EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique was developed by Gary Craig. But its origins go back 5,000 years to ancient China and the people who mapped the subtle energies that course through the body – the energies acupuncture and related techniques are based on. (Western medicine tends to view the body as biochemical and does not pay much attention to the electrical energy in our body.) Gary Craig credits Dr. Roger Callahan as the first to bring these techniques to the Western world in a substantial way, despite the hostility of the Western medical community. It is still met with lots of skepticism and closed-minds, but it is gradually gaining ground as more and more studies on EFT are being published. (See my links to SKEPTICAL? And THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE BEHIND EFT).

EFT is based on the discovery that certain imbalances in the body’s energy system have profound effects one one’s emotions and psychological state. EFT tapping corrects these energetic imbalances by tapping on certain body locations stimulating subtle electrical impulses that are sent to the brain. This tapping therapy increases Serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone, decreases Cortisol, the “stress” hormone, and causes a release of GABA, an anti-anxiety neurotransmitter. Thus, the EFT tapping actually changes the neurochemistry of the brain. By changing the neurochemistry, it changes which neurons fire and which connections are made in the brain while the brain is focused on the emotional injury (e.g. a distressing memory). So the EFT tapping appears to relieve distressing emotions because it changes the neurochemistry associated with that event/memory/etc. (See the THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE BEHIND EFT for the studies showing this result.)

I know this seems like a crazy thing to say – that tapping on the body can cause such profound change in how we feel emotionally about something. It is a revolutionary concept for those with a Western mind-set where the belief is emotional wounds are either rationalized away, or are deep wounds that require years of effort to get over - but once you work with EFT you will see how true it is. (And, of course, you can also read the research studies. One of the most interesting is the study of Vietnam Veterans with PTSD – see the video “6 Days at the VA.” There are also several other more recent studies of EFT with vets with PTSD.)

EFT reduces a complex subject to a few simple procedures, so it is easy-to-learn. Most striking to me, you can test the EFT method for yourself and see that it does create real and lasting change. I often write down for my clients the topics we have worked on so that they can check-in on those formerly distressing topics later to see if any distress comes back. Usually it does not. In fact, when I ask clients about these topics at the next session, my questions are often met with a shrug and a comment to the effect of “Oh that, I forgot about that. No, I don’t think about it anymore.” Occasionally a new aspect of that event/memory/issue pops up causing distress. But that is easily relieved by applying the EFT tapping process to that new aspect of the event/memory/issue.

EFT can work on simple things like being angry at rude store clerk. But it can also work on the root causes of why you feel stuck and depressed all the time, no matter what you do. These root causes are often deeply held beliefs about yourself, others around you and the world. For instance, if deep in your subconscious you see yourself as a failure, succeeding in your job won’t change that feeling. You may get momentary relief from the depression at times, but it always comes back because that core belief is still there. Most of the time, we have no idea what core beliefs we are holding on to – they are not in our conscious, rational mind – they are held in the subconscious mind. That is why working with an experienced therapist can be very helpful.