Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
What is it? Emotional Freedom Technique, or
EFT, is an easy to use, free and non
invasive method that many people are using
to gain freedom from negative thoughts and
emotions that may seemingly imprison them.
EFT has as its basic premise that pain comes
from negative emotions that are stuck in the
body. While mainstream science may deny the
truthfulness of this, many who are familiar
with acupressure, acupuncture and other
healing disciplines don't. Psychiatrists
have long documented the connection between
physical symptoms and memories and thoughts
as they help people dealing with flashbacks
of childhood trauma and other manifestations
of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
How does EFT work?
Similar to acupressure, EFT uses stimulation
of energy meridians to unblock unpleasant
feelings and thoughts. EFT starts with a
"set up phrase" that reminds the person
consciously of the emotion, thought or
symptom that the body wants to release. So
for example, if you want to ask your boss
for a raise but feel faint every time you
think of approaching him or her, you may say
something like "Even though I am afraid of
asking my boss for a raise, I deeply and
completely love and accept myself." You
would say this phrase while tapping firmly
but gently on several acupressure points
located on the head, hands, face, and chest.
While there are variations, this is basic
EFT.
What can EFT help with?
EFT practitioners say you can try EFT with
anything you want freedom from - whether it
be a fear of public speaking, emotional
issues around money, even a habit like nail
biting. Any time you feel unpleasant
emotions that keep you from taking action in
your life, you can try EFT. It also works
with physical pain and symptoms. EFT is non
invasive and only takes moments to do, and
doesn't require fancy equipment or extended
education. It is a good idea to read up on
the technique
before trying it on yourself.
EFT can even be used with children. You may
want to change the set up phrase slightly.
So for example if your child comes home from
school in an angry mood, you might sit down
with them and repeat something like this:
"Even though I feel like kicking a hole in
the wall, I'm still a good kid." It's a good
idea to ask your child exactly what they're
feeling and use their words. EFT is most
effective if you have extremely precise
clarity on what you're feeling. If EFT
doesn't seem to work for you, it's often
because you're not being clear on what
you're feeling. Try to get to the root cause
or feeling and be as specific as possible.
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