EFT

I have been lucky enough to train in EFT with EFT Practitioner and Founding Master, Creator of Matrix Reimprinting and Hay House Author, Karl Dawson, one of 28 Master Practitioners and trainers worldwide.

I offer EFT as a stand alone treatment to overcome anxiety and trauma or it can be blended with counselling and coaching to reach your goals and overcome barriers and limiting beliefs and reduce anxiety.

Tapping is based on the same theory as Chinese acupuncture: that our body has a pathway of energy channels called meridian lines which carry energy through our system. Through the work of Dr Roger Callahan and Gary Craig we now know that tapping on the ends of these meridians (which correlate to specific organs in the body) reduces the fight or flight response, whether the trigger is real or imagined.

Meet Samantha. When she was 15 she was attacked by a man who had red facial hair. Afterwards, every time she saw a man with red facial hair, her body would go into the fight or flight response. If she was walking down a road and a man with red facial hair came towards her, she would shake. Red facial hair meant danger and the energy in her body changed accordingly.

In essence, with tapping, we verbally and energetically tune in to an issue – emotional, physical, mental or spiritual – and tap on several different acupoints on the body whilst repeating a reminder phrase about the issue. This then reduces the fight or flight signal from the brain and results in emotional and cognitive shifts. In this way, EFT brings together the ancient wisdom of the East about the energy of the body and modern psychology and neurology. Hence the umbrella term ‘Energy Psychology’.

Finding it hard to believe that tapping on your body can release energetic trauma? Well, it’s now confirmed by scientific research from Harvard Medical School. Over the last decade, researchers there used MRI and PET scans to prove that tapping decreases activity in the parts of the brain associated with fear (amygdala, hippocampus etc).

In their research, it’s easy to see the amygdala’s red alert being called off when acupoints are stimulated.

There are now over 55 published and peer-reviewed studies showing the efficacy of EFT and other Energy Psychology modalities on a variety of issues, including anxiety, athletic performance, depression, pain, physical symptoms, PTSD and weight loss.

EFT tapping can be divided into five steps. If you have more than one issue or fear, you can repeat this sequence to address it and reduce or eliminate the intensity of your negative feeling.

1. Identify the issue

In order for this technique to be effective, you must first identify the issue or fear you have. This will be your focal point while you’re tapping. Focusing on only one problem at a time is purported to enhance your outcome.

2. Test the initial intensity

After you identify your problem area, you need to set a benchmark level of intensity. The intensity level is rated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst or most difficult. The scale assesses the emotional or physical pain and discomfort you feel from your focal issue.

Establishing a benchmark helps you monitor your progress after performing a complete EFT sequence. If your initial intensity was 10 prior to tapping and ended at 5, you’d have accomplished a 50 percent improvement level.

3. The setup

Prior to tapping, you need to establish a phrase that explains what you’re trying to address. It must focus on two main goals:

• acknowledging the issues
• accepting yourself despite the problem

The common setup phrase is: “Even though I have this [fear or problem], I deeply and completely accept myself.”

You can alter this phrase so that it fits your problem, but it must not address someone else’s. For example, you can’t say, “Even though my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself.” You have to focus on how the problem makes you feel in order to relieve the distress it causes. It’s better to address this situation by saying, “Even though I’m sad my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

4. EFT tapping sequence

The EFT tapping sequence is the methodic tapping on the ends of nine meridian points.

There are 12 major meridians that mirror each side of the body and correspond to an internal organ. However, EFT mainly focuses on these nine:

• karate chop (KC): small intestine meridian
• top of head (TH): governing vessel
• eyebrow (EB): bladder meridian
• side of the eye (SE): gallbladder meridian
• under the eye (UE): stomach meridian
• under the nose (UN): governing vessel
• chin (Ch): central vessel
• beginning of the collarbone (CB): kidney meridian
• under the arm (UA): spleen meridian

Begin by tapping the karate chop point while simultaneously reciting your setup phrase three times. Then, tap each following point seven times, moving down the body in this ascending order:

• eyebrow
• side of the eye
• under the eye
• under the nose
• chin
• beginning of the collarbone
• under the arm

After tapping the underarm point, finish the sequence at the top of the head point.

While tapping the ascending points, recite a reminder phrase to maintain focus on your problem area. If your setup phrase is, “Even though I’m sad my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself,” your reminder phrase can be, “The sadness I feel that my mother is sick.” Recite this phrase at each tapping point. Repeat this sequence two or three times.

5. Test the final intensity

At the end of your sequence, rate your intensity level on a scale from 0 to 10. Compare your results with your initial intensity level. If you haven’t reached 0, repeat this process until you do.