Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

[mind-energy]

I see that EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is one of the themes of this forum. And I think it's rightfully so. I've been studying EFT for about the last 6 month and have seen great success using it both on myself and on others.

Quick explanation: EFT is a form of treatment of both emotional and physical problems that is derived from knowledge of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) , more specifically the meridians system and additional research in psychology, applied kinesiology. EFT is part of what's called Energy Psychology.

EFT can treat a numerous amount of conditions very rapidly and with long-standing results. Its basic form is also very easy to learn.

I've written a more thorough review of EFT at my site:
Emotional Freedom Techniques - EFT.
You can also read about my very successful applying of it on my wife severe migraine headaches:
Applying EFT on migraine headache

The home site of EFT is at EmoFree.
The best to learn it is to download the free manual and order the DVD videos for much better understanding of how to apply EFT in different cases.

Tell about your successes with EFT.
Jacob.

[Ulrik von Bek]

I found the free manual confusing and couldn't get the thing to work. I now use Sedona Method and Byron Katie's the Work, both of which immediately and intuitively made sense.

[Andy]

I tried EFT something like a year and a half ago and the tapping did nothing whatsoever so I ditched it. But a few months I was looking into various belief change strategies again and figured I'd give EFT another shot. Now for whatever reason it worked this time...and I use it all the time. It really shocks me how it can turn bad memories into good ones. I tried the Sedona Method too but I never figured out how to use it properly.

[Dolazy]

It works. I can't believe it, because I'm really not impressed with the theory, but every time I try it it DOES work..

[mind-energy]

Yes, the actual results when you work with other people really shock with their effectiveness. Sometimes it's like magic.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Dolazy

It works. I can't believe it, because I'm really not impressed with the theory, but every time I try it it DOES work..

Yeah as much as I'd like to believe the theory it just seems so iffy and questionable to me. I'll be waiting for some kind of scientific research to explain why it actually works the way it does...who knows if that'll ever happen.

[mind-energy]

Originally Posted by Andy

Yeah as much as I'd like to believe the theory it just seems so iffy and questionable to me. I'll be waiting for some kind of scientific research to explain why it actually works the way it does...who knows if that'll ever happen.

Actually, there has been some research on energy psychology. I believe that most of it was towards proving that it actually helps than to explain its workings. I think that since regular science can't even prove or disprove the existence of the meridians and even of the Chi energy itself, there's no way it can show how EFT works, since it uses these energy systems.

But, it you believe the meridians are true (as I believe) then it can make sense. To educate myself more I've even ordered a book from amazon that should go into deeper details of the working of energy psychology. Tomorrow I'm going to take it from the post office (a note came today from the post that the parcel arrived).

I believe I'll be smarter on this topic after I read this book.

[RandomJohn]

Which book is that?

[mind-energy]

Originally Posted by RandomJohn

Which book is that?

Sorry I was too lazy to go and see my order. The book is:
The Promise of Energy Psychology by David Feinstein with Gary Craig and Donna Eden (David's wife). Here's from Amazon's site:

From Publishers Weekly
The authors readily admit their bold claims—"Your emotional health, your success in the world, and your level of joy can all be dramatically enhanced by shifting the energies that regulate them"—are not backed by empirical research. Nonetheless, Feinstein, a clinical psychologist and national director of the Energy Medicine Institute; his wife, Eden, a renowned energy healer (and Feinstein's coauthor on Energy Medicine); along with Craig, founder of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), assert that phobias and anxieties often fade in minutes, trauma might be alleviated in a few sessions, anger can be decreased, depression may be managed without medication, and young children can be given an achievement boost by following their techniques. The theory is that "stimulating energy points on the skin, paired with specified mental activities, can instantly shift your brain's electrochemistry." Despite the wide use of acupuncture in alternative Western medicine, not much is known about the body's energies and how that energy can be used in healing. The authors say this book can be approached with a "show-me" attitude. Indeed, Feinstein, Eden and Craig will have to "show" empirical evidence before their method can be supported by the mental health field.

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

Originally Posted by Andy

Yeah as much as I'd like to believe the theory it just seems so iffy and questionable to me. I'll be waiting for some kind of scientific research to explain why it actually works the way it does...who knows if that'll ever happen.

