EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (EFT) / TAPPING
EFT, or tapping, is a therapy in the field of energy psychology. It is based on the principles of both ancient acupressure and modern psychology. Tapping works on balancing the body’s subtle energies and has been proven successful in thousands of clinical cases. EFT draws on various theories of alternative medicine including acupuncture (but without the use of needles), neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), and Thought Field Therapy. Tapping is a tool for improving life on multiple levels; mental, emotional and physical. It can address a range of issues from anxiety, fears, PTSD, weight control, confidence, self-sabotage, repetitive life patterns, stress relief and so much more. Fingertips are used to lightly tap on specific meridian endpoints in combination with focused spoken words. It halts the stress response, rebalances the mind and body, and reprograms the brain to respond differently.
Science has established that the stress response begins in the amygdala in the brain. This is part of the limbic system which is also the source of emotions and long-term memory; where negative experiences are encoded. If an experience is perceived as a problem the amygdala signals the brain to engage the fight or flight response. An earlier negative experience can program the amygdala to trigger whenever something similar happens in future. Tapping targets the root cause of a challenge by interrupting the stress response in the brain. It turns off the amygdala’s “high alert”, deactivating the brain’s arousal pathways, sending a calming response to the nervous system. With the stress volume turned down it provides space for more clarity of thinking and enables new empowering choices. It interrupts thinking patterns, habits and conditioned learning. The combination of tapping the energy meridians while focusing on the problem clears the “short-circuit”, the negative emotional charge, from the body’s bioenergy system. Tapping helps to overcome limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns, processes emotions, and restores mind & body balance. It reprograms the hippocampus which plays an essential role in the formulation of new memories. It installs new habits and rewires the brain to respond in healthy ways.
A Treatment Session
An EFT tapping treatment uses fingertips to lightly tap on the meridian end points which are situated just beneath the surface of the skin. The patient will tap on themselves guided by the therapist. Tapping points are mostly on the head, face and upper body (see tapping points diagram for full list). Each meridian relates to a different body organ. Tapping involves inputs kinetic energy whilst focusing on the specific problem — whether it is an emotional issue (anxiety, overwhelm, stress), weight issues, a traumatic event etc. As the layers are peeled back positive voice affirmations are used to rewire thus restoring mind and body balance. This calming response to the system is essential for optimal health & wellbeing. People benefit from having more clarity, more focused attention, increased motivation, and improved mood.
Tapping is an alternative healing method with outstanding, fast working, results proven successful in thousands of clinical cases. It can be offered as a one-off stand-alone treatment for a specific issue or a series of sessions. It it also effective when used in combination with other treatments to speed up the body’s own healing mechanisms.
