EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE
What is the Emotional Freedom Technique?
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. Although it is still often
overlooked, emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical
health and healing - no matter how devoted you are to the proper diet
and lifestyle, you will not achieve your body's ideal healing and
preventative powers if emotional barriers stand in your way.
EFT is very easy to learn, and will help you:
- Remove Negative Emotions
- Reduce Food Cravings
- Reduce or Eliminate Pain
- Implement Positive Goals
EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy
meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and
emotional ailments for over five thousand years, but without the
invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is
used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and
chest while you think about your specific problem - whether it is a
traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc. -- and voice positive
affirmations.
This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive
affirmation works to clear the "short-circuit" - the emotional block
-- from your body's bioenergy system, thus restoring your mind and
body's balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing
of physical disease.
Some people are initially wary of these principles that EFT is based
on - the electromagnetic energy that flows through the body and
regulates our health is only recently becoming recognized in the West.
Others are initially taken aback by (and sometimes amused by) the EFT
tapping and affirmation methodology, whose basics you will learn here.
But keep in mind that, more than any traditional or alternative
method I have used or researched, EFT works. I have witnessed the
results in my patients since deciding to use EFT exclusively in June of
2001. Indeed, because of its very high rate of success, the use of EFT
has spread rapidly, and medical practitioners employing EFT can now be found in every corner of the country and world.
This manual will provide an overview on how and where to tap, and the
proper affirmation techniques, so that you can begin using EFT
immediately to help yourself and others. It will also provide an
introduction to some advanced EFT techniques and principles you can
employ.
Tapping Locations & Technique
There are two basic areas to learn in order to use EFT: the tapping
locations and technique, and the positive affirmations. These areas, as
well as some advanced EFT principles and techniques, are covered in
the following sections.
You should be able to successfully treat many problems by diligently applying the following instructions.
If you are not getting the results you would like, or you have a
particularly traumatic issue, please do not give up! Instead, consider
consulting with an EFT professional. Dr. Patricia Carrington has some guidelines
on selecting an EFT therapist, followed by a list of EFT practitioners
throughout the U.S. and world. Many of these therapists even offer a
free 15-minute phone session in which you can ask them questions to see
if you connect.
Proper EFT Tapping
The basic EFT sequence is straightforward and generally takes my
patients only a few minutes to learn. They have the slight advantage of
me personally showing them the tapping points, but you should be able
to pick up these points relatively quickly. With a little practice,
you will be performing each round in under a minute.
NOTE: While it is important to tap the correct area, you need not
worry about being absolutely precise, as tapping the general area is
sufficient.
It's All in the Fingertips
The first thing to understand is that you will be tapping with your
fingers. There are a number of acupuncture meridians on your
fingertips, and when you tap with your fingertips you are also likely
using not only the meridians you are tapping on, but also the ones on
your fingers.
Traditional EFT has you tapping with the fingertips of your index
finger and middle finger and with only one hand. Either hand works just
as well. Most of the tapping points exist on either side of the body,
so it doesn't matter which side you use, nor does it matter if you
switch sides during the tapping. For example, you can tap under your
right eye and, later in the tapping, under your left arm.
I modified this approach slightly by having you use both hands and
all your fingers, so that they are gently relaxed and form a slightly
curved natural line. The use of more fingers allows you to access more
of the acupuncture points. When you use all your fingers you will cover
a larger area than just tapping with one or two fingertips, and this
will allow you to cover the tapping points more easily.
However, many obtain quite successful results with the traditional
one-handed two-finger approach. You can use either method, but I tend to
use my modified version in an effort to be more complete.
Ideally, you will want to use your fingertips, not your finger pads
as they have more meridian points. However, if you are a woman with
long fingernails you should of course use your finger pads (otherwise
you may end up stabbing yourself).
You should also remove your watch and bracelets, as that will interfere with your use of the wrist meridian tapping.
Tap Solidly - But Don't Hurt Yourself!
You should tap solidly, but never so hard as to hurt or bruise yourself.
If you decide to use both hands, I recommend slightly alternating the
tapping so that each hand is slightly out of phase with the other and
you are not tapping with both hands simultaneously. This provides a
kinesthetic variant of the alternating eye movement work that is done
in EMDR and may have some slight additional benefit.
When you tap on the points outlined below, you will tap about 5-7
times. The actual number is not critical, but ideally should be about
the length of time it takes for one full breath. There is probably a
distinct benefit for tapping through one complete respiration cycle.
Please notice that these tapping points proceed down the body. That
is, each tapping point is below the one before it. That should make it a
snap to memorize. A few trips through it and it should be yours
forever. However, unlike TFT, the sequence is not critical. You can tap
the points in any order and sequence, just so long as all the points
are covered. It just is easier to go from top to bottom to make sure
you remember to do them all.
Remove your Glasses and Watch Prior to Tapping
Glasses and watches can mechanically and electromagnetically
interfere with EF, so I advise everyone to remove them prior to tapping.
For quick sessions conducted upon yourself, this is not critical, as
you can easily tap around them, but I think there is always a benefit
to removing them when possible.
Using EFT in Public: Eliminating any Embarrassment
Many people are concerned about embarrassing themselves by using EFT
in public, especially when implementing my revision of it, which
really makes one stand out in a crowd.