It's funny isn't it? I love EFT (am an EFT practitioner), and have seen it work spectacularly many times, but I also have good friends who won't even try it because it doesn't fit into their belief systems. Why is it that we need someone else to validate it before we can accept our own reality? I have found this myself, and while it's off the track of EFT per se, it amazes and confounds me that we are so dependent on other people's opinions soemtimes. Having said that, I've just joined this forum so I can be "surrounded" by like-minded friends!
We are funny creatures!
Hazel
(EFT - Really Good Ideas)

[JJP]

I like it, it's crazy, it usually works really well on me... almost too well, like sometimes after I do it I can't even imagine what the problem or fear felt like in the first place. Heck, I should use it more regularly.

[dpvtank]

Maybe I'm doing it completely wrong, but I've tried this for two weeks on two different occasions and I felt nothing. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or something. I've read the manual many times and tried to understand it. However, being a student, I don't want to invest in the videos yet and get it.

I really want to give this a try; I know it can help me out. Does anyone have a short video of this at work, so I can correct what I'm doing wrong?

Any help is appreciated.

[mind-energy]

Originally Posted by dpvtank

I really want to give this a try; I know it can help me out. Does anyone have a short video of this at work, so I can correct what I'm doing wrong?

Any help is appreciated.

I believe there are some videos at Dr. Mercola's site at http://www.mercola.com.
Most probably you'll have to subscribe to his newsletter to get access to information but then you can do a search there and he has lots of useful information, including some on EFT.

[dpvtank]

I found some good articles, but it looks like you have to buy the dvd-set to see any of the videos.

[Alvin]

What a minute, this is that tapping technique thing? I've read about it but never expected it to work...it seemed too weird out for me (and my friends think I'm pretty weird already).

But I'm surprised at the positive results many of you have. Any specific change stories you might share?

[Considerate]

I've heard of this technique for the first time this week and I must say I'm surprised at how well this is working out.

I previously read other, similar ideas about touching specific areas of the body to change the current of the meridians. The Rosicrucian techniques for example focus heavily on the spine and vertebrae to induce healing in regards to disturbances.

I suffered from a bout of depression this week. I downloaded the manual last night but was too tired to try it out. This morning then, I applied the exercises and roughly five minutes after, I felt like I had to clean my house. Again, I'm quite surprised by the effectiveness of EFT. I'll see how it can be applied to other parts of my life and with other people.

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

Egad - Sorry guys this thread is probably dead, but for EFT stories, I have a few:

Personally, my life has entirely changed since learning EFT. I always knew the theory, just couldn't get my mind to turn around. EFT did that. I have fixed my:
-phobia about dead animals,
-phobias about heights
-gained huge confidence for public speaking
-fixed a stiff ankle I had since it was broken (twice, once 20 years ago, the other about 5 years ago)
-my vision is improving (my glasses prescription has reduced about 2 dioptres)
-I lost weight (not much, but then I wasn't seriously overweight)
-biggest effect was the first - I focussed on 3 major childhood traumas, and in one evening, lost all the emotional baggage and pain I'd been carrying for decades.
there are many small things, aches pains, sore throats etc, too numerous to mention. I used to go through paracetamol and have frequent back pain. No more. I don't have any pain killers in my house now, except for EFT! :-)

[Greg]

I downloaded the manual and took a look through. I've heard of similar psychotherapy techniques but never gave them enough time to see if they worked. As a small test, I tried it on a headache I had. I'm not sure if it was because of the distraction of doing all the techniques required (4 steps), but it did dim down my headache from a 6 to a 1.

[Dimitry]

Hmm...personally I haven't heard about this though parts of what you guys are describing seems familiar. Is it basically getting energy to the hands for example and then doing a type of "air massage" over the points that are affecting you? I will read about this when I have a bit more time, just interested to hear exactly what it is.

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

Originally Posted by Dimitry

Hmm...personally I haven't heard about this though parts of what you guys are describing seems familiar. Is it basically getting energy to the hands for example and then doing a type of "air massage" over the points that are affecting you? I will read about this when I have a bit more time, just interested to hear exactly what it is.

No, Dimitry, it's just tapping acupuncture points with your fingertips, while focussing your mind on the problem.

Greg - most people think it's the distraction that works, I know different! It works like magic, but the EFT theory is that you are resetting the meridians for this problem by tapping them while focussing on the problem.

[Hilary]

Wonderful stories - congratulations on all those successes!

Where and how did you learn EFT? I'd like to learn what you learned!

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

Hilary - my website - or EFT Provides Impressive Physical and Emotional Freedom--New Discovery Often Works Where Nothing Else Will

[Hilary]

Thanks! You know, it didn't occur to me from your sig file that it might have anything to do with EFT. (Not that I can talk, since I don't even have a sig here yet, but...)

