And How To Perform It
EFT is a form of Thought Field Therapy that can be done on its own or as a complement with other therapies. It is used in an increasing number of practices now by doctors, naturopaths and energy workers. It can be performed in person or over the phone long-distance.
This simple therapeutic tool involves using certain tapping and acupressure techniques to correct energetic imbalances within the meridian system that can result in a slow ability to recover, unhealthy habits and negative thinking patterns, sabotaging beliefs, addictions, physical problems/symptoms and more.
EFT (also known as Emotional Freedom Technique, Energy Psychology or Meridian Psychotherapy) is also useful towards the treatment of what are know as “psychological reversals”. Psychological reversals occur as a imbalance in our energy systems which causes us to unconsciously sabotage or fail in our efforts to overcome certain issues. Such reversals manifest in the form of negative beliefs such as “I don’t deserve to be/get well”, “Others need me to be sick, addicted, phobic etc”, “If I loose my problem, I will lose my identity”, and the list goes on. Reversals can be detected through use of muscle testing (also known as Applied Kinesiology) and other forms of divination which can be done on another or done on the self.
How To Perform EFT On Oneself
The first step is to have a primary issue to focus on. From there, the primary issue is broken down into smaller steps called “aspects”. New aspects can also come up during the course of tapping other aspects of a main issue. For example, if the issue is losing weight, different aspects to work on could be motivation to exercise, food cravings, thyroid, etc.
The conventional EFT practice is to have the client rate the aspect or main issue on a scale of 1 to 10 (called a SUDS scaled) regarding the strength of their emotional effect. and to tap the issue till the client states it feels like a 0 or 1 on the scale. I don’t always do this step though as I find many clients can have a hard time even feeling the degree of their issue, though they know it is present and blocking them. I just ask the client to feel where the issue feels in their body, and to scan for any resistance. I then tap the issue until they feel those symptoms relieved. Use whatever feels right to you. I also created a card deck also with “blocks are clear” cards so that people using the deck know when an aspect is cleared and all of its blocks are out of the way.
The next step is to come up with a “set-up” statement. This statement is framed in a way where the client takes full acknowledgment and responsibility for any imbalance or issue. It works on the premise that one must fully accept an issue before it can be released. So, if your problem was weight loss, and one of your psychological reversals was that on some level you fear that you would lose your identity if you became thin, the set up statement could be something such as; “Even though I will lose my identity if I lose weight, I love myself and I accept myself”. Basically the general set up formula is: “Even though {the problem/issue}, I deeply and profoundly love myself, I accept myself. The set up statement is then repeated 3 times while manipulating one of two points used in treating psychological reversals:
- tapping on the trust meridian point on the side of the hand (the Karate Chop point). The fleshing part of the pinky side of the hand.
- rubbing the sore/tender spot
The Next step is to make up a shortened version of the set up statement to keep the issue held within the mind while each point is being tapped. The idea is that if you tap on points while holding an issue in mind it shifts it’s energy from being stuck within the meridian system. I also change things around and turn the statement into a positive so I am both tapping out the negative and tapping in the positive. So, I would after a few points start tapping “Thank you God, that I don’t have to lose my identity if I lose weight”. Reference to God is optional.
So, to clarify the process, once having the reminder phrase, the client repeats it while tapping (about 5 taps) on each of the individual meridian/acupressure points. The tapping typically starts with the point at the top of the head and works downward (Eyebrow Point, Side of Eye, Under Eye, Under Nose, Chin Point, Collar Bone Point and Under Arm Point). One can also tap on the hand points if they feel the need.
It used to be that a gamut procedure was performed after tapping a round of points. Then one taps the round of points again. However, EFT has been simplified and the gamut procedure has largely been taken out by many practitioners. It involved eye movements and brain hemisphere balancing exercises.
However, for people who find they are not experiencing the progress they like with EFT, one can include the gamut procedure by tapping the gamut point on the EFT image above (it is in the dip between the bones going up towards the pinky and forth finger, below the knuckles) while doing the following: close your eyes, open your eyes, move your eyes hard and down to the right, move your eyes hard and down to the left, circle your eyes right, circle your eyes left, then hum for a few seconds, count to ten, hum again for a few second and do the eye movements again. Then you repeat the application of EFT on all the points from the head to under the arm. That completes one round of tapping.
After the all the points have been tapped while saying the reminder phrase, the strength of the aspect is again measured on a scale of 1 to 10, or else you can scan your body for any left over resistance. The process is repeated until the aspect is down to a 0 or 1 level (usually takes 1 to 3 rounds of tapping, but sometimes more) or one feels no resistance anymore. For more complicated phobia or issues with a lot of reversals, more work may be required.
Precautions
In a small number of cases, EFT can result in what are called “abreactions”. Never bring yourself or a or anyone else into direct mental or physical contact with something (a memory, photograph, object, anything triggering panic) that causes extreme fear or trauma. Never pressure an exposure to a fearful incident that yourself or another is unready to face. Use EFT responsibly. Those who want to discuss the use of EFT for a specific emotional problem are encouraged to look for licensed practitioners who use EFT in their practices. It is also recommended to hydrate yourself before and after an EFT session.