After a while of using and perfecting the technique - in private
quarters, if you prefer - you will be able to use only two fingers of
one hand, and to say the affirmation softly under your breath or
silently. This way you can do EFT in just about any social setting, and
if people even notice what you are doing at all, it will appear to
them that you are merely thinking.
Finding the Right Tapping Points
The tapping points, and their abbreviations, are explained below,
followed by a chart of the points. They are presented below in the exact
order in which they should be tapped.
 |
1. Top of the Head (TH)
With fingers back-to-back down the center of the skull. |
 |
2. Eyebrow (EB)
Just above and to one side of the nose, at the beginning of the eyebrow. |
 |
3. Side of the Eye (SE)
On the bone bordering the outside corner of the eye. |
 |
4. Under the Eye (UE)
On the bone under an eye about 1 inch below your pupil. |
 |
5. Under the Nose (UN)
On the small area between the bottom of your nose and the top of your upper lip. |
 |
6. Chin (Ch)
Midway between the point of your chin and the bottom of
your lower lip. Even though it is not directly on the point of the
chin, we call it the chin point because it is descriptive enough for
people to understand easily. |
 |
7. Collar Bone (CB)
The junction where the sternum (breastbone), collarbone
and the first rib meet. This is a very important point and in
acupuncture is referred to as K (kidney) 27. To locate it, first place
your forefinger on the U-shaped notch at the top of the breastbone
(about where a man would knot his tie). From the bottom of the U, move
your forefinger down toward the navel 1 inch and then go to the left
(or right) 1 inch. This point is referred to as Collar Bone even
though it is not on the collarbone (or clavicle) per se. |
 |
8. Under the Arm (UA)
On the side of the body, at a point even with the
nipple (for men) or in the middle of the bra strap (for women). It is
about 4 inches below the armpit. |
|
9. Wrists (WR)
The last point is the inside of both wrists. |
The abbreviations for these points are summarized below in the same
order as given above. It is, again, the order in which they should be
tapped:
 |
TH = Top of Head
EB = Eye Brow
SE = Side of the Eye
UE = Under the Eye
UN = Under the Nose
Ch = Chin
CB = Collar Bone
UA = Under the Arm
WR = Wrists |
Using EFT's Affirmation Statements
Tuning Into Your Problem
Now that you understand how to actually perform the mechanical
tapping and where you need to tap, you will next need to know what to
say while you are tapping.
The traditional EFT phrase uses the following setup:
"Even though I have this _____________,
I deeply and completely accept myself."
You can also substitute this as the second part of the phrase:
"I deeply and completely love and accept myself."
The blank above is filled in with a brief description of the
addiction, food craving, negative emotion or other problem you want to
address.
Examples Using the Traditional EFT Phrasing
While these examples represent a range of problems, keep in mind
there really is no limit to the types of issues you can confront with
EFT:
"Even though I have this fear of public speaking, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this headache, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this anger towards my father, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this war memory, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this stiffness in my neck, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have these nightmares, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this craving for alcohol, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this fear of snakes, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this depression, I deeply and completely accept myself."
Other EFT Phrase Options
You can also try these other phrase variations. All of these
affirmations are correct because they follow the same general format.
That is... they acknowledge the problem and create self-acceptance despite the existence of the problem. That is what's necessary for the affirmation to be effective.
You can use any of them, but I suggest you use the recommended one
above because it is easy to memorize and has a good track record at
getting the job done.
"I accept myself even though I have this_________."
Or:
"Even though I have this ____________, I deeply and profoundly accept myself."
OR:
"I love and accept myself even though I have this_______________."
Interesting Points About the Affirmation Statements
It doesn't matter whether you believe the affirmation or not... just say it.
It is better to say it with feeling and emphasis, but saying it routinely will usually do the job.
It is best to say it out loud, but if you are in a social situation
where you prefer to mutter it under your breath... or do it
silently... then go ahead. It will still likely be effective.
To add to the effectiveness of the affirmation, The Setup also
includes the simultaneous tapping on one of the acupuncture meridian
points.
Tuning in is seemingly a very simple process. You merely think about
the problem while applying the tapping. That's it... at least in
theory.
"The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."
Negative emotions come about because you are tuned in to certain
thoughts or circumstances, which in turn, cause your energy system to
disrupt.
Otherwise, you function normally. One's fear of heights is not
present, for example, while one is reading the comic section of the
Sunday newspaper and therefore not tuned in to the problem.
Tuning in to a problem can be done by simply thinking about it. In fact, tuning in means thinking about it.
Thinking about the problem will bring about the energy disruptions
involved which then... and only then... can be balanced by applying The
Basic Recipe.
Without tuning in to the problem, thereby creating those energy disruptions, EFT does nothing.
Putting It All Together First Round of Tapping
Now you will need to tap on each of the points described above while
you are stating the positive affirmation. This will only take a few
moments to do.
You should:
- Select an appropriate affirmation
- Carefully "tune in" to your problem by actually trying to hold the problem in your thought
- State the affirmations in a loud voice with great passion, energy and enthusiasm
If you do this while tapping the points described earlier, it is
highly likely you will notice a major decrease in the issue or problem
that you were tapping on. If your problem or issue resolves completely,
you are done with the tapping.
TO BE CONTINUED..
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