Emotional Freedom Technique was first developed by Gary Craig in the early 90’s, and continues to grow and be developed by many people to this day. EFT originated from TFT (Thought Field Therapy) which was discovered by acupuncturist and psychologist Dr Roger Callahan.
EFT has many broad possibilities and has grown in popularity over the years. Emotional Freedom Technique can be likened to acupuncture without the needles and forms a bridge between talking therapies and body therapies. Instead of needles, pressure is applied in the form of light tapping to particular meridian/energy points around the body while focusing on an issue or problem, past or present.
Self-Tapping on the different energy points around the body stimulates the flow of energy within that person releasing any blockages or negative emotions/memories. Our bodies are made up of energy and negative emotions and problems held in the body means the energy flow is blocked or low in that person. Think of a log blocking the flow of water in a stream and how the water flow is slowed down as it works its way around that log. Once the log/issue is removed the water flow/energy can flow quickly and smoothly again.
EFT can be used to treat a wide variety of issues, depression, anxiety, phobias, health problems, (in this case should be used alongside medical advice), relationship problems, anger, past events (be specific here though), or anything else! It is especially useful for trauma when the traumatic event can be tapped on and the blockage released without having to say the words out loud.
If you are new to this technique you may be as sceptical as I was when I first read about it. Tapping on energy points to release negative emotions seemed far too simple a concept to work. However I was wrong! After much research I trained in this in 2007 and have seen EFT presence in the therapy world grow stronger and stronger with many more therapists now using EFT as an additional tool in their skill set.
There are a few theories why EFT works, and I believe a combination of these will be evidenced in future years as this simple but effective technique continues to grow in popularity and usage. Give it a try and see for yourself as no words can explain the convincing experience of EFT!