A Brief History Of EFT Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT (as we shall now refer to it) has its origins way back over 5000 years ago, from the Ancient Chinese Shoalin and Taoist monasteries. This is where the subtle energies and meridians that travel throughout the body were first mapped. The Eastern healing arts of Acupuncture, Acupressure, Shiatsu Massage and Reflexology, amongst others, were derived from these energy maps. More recently, this amazing therapy owes much to the work of Dr George Goodheart - the founder of Applied Kinesiology and Dr Roger Callahan the founder of TFT Thought Field Therapy.
It was in the early 90's that one of Dr Callahan's former students, Gary Craig, simplified the complicated TFT algorithms and made the process universally applicable for all mental, emotional and physical issues, thus EFT was born.
Good health involves approaching wellness from many different angles. Optimal health and ultimately spiritual growth can only be truly gained from a holistic (complete) approach. The areas we need to address during this adventure we call 'Life.' are not limited to the Mind, body and spirit but also the subconscious, the bodies energy systems and our emotions both at mental and stored at a energetic level - EFT address all of these areas.
It is still often overlooked, but emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical health and healing. No matter how devoted you are to a proper diet and lifestyle, you will not achieve your body's ideal healing and preventative powers if emotional barriers stand in your way. In the words of Gary Craig - 'EFT is the missing piece to the healing puzzle.'
Benefits of EFT
- No side Effects. No surgical procedures. - No equipment involved. - No needles. - No pills or chemicals. - No pushing or pulling of the body. - No long drawn out 'Tell me your life story.' - No painful, endless sessions. - Often works where nothing else will. - Usually rapid, long lasting and gentle. - Easily learned by anyone. - Can be self applied. -
With experience the success rate exceeds 85%
What EFT can be used for. These techniques have been used successfully with many thousands of people with a broad range of difficulties. Emotional healing with EFT is capable of dramatically relieving emotional disturbances along with many physical symptoms. These techniques are gentle, rapid and startlingly effective. New or old emotional upsets can often be released in minutes, the results are usually long lasting, and side effects are almost always positive. Many case histories show large improvements or total healing from: -
Negative Emotions - Food Cravings - Reducing or Eliminating Pain - Implementing Positive Goals - Cigarette Addiction - Drug addiction - Alcohol abuse - Allergies - Anxiety and Panic Attacks - Anger - Compulsions and Obsessions - Concentration - Depression and Sadness - Dyslexia - Fears and Phobias - Grief and Loss - Guilt - Insomnia - Jealousy - Negative Memories - Nightmares - Pain Management - Peak Performance - PTSD - Self Image - Sexual Abuse Issues - Shyness - Traumatic Memories
This is just a partial list of the possibilities. Again, in the words of Gary Craig ' Try it on everything.' But he also suggests and is obviously a matter of common sense that 'You should not go where you are not qualified.' For example, in the case of serious psychological illness.
The use of this technique is relatively new and part of the beginning of a complete revolution in the way we deal with our emotions and health. In many cases, difficulties that have persisted in spite of years of work using the methods of traditional psychology may be relieved in minutes. At most, relief is generally possible within days or weeks rather than years. It is estimated that over 85% or more of emotional issues treated with these processes are eliminated quickly.
So What is EFT? EFT is based on this theory or Foundation statement. 'All negative emotions are caused by a disruption in the body's energy system.' In addition to having a physical body, which is fuelled by food, we humans also run on this intricate energy system which is fuelled by electrical impulses, which run through the body and brain. This energy system holds the key too many of the disturbances we experience in our daily lives. When it is out of balance, our emotional life could be compared to a car that is in desperate need of a tune up. This electromagnetic energy that flows through the body and regulates our health is only recently becoming recognized in the West, where modern medicine has concentrated on the physical and chemical nature of the body.
EFT could be described as psychological acupuncture, as it utilizes the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used, to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the body, while tuned into a specific problem - whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain or anxiety.
The creative use of statements enables the person to tune into the issue and remain focused on the problem during the treatment. This is vital to the success of the therapy. This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing of the statements works to clear the 'energy disruption' or 'emotional block' from your body's energy system, thus restoring your mind and body's balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing of physical ailments. Most energetic imbalances may be partially or completely relieved within a short time using this process. Others may be relieved through repetition of the process.
EFT is very versatile and has been used successfully by hundreds of therapists including myself, on thousands of clients, with successes on even the most difficult problems, by relieving imbalances in our clients' energy systems. Indeed, because of its very high rate of success, the use of EFT has spread rapidly. Now medical practitioners can now be found in every corner of the country and world. EFT also can be used to complement and enhance skills such as Hypnotherapy, Psychology, NLP and Life Coaching.
