10 Fascinating Facts about EFT: Learn How to Use the Healing Technique

“The EFT treatment procedure is an easy-to-learn self-help method for eliminating various emotional and physical problems.” This is a statement taken from the Introduction to Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) book by Gary Craig. It’s a powerful healing technique that anyone can learn and use to improve their life. Here are 10 fascinating facts about it that you maybe didn’t know.

Fact #01: EFT is a user-friendly approach to emotional healing

That means it’s not going to take up your entire day or require you to make drastic changes in order for this healing technique to work. All that’s needed are a few minutes, any time of the day, and an understanding of a few basic tapping points on our body that will activate energy.

Fact #02: EFT can be used for any emotional issue

This includes anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, OCD, and more. The beauty of it all is that you don’t have to pinpoint the problem in your life before starting treatment with this technique. It’s completely safe and especially effective for emotional regulation.

Fact #03: EFT has been used for decades

The origin of it dates back to the 80s and was developed by Gary Craig, who found out about this method from an acupuncturist in China. His goal was to make it available to people in America. To promote access to emotional healing without people having to be at the mercy of the health care system.

Fact #04: EFT works with the energy meridians

EFT works as a series of tapping on various physical locations/areas of the body. These areas are known as “energy meridians.” When someone taps them, it produces an energy release that helps heal and balance our emotions in order to change negative feelings into positive ones. These points are typically referred to as acupoints or acu-tapping spots. They have been used by Eastern medicine for centuries. They stimulate the human nervous system and help regulate emotional distress, just as DBT skills do.

Fact #05: EFT is a treatment that can be learned by anyone

All we need to do is identify our emotional state and begin learning to process the negative emotions it produces. Recognize what event or issue in life caused the difficult feelings.

Try it now: For example, a situation that brings up raw, negative emotion in you immediately.  Let’s say you have anger towards someone who hurt you emotionally. The first step would be identifying the hurt this person did to you. Then accepting yourself through the hurt, despite the problem.  Accepting the situation is a problem, but it’s not your fault. Forgiveness and acceptance come into play a lot when we are working toward regulating our emotions.

If we aren’t able to forgive and let go of the experience or emotional pain, it will hold us back until we are able to release the emotions. If we are able to let go, we can use EFT to begin healing. Tap on acupuncture points with both hands while verbally stating positive phrases. Jump to fact #07 for detailed instruction.

Fact #06: EFT can be used as either a therapeutic treatment or a self-help tool

It has been found to help relieve stress and anxiety with no side effects from medications prescribed by doctors. One study showed an improvement found in 90% of patients with anxiety who received acupoint tapping therapy. Similarly, a study of self-applied EFT for anxiety, depression, pain, and cravings in 216 health care workers resulted in significant improvements in ratings of pain, emotional distress, and cravings.

Fact #07: You can do a tapping session on yourself

To tap, follow these steps:

1. First, hold your fingertips together and let the index finger of one hand rest just below the eyebrow line at an acupuncture point called “the Third Eye.” 
2. Next, place either of your palms over this spot so that you are completing a circuit with both hands touching each other.
3. Move to a higher or lower chakra if needed (chakras represent energy centers in the body).
4. Tap lightly but firmly on the EFT points until they begin to tingle or feel warm to the touch.
5. Then bring focus to what is troubling you while continuing to use light taps for about three minutes total.
6. Follow this by repeating five positive statements about yourself such as “I am safe” or “I am enough.”

Fact #06: A 9-point tapping system

EFT tapping sequence is the methodic tapping on the ends of nine meridian points. These nine points are also known as the “Nine Gamut,” and they correspond to different organ systems in our body.

Fact #09: The process of tapping can clear trauma

Tapping on meridian points while focusing attention on what you’re troubled by helps clear old traumas from the field around cells. This can cause physical ailments like headaches or stomach aches as these blockages clear. Your brain then becomes more receptive to positive thoughts leading to improved moods and emotional states of being.

The benefits that have been reported with EFT include better sleep patterns, reduced levels of tension, and reduces cravings. Different sequences of this technique have definitely helped me in my own personal life.

Fact #10: The tapping sequence is a self-tapping process

It is done by the person and usually follows a chart with the tapping points illustrated. Tapping is a self-administered process that consists of repetitively tapping on specific portions of their body with an affirmative phrase, all while focusing on what they would like to change in themselves or how they feel about themselves.

Conclusion

EFT has been a tool I use mainly for emotional regulation, ‘immediate moment’, type of situations. It’s helped me most in times of distress or emotional pain because it’s such an accessible tool. You can do it anytime, anywhere. I hope you find it helpful too!

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Sources

Craig, G. (2021). Welcome to The Gold Standard (Official) EFT Tapping Tutorial | Official EFT Tutorial. Retrieved 14 April 2021, from https://www.emofree.com/ptbr/eft-tutorial/eft-tapping-tutorial.html