How does EFT tapping work?
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a powerful ‘evidence based’ self-help tool that uses gentle tapping on acupressure points, which can help dissolve stress and limiting beliefs, fears, cravings and yes, even procrastination! EFT can be used to repair emotional, psychological, spiritual, and even physical damage caused by past events. It is designed to reduce stress by releasing negative thoughts and emotions.
EFT helps us tune in to the negative patterns that we form around our uncomfortable thoughts, feelings , or troubling memories. We ‘tap’ on the correct acupressure points on the face and upper body while bringing the thoughts or emotions into consciousness. The goal is to find relief, relaxation, and promote healing around the emotional or physical issues that hold us back.
Resource: EFT International
The process of tapping directly influences the area of the brain that controls the flight, fight, freeze response and as such, it is an exceptional tool for addressing trauma, releasing limiting beliefs and creating emotional freedom.
Did you know emotional trauma greatly contributes to disease?
Research has shown that emotional trauma contributes greatly to disease. Clinical trials have shown that EFT tapping is able to rapidly reduce the emotional impact of memories or incidents that trigger emotional distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, the body can often rebalance itself, and accelerate healing. Not up to talking about certain events that have taken place in your life? No worries, I gotchu Boo! You’ll be relieved to know you don’t have to for it to be effective. EFT has several techniques depending upon your needs.
Let’s dive a lil deeper…. Thanks to the little almond-shaped part of the brain, called the amygdala, tapping is incredibly effective. It’s responsible for activating the fight-flight or freeze response in your body. When you feel threatened, it signals the body to release hormones such as adrenaline or cortisol, commonly known as the “stress hormone.”This prepares your body for the danger you’re being presented with. You’ve probably heard of it as the “fight or flight” response.
God has designed our bodies so beautifully that we should be in awe that we have this internal mechanism to keep us safe. This was ideal when our ancestors had to run from lions and tigers and bears…oh my! But how is this affecting you today? Unless you’re in the jungles of Africa you may not think this is relevant…oh, but it is!
Your body cannot decipher if you just received a phone call with bad news, missed your flight or lost your wallet. The amygdala is activated sending adrenaline coursing through your body. What about other factors, like working long hours, poor nutrition and toxic relationships…yep, they all play a part as well. The amygdala is often on high alert mode more than it should be keeping us trapped in a low-grade fight-or-flight mode. Studies have shown this can lead to a weakened immune system, emotional dysfunction, weight gain and many other problems. This is why EFT is needed.
Tapping sends a calming signal to the amygdala taking us out of the stress response and letting us know on a cellular level that it is safe and we can heal. To get to the point, EFT is the easiest way to make big changes in your life, and not just the ones you ‘should’ make, but the ones you want to make.
Over 100 papers published in peer-reviewed medical and psychology journals, including dozens of clinical trials, have demonstrated that EFT is effective for phobias, anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSP), pain, and other problems.
Resource: EFT Universe
Dr. Mercola is perhaps the world’s best-known natural health advocate, and a Christian, sees EFT as a gift from God.
History & background of EFT
In the 1970s, Dr. George Goodheart, Dr. John Diamond and Dr. Roger Callahan each discovered that verbally focusing on a problem or issue (emotional or physical) – while manually stimulating acupuncture points – could bring surprising relief in their patients – particularly with regard to fears, phobias and physical responses to stress. Dr. Callahan was so moved by his discoveries in this area that he patented his emerging “tapping” program TFT or Thought Field Therapy. Eventually, his focus on “tapping” would completely transform his Psychology practice, which was unheard of in therapeutic circles at that time. TFT, while effective and still widely practiced today, was involved and complex. It was primarily accessible only to therapists or those willing to make a substantial financial investment in learning the process. One of Callahan’s students, Gary Craig, was able to synthesize it into a more simplified form – one involving fewer tapping points and far less complexity. A Stanford trained engineer and Master of NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), Craig added key NLP concepts, and called it EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques.
Resource: EFT International