[Dimitry]

RGI, thanks for the quick info. I'll take a look into your website when I get home.

[shesaboutspirit]

Hi Guys, thought I'd add a bit more. I went to an EFT workshop for three days with the founder of this style, Gary Craig. I wanted to see it done and really know that I was doing it right.

When I think to do it, it works every time...and amazingly, I often still forget to use it. It works great on my children too.

I've analyzed the heck out of it and my gut feeling is that while yes, it works on our energy systems, it also simply allows us to connect with our subconsious...and move quickly to release old stuck beliefs and energies.

The most significant experience I've had was the time I was in such a severe state of depression that I could barely move. I was sitting in my bed feeling paralyzed with emotional pain. I prayed for anything to help me, then thought to do EFT (a prayer answered). I started the tapping (which in no way has to be perfect) and I would get some thought, like "I'm worthless". So I would say that as I tapped. It goes like this "even though I'm worthless, I deeply and completely love and accept myself". After a minute, the thought changes...you need to listen though... The next thought is like an evolution of the first. Like "I'm stupid"...so I spend a minute tapping on that. Well it quickly evolved as these disabling beliefs came to my awareness to be released. Within twenty minutes, my energy was up and I felt like cleaning my house...at midnight. So I popped out of bed and did some tidying up, sort of the outer of the inner. Clean inside clean outside.

EFT fits for me because it's free to learn, use and this is my guideline to true empowerment.

Who cares about science if it works, right?

Blessings, Pam

[Andrew Brunelle]

To be honest, I don't think the EFT is anything new and I believe Gary, or whoever runs the website is all about the money, and not the message. But that's just me. I'm sure it works, in practice and in reality, but I really don't feel like buying anything adn the free manual isn't worth taking all the time to read unless I learn Photoreading, which will take me about a week. The time investment is killing me. I just don't see it as beneficial to me, although I do love the inspirational stories on his site.

[shesaboutspirit]

Hey there Mister Andrew, while you have the right to your judgment, you may not have all of the facts. Gary Craig offers most of this stuff for FREE. He gives permission to make a hundred copies to GIVE away of any Cd's that you get from his site. I've never purchased a thing to learn EFT. The advanced course that I attended was just for the experience of sharing with him in person, for me. And it was a bargain! Blessings, Pam

[Holistic Star]

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

To be honest, I don't think the EFT is anything new and I believe Gary, or whoever runs the website is all about the money, and not the message. But that's just me. I'm sure it works, in practice and in reality, but I really don't feel like buying anything adn the free manual isn't worth taking all the time to read unless I learn Photoreading, which will take me about a week. The time investment is killing me. I just don't see it as beneficial to me, although I do love the inspirational stories on his site.

Just to echo what Shesaboutspirit says - Gary Craig is certainly not about the money and is all about the message! He is so open to helping people and refining his toolkit and sharing what he has found out. He has developed EFT by working with thousands of people to explore it and find out what more can be done and then he shares those learnings.

I was able to use EFT very successfully from just the FREE manual and only paid for training when I decided to go for my practitioner certificate.


I am really shocked by your attitude in saying that it take a bit of time to read the manual so there is no point trying. You really don't need photoreading to read a 87page manual! I read the whole thing in about three evenings without any special techniques, in fact pages 28 - 40 encompase the entire technique so that is only 12 pages to read to get a very useful tool to personal growth.

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

Ditto for me. I discovered the EFT site late at night looking for cures for insomnia. Skimming the free pdf took about an hour, and I was asleep in no time.
If you don't have that much time, I wrote a quick 5 page version which is on my homepage.

I personally think Gary must be one of the most loving generous people around, he's given away his IP for nothing in that PDF. The CD's are relatively cheap (even with our exchange rate), and as mentioned, buyers are allowed to copy them and lend them.

I am grateful for the love expressed there.

[AndyMartin]

Yeah, I've got to give Mr. Craig a lot of credit. While I have a lot of respect for guys like Bob Proctor and John Demartini, these guys are charging serious money for their programs. And while on one hand, I'm fine with that, it also makes me a little sad that the people who most need it often can't afford it. The EFT Handbook is all you need to get started, and you get that in exchange for your email address. In my exploration, EFT definitely seems to work. I can usually achieve the same level of release with a few moments of silencing my mind, but I have used it for particularly acute flare-ups and have found it very helpful.

As I see it, EFT asks less of you than anything else I've encountered. It doesn't ask you to buy anything. It doesn't ask you to believe anything up front, or to accept any particular doctrine as corollary of it working. At minimum, it's worth looking into.