EFT; or Emotional Freedom Technique (another name for tapping) is a safe, gentle, and highly effective self-help technique used to reduce stress, change limiting beliefs, and remove emotional blocks that prevent us from living a full, peaceful and happy life.
Tapping is used by thousands of people all over the world to help them cope with the stresses of everyday life, to reduce anxiety, to lose weight, to eliminate phobias and panic attacks, to achieve peak performance in sports and music, and to address the emotional component of pain and disease.
In the hands of experienced Tapping practitioners, Tapping has also been used on Vietnam Vets, soldiers returning from Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, genocide survivors of Rwanda, as well asvictims of abuse to help them successfully overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
EFT works somewhat lke Acupuncture by using the energy meridians of our bodies. Research has shown that stimulation of several acupoints by gentle tapping promotes the release of serotonin and endorphins, the body's own natural, "feel-good", hormones. In other words, tapping affects our biochemistry, inducing a calming or relaxation response—the opposite of the "fight-flight-or-freeze" stress response.
By pairing a distressing memory with the tapping-induced calming response, the human brain can be re-wired, allowing the traumatic memory to be recalled without the accompanying emotional charge. Observable changes in brain scans have confirmed that the results are real, measurable, and reproducible.
Gary Craig, a Stanford engineer, adapted and refined psychologist Roger Callahan's Thought Field Therapy (TFT) to come up with a simple and elegant therapy that allowed freedom from emotional distress, which he called Emotional Freedom Technique, (EFT).
It is through Gary Craig's generosity, dedication and open-heartedness that EFT has become available to so many people all over the world. We all owe Gary an enormous debt of gratitude for bringing EFT/tapping into the world and benefiting so many people.
Using tapping on children is both quick and delightful! It is great for taking the sting out of childhood aches and pain, hurts and tantrums, everyday worries and anxieties about school and relationships.
The technique is so simple a young child can learn it in minutes and then go on to teach it to other children. It's a superb self-soothing technique that children can quickly learn to use on themselves, as well as a great parenting tool to have, literally, at your fingertips!
Pets love tapping! The next time your dog starts to tremble and whine at an impending storm, or your cat is acting crotchety and needs to be calmed, use tapping on them. You will notice the improvement in their moods and behavior almost immediately.
Tapping is a very forgiving technique. The important thing is that you tune into your problem and start tapping. Persistence