EFT, a therapy that comes out of kinesiology, is an effective method of healing inappropriate and troublesome feelings and is very simple to learn and practise for oneself.
The power of EFT is its simplicity, which makes it not only a useful tool for therapists, but a brilliant self-help therapy.
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The roots of EFT
This therapy is both very new and very old. It was created by Gary Craig over ten years ago as a simplified version of Roger Callahan's Thought Field Therapy (TFT, developed in 1980). But it is based on Chinese acupuncture, which was already a sophisticated medicine over 2,000 years ago.
Thought Field Therapy did not derive directly from traditional Chinese medicine; there is another intermediary, kinesiology - which is a Western application of Chinese medicine that uses muscle testing to determine imbalances of energy in the meridian system and provide access to the body's wisdom. (See the section on Kinesiology.)
If you don't want to read the theory, but just want to learn how to do it, go straight to The basic EFT routine below.
The meridian system
One of the central elements of acupuncture and kinesiology is the concept of qi (often translated as energy), which flows within our bodies and is a vital constituent of life. All matter is composed of qi, which is the form, quality and potential of all things. Qi is distributed throughout the body - not just to the organs but to every cell of the body - via channels. The principal channels are called meridians.
It is vital for qi to be able to flow freely though the body. Blockages lead to stagnation of qi and imbalances. If acute or prolonged, such imbalances cause ill health.
The flow of energy through the channels changes continually. A healthy body is one in which the energy flow through all the meridians maintains relative balance. The energy system is constantly changing in response to the climate, the time of day, the rhythm of the seasons. Every emotion, indeed, every aspect of life affects this balance. If you are healthy, you achieve an overall dynamic balance. Should an imbalance be acute or persist for some time, there is the potential for health problems.
Each channel (meridian) is associated with a particular bodily organ and functions associated with that meridian, and so if a meridian is deprived of qi over a period of time, that organ will become affected and our health may suffer. Indeed, problems in one meridian-organ system affect other meridian-organ systems in a variety of ways, since the body is a systemic whole.
How EFT works
This explanation is my interpretation and is not altogether consistent with the standard view of how EFT and TFT work. (The standard view maintains that - according to the 'discovery statement' - 'The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system' [Gary Craig]. In fact, as we have seen above, all emotions cause a balance shift (or 'disruption') of energy (indeed, all thoughts, apart from bland statements of fact, carry an emotional charge that affects our balance of energy).
Excessive or inappropriate emotions
In addition, in Chinese thought - and in my view - there is nothing negative about 'negative' emotions. Anger, sadness, grief, fear, are all natural human emotions. If we can't experience these, we can't experience their corollaries: happiness, delight, affection (for example). An emotionally healthy person experiences the whole range of emotions. Indeed, one of the problems of western culture is that we too often deny uncomfortable feelings and emotions - at great cost, since this is the body's way of communicating.
Uncomfortable emotions are not in themselves the problem; it is when these emotions are excessive or inappropriate. Emotions are excessive or inappropriate when they derive not entirely from present circumstances but from previous unresolved traumas. EFT is a way of instantly restoring balance in the body's energy system (with reference to a problem). Restoring balance attenuates or may completely resolve the problem.
The technique for doing this is simplicity itself: think of the problem while stimulating the ends of meridians by tapping them. This balances the energy of the body in relation to that problem. Imagine the ends of meridians to be valves which are stimulated by tapping. The tapping encourages the valves to open and the energy to flow freely, thereby artificially creating energy balance in relation to that thought.
The results of EFT
If, after application of EFT, the energy system remains in balance with reference to (what was) the problem, the problem ceases to exist. If it doesn't, reapplication of EFT can provide temporary relief.
If there are unconscious interests (positive intentions: see under the section on NLP on Presuppositions) that require the 'problem' to be perpetuated, EFT will not be easily successful as a tool for self-help. Another way of putting this is that if the problem is caused by unresolved traumas, it may be necessary to address those traumas before the problem can be resolved.
For most problems EFT will provide immediate relief in some measure. Problems are usually easy to clear if there is nothing keeping them in place; that is to say, if they are just a pattern, an unprocessed experience, habitual.
Addictions, complex phobias and certain other problems can be more difficult to resolve with EFT used for self-help (although EFT works very well with the cravings themselves) - since the unconscious may have good reason to maintain them, or the causes need to be addressed directly. Even then, however, it may be possible to overcome the problem with EFT, given enough persistence. The unconscious gets the message eventually and finds a new way of achieving its intentions.
EFT can however provide a route to the causes and therefore to the resolution of complex problems working with an experienced therapist. EFT is a very powerful therapy for addressing the traumas in the past.
The procedure is so simple that apparently people sometimes can't believe it's the EFT treatment that has helped them - especially when there is instant and permanent relief from an age-old problem. (Callahan calls this the apex effect. In fact, the 'apex effect' can come into play with any effective brief therapy. However, a competent therapist is not bothered by this!)
The basic EFT routine
First, the meridian points. Tap each of these about seven times, using the tips of two fingers (for a neutral touch) fairly quickly and meaningfully, but gently. If they are sensitive, they are probably in particular need of stimulation. You may even feel the energy of specific points - which may tingle or feel hot, for example.
The inside of the eyebrow above the bridge of the nose. EB
On the bone just next to the outside corner of the eye. SE
On the bone just underneath the centre of the eye. UE
Just underneath the nose. UN
On the top of the chin. Ch
Immediately beneath the collarbone at the side of the sternum. CB
On the side of the body under the arm, level with the inside crease of your bent arm. UA
Immediately underneath the breast. UB
The outside edge of the thumbnail. Th
The thumb-side edge of the index fingernail. IF
The index-finger-side edge of the middle fingernail. MF
The ring-finger-side edge of the little fingernail. BF
The karate-chop point. KC
On the back of the hand in the area between the little finger and the ring finger. GS
Keep tapping the GS point as you rotate your eyes, slowly and fully - first in one direction, then the other.
(OPTIONAL) Finally, in order to involve both hemispheres of the brain, hum the first bar of any tune; then count to four; then hum again. (I never include this final part and it seems to work just as well. It is outlined here in the interests of completeness.)
It is not imperative that you tap exactly the right spot, providing you are within two inches of the point.
The set-up
The set-up procedure consists of three elements:
acknowledgement of the feelings
an affirmation
the goal
These are stated, while massaging with two fingers a lymphatic point on the chest, called the sore spot. The point is usually tender and is situated on the left side, at the top of the chest, close to the shoulder.
Let's imagine you feel angry with your father - but it can of course be anything. The set-up statement would be as follows:
Even though I feel angry with my father [substitute your problem]
I completely accept myself
And I choose to let it go [substitute your goal]
This is repeated three times, while continuously massaging the sore spot.
Tapping
Tap each point while you repeat, out loud, the acknowledgement of your feelings: I feel angry [substitute your own feeling]. As you tap, you are balancing your energies in relation to that feeling. Keep breathing during the routine to help the flow of energy.
When you have finished, take a breath and blank it all out. Now check how you feel. There are three possibilities:
1 The anger [your uncomfortable feeling] has completely gone and you feel fine.
2 Alternatively, in place of anger [your initial emotion] you now feel hurt [or another emotion]. Do the entire procedure again, beginning by saying to yourself (e.g.) Even though I feel hurt, I completely accept myself, and choose to be strong, while massaging the sore spot as described above. Then repeat the tapping, repeating, I feel hurt [or your new emotion].
3 There is little or no difference in your feeling (or the relief is only temporary). You unconscious has good reasons for keeping the problem for now, or you need to address the past experiences which are the underlying cause of the problem. You would benefit from the help of a therapist. Simply persisting may help, however.
Tips
In an emergency, or when pressed for time, tap without bothering to rub the sore spot.
Do the short sequence: tap up to and including the under breast spot, with or without the eye rotations (which you would do while tapping GS). This may be enough.
You may need to tap on a variety of different aspects or manifestations of the problem. So don't give up if the problem has returned in a different circumstance - it's just another aspect that you need to address. For example, you may be angry with your father about a variety of incidents. Apply EFT to each one in turn.
After you're very familiar with the routine, if you want to be discreet (perhaps because you're in a public place), you can tap in your imagination; your body knows what to do. Or you can hold each point with two fingers using moderate, gentle pressure while deliberately inhaling and exhaling.
You can even tap on yourself for somebody else. This is proxy tapping and can be very effective, it is claimed. (Be sure to ask permission from them - at least in your mind. You should get a sense of their response. Don't do it if they don't want you to.)
If it isn't working, persist. For some longstanding habits you may need to tap twenty times a day for a period of weeks. (Better to get some therapy.)
Ensure that your set-up wording, Even though I feel ..., rings true to you and that your choice is realistic and believable.
Sometimes no amount of tapping will do the trick. You will need help to find the causes of the problem.
Gary Craig's motto is Try it on everything! It only takes a few minutes, and it could change your life!
Use your intuition. You can only do yourself good.
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A note on 'psychological reversal'
In EFT it is often stated that if EFT doesn't work it is because of 'psychological reversal'. 'Reversal' is mistakenly believed to mean that qi is flowing in the wrong direction. In meridians, qi flow can be stagnant or blocked, but cannot be reversed. The misunderstanding arises because, in kinesiology, certain circumstances lead to the result of the muscle test being reversed - getting a yes response instead of a no and vice-versa. In addition, it is often mistakenly assumed that being 'reversed' means that we unconsciously want to have the problem. There may be positive intentions underlying the problem or underlying traumas that must first be resolved before the problem can be resolved – but this is not the same as wanting the problem.