EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) also known as Tapping is a powerful and holistic energy healing technique that has been proven to be effective in resolving a range of issues from stress and anxiety to fears, addictions, limiting beliefs, and even physical pains. Tapping is based on the combined principles of modern-day psychology and ancient Chinese acupressure. The underlying principle of EFT is that all emotions and thoughts are forms of energy; this energy, whether positive or negative, has very real physical manifestations that affect all functions of our body. In other words, the cause of all negative emotions and physical pain is a disruption in the body’s energy system, which in turn manifests into a physical or mental symptom.

We are not victims. We are creators. If we put stress in our lives, we manifest disease. If we remove stress from our lives, we can remove disease.

~ Bruce Lipton

American biologist, Dr. Bruce Lipton once quoted, “We are not victims. We are creators. If we put stress in our lives, we manifest disease. If we remove stress from our lives, we can remove disease.” Research shows that tapping sends calming signals to our brain, regulates our nervous system, and reduces stress and anxiety, thereby allowing us to promote a deeper mind-body connection and allowing the brain to be rewired for a more appropriate emotional response to any given circumstances. A calmer brain boosts your brainpower and helps reduce tension in our minds and bodies leading the way for better health, better relationships, better performance, and mental wellbeing.

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EFT uses certain tapping points on our bodies while repeating certain talking statements. That’s how it combines acupressure with psychology. It is a strange-looking technique, and when I was first introduced to it, it felt a little weird. These tapping points are also called meridian endpoints, which are located on our bodies, and as we tap on these points, we focus on the negative emotions, uncertainty, or the physical pain at hand. As we go deeper into the application of EFT there could be past situations, past experiences, or stories that feel connected to these negative emotions.

Sweetie, in order to clean the house, you got to see the dirt.

~ Louise Hay

In a self-help world advocating positive thinking, why would you want to focus exclusively on the negative emotions, you may ask? This was exactly the question asked to me during a practice session in my pre-certification days. There is one comment made by Louise Hay, American motivational author and the queen of affirmations that has particularly stuck with me and I quote her often when asked this question. In one of her interactions with Nick Ortner, the founder of The Tapping Solution, she commented, “Sweetie, in order to clean your house, you got to see the dirt.” Now isn’t that a powerful answer?

Problems and challenges cannot be solved by the same thinking that created them.

~ Albert Einstein

While tapping is simple and painless, it produces quick and long-lasting results. By getting the basics right, one can easily apply EFT towards their own unique daily life challenges and experiences. However, for deeper issues around emotional disorders, chronic pains, addictions, phobias, personal performance, and limiting beliefs, it is best to take help from a certified practitioner. As Einstein said, “Problems and challenges cannot be solved by the same thinking that created them.”

EFT directs the kinetic energy through blocked energy channels clearing the negative emotions and memories creating relief and calmness so that you are ready to let go and move on. It works at the somatic level. 

Source: TEDxRobina, TEDx Talks, YouTube

EFT has plenty of evidence from scientific research, clinical studies, practitioner reports, and individual case studies. That’s what makes the technique reliable and not just sound like a “woo woo.”

1. A 2016 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease found that among 14 different studies emotional freedom technique treatment led to a significant decrease in anxiety scores among adults experiencing psychological distress (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26894319/)
2. According to a 2014 review published in Medical Acupuncture, “Clinical EFT has been shown to regulate stress hormones and limbic function and to improve various neurologic markers of general health. The epigenetic effects of EFT include upregulation of immunity genes and downregulation of inflammation genes.” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6381429/)
3. Another 2012 study also published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease found that when subjects were randomly assigned to either an Emotional Freedom Technique group, a psychotherapy group, or a no-treatment group, the group receiving EFT treatments decreases in cortisol levels and several improvements in psychological distress markers. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22986277/)
4. A study by Dr. Peta Stapleton, published in 2012 in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, found that EFT Tapping lowered cortisol significantly more than traditional talk therapy or resting. (https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/eft-tapping-lowers-the-stress-hormone-cortisol-a-replicated-study/)
5. Early findings from a world-first study aimed at scientifically proving a simple ‘tapping’ technique have shown the method is effective in reducing food cravings and assisting weight loss. (https://petastapleton.com/the-science-behind-tapping/)

Clinical studies apart, what helps reinforce the faith in the magic of EFT is personally knowing individual case studies where EFT has proven to be effective. Last year, my wife, Kavita, had a very traumatic experience on the road during one of her 6-hour long drive to an industrial site (she’s a Structural Consultant by profession.) The road was sinuous and included stretches through mountain areas. Kavita has mild car sickness symptoms, but that day was terrible. Her experience with nausea and vomiting was at her peak and she ended up lying down on the back seat of their car on her way back. A few days later, she had to travel on the same route again. The memories of the earlier visit were disturbing and she was almost on the verge of bailing out of this trip. The day before her upcoming visit, we tapped along on this issue and the memories associated with the previous visit. At the end of our session, she was very relaxed and calm about her upcoming trip. What was even more fascinating is that the next day she experienced zero symptoms during her travel and was able to successfully complete her site visit. Her driver was even more surprised wondering if it was the same lady in his car who gave him a horrific time on their last visit.

One of my clients, a medical doctor by profession, was suffering from sleep onset insomnia for several years. Being a doctor, he had tried everything without seeing any results. He knew his age was slowly catching up with him and this issue, if not resolved now, could result in other severe medical and health-related conditions. I did two EFT sessions with him and his issues were completely gone.

Another client was constantly living out of a sense of emotional insecurity in her relationship. It was linked to an earlier experience of abandonment. Tapping helped her clear out past memories and experiences associated with this insecurity creating a space for trust and warmth in her current relationship.

A client, the founder of a creative start-up company, came to me with a peculiar shoulder pain. All her past efforts including physiotherapy weren’t successful at eliminating this pain. While working with her, the pain seemed to be connected to several other areas of her professional and personal life. As we patiently uncovered and tapped on these related aspects her pain started to dissipate. In about three sessions, the pain had gone down considerably and also reduced in frequency.

Last year, I worked with another practitioner around my fear of swimming and I witnessed significant improvement and changes come across through those sessions.

Revati Nehru, a fellow EFT Practitioner, during her EFT training workshops recollects an experience from her first EFT class, “I was suffering from some pain in my back and shoulders due to stress and tension. I volunteered to be the live demo for the class and as I tapped along with the teacher I felt my pain gradually ebb away and eventually disappear. I was floored by the results and even more by the immediate relief that was felt from a single session. Over the next four days, I witnessed significant changes that came across in our group. Phobias were being cleared, emotional trauma from past traumatic events being healed, anxieties were being dissolved – it was a whole new world I’d stepped into.”

In conclusion, EFT is an alternative healing technique that’s powerful and holistic and makes full use of the mind-body connection to promote a sense of health, wellbeing, and vitality. It is proven to reduce stress, improve sleep, reduce anxiety, relieve pain, improve performance, and much more. Emotional Freedom Techniques has produced remarkable benefits for many people around the globe irrespective of their age. With EFT you can discover the vital secret for emotional wholeness and physical relief, and take back the reins of your well-being into your own hands.

To know more about using EFT in your life or to schedule an EFT session with me, drop me a message.

 

_{With excerpts from https://keepyourlifeontrack.blogspot.com/2020/06/stress-buster-tip-1-have-you-ever-heard.html}