Jumpstart your path to wellness with the Emotional Freedom Technique

In 2003, I attended a workshop on a cutting-edge method called the Emotional Freedom Technique. Advertising claimed that this technique could bring immense relief to people suffering from anxiety, phobias, depression, trauma, cravings and addictions, stress, and even disease. Since then, I have used EFT with hundreds of my psychotherapy clients (both children and adults) and have always been amazed at the results.

In the 1990s, Gary Craig, a Stanford engineer (whom I had the honor of studying with in 2004) developed this amazing healing modality. It originated from Thought Field Therapy which was discovered in the 1980s by University of Michigan Psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan. Dr. Callahan’s protocol was expensive to learn and complicated. Craig had a vision to simplify it and make it more accessible to the public.

EFT is often referred to as emotional acupuncture. Instead of using needles, people learn to balance the body’s energy system by gently tapping various acupuncture points with their fingertips that correspond to organs and emotions in the body.

EFT’s roots come from Traditional Chinese Medicine in which a subtle energy system is recognized. Qi (pronounced chee) energy circulates through the meridians. You can think of meridians as a riverbed over which water flows and irrigates the land; feeding, nurturing and sustaining the substance through which it flows. If a dam were placed at any point in the river, the nourishing effect that the water had on the entire river would stop at the point where the dam was placed.

So when the Qi is blocked, the rest of the body now suffers. Anxiety, depression, and various illnesses are among the things that can result. EFT is a fantastic tool used to restore the flow of Qi. By simply touching various meridian points, you can remove the blockages that prevent your body from fully thriving.

One client, Bob, felt unable to go on a cruise because he had an angioplasty two weeks earlier and was suffering from regular panic attacks. He found that EFT calmed him down enough that he was able to go on the cruise and have a glorious time.

Another client, Joan, had had knee problems for over a year. We tapped on the pain in her knee. A year later, the bread had not returned. This is one of the “one minute wonders” often referred to by Gary Craig, the founder of EFT.

Mary’s boyfriend of three years had broken up with her. He came to my office crying. We tapped on her distress and then instilled hope for the future. She left my office in a state of calm acceptance with hope for the future.

The possibilities of EFT are endless. People use it not only to heal trauma and stress, but also to bring abundance, gratitude, and joy into their lives. As a therapeutic technique there is little else to match its simplicity and effectiveness. Many experienced therapists now report typical 80% success rates. The good news is that it is easy to learn and you have a tool for a lifetime. Gary Craig claims that we have been given a priceless gift from an ancient Eastern philosophy. I feel very privileged to be able to share this gift with my clients, family and friends.