sequences that you can later use on your own in the handling of challenging mental and emotional issues whenever they may arise. Some of the problems that can be addressed through EFT include all types of phobias, anxieties, addictions, love pain, post-traumatic stress syndrome, self-limiting negative life beliefs, and medical conditions that have a psycho-emotional origin.
The Basics
Below are the basic steps in Emotional Freedom Therapy:
Choose a problem on which to work
Rate your anxiety or discomfort as it relates to this issue. Decide how much it bothers you a scale of 0-10 with 0 being no stress and ten being the greatest amount of stress.
The setup is performed in the following way:
While tapping on the Karate Chop Point, name the problem you have chosen and then follow this by an affirmation of yourself. While you are tapping on the Karate Chop Point, state your affirmation aloud three times. When you have completed this step, choose a short reminder phrase that will represent the problem on which you want to work.
Tap the stress relief points which are identified as eyebrow, side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin, collarbone, under arm, and head. As you tap on each point, state your reminder phrase.
Rate your anxiety or stress again, and then think of the same problem again and rate how uncomfortable you are with it now, still on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being no stress and 10 being the highest rate of stress.
Perform the set up process again
Tap the stress relief points again while using a revised reminder phrase
Measure your anxiety or stress on a scale of 0-10
Repeat steps five through nine
The 9-Gamut Procedure (Optional)
The last item is optional but some patients like the feel of it. At the end of these processes, return to step five and choose a new treatment round.
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