What is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)?
EFT, also commonly known as tapping, is an alternative or complementary therapy that combines traditional Chinese medicine with various western therapies. More lately you may find it referred to as ‘energy psychology’ which for me describes the integration between mind and body that it offers perfectly.
‘The cause of ALL negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system’.
– Gary Craig (Founder of EFT)
EFT is founded in the understanding that energy flows through the body in channels called meridians and if this energy does not flow freely, it can cause blockages. These blockages result in emotional or physical dis-ease and are caused by the traumas we experience and the beliefs we hold.
EFT works by stimulating acupressure points along the meridians while focusing on the negative emotion, memory or issue. Doing so changes our perception of the threat, clears these blockages and restores the body’s equilibrium.
Why do we focus on the negative? Ok, so have you ever experienced a time when you have told someone you’re feeling down only for them to ignore your feelings, tell you to get over it or worse; cheer up? Did you feel better after? I’m guessing no!
However, if the same friend accepted you were feeling sad and gave you some time and space to talk about how you feel I bet you would have a different experience?
This is because we heal by feeling and thus processing the unconformable emotions. In fact, EFT works on the whole idea that ignoring or avoiding emotions is what causes the blockages and recognises that if we don’t address how we truly feel the emotions stay trapped and the physical or emotional pain will continue. So, basically, ignoring it won’t make it go away!
What can EFT Help with?
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Negative Thoughts
- Self Esteem
- Confidence
- Past Trauma
- Anger
- Fear
- PTSD
- Physical Issues
- Grief
This is not an exclusive list, the evidence for EFT is extensive. For example, Bach et al (2019) who studied the physiological markers found that heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol significantly decreased while immune system function improved. Church et al (2022) recognised EFT as an effective treatment not just for anxiety and depression but for other psychological conditions including insomnia, phobias and stress.
Even more exciting is that based on a small selection of papers from all the research available, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NICE (2018) found EFT to be the second most effective and cost effective therapy for PTSD and have thus called for further research into this transformational technique.
This is just a snippit of what’s out there on this fantastic therapy and if you’re interested in exploring the evidence further, you can find a collation of over 500 studies on the EFT Universe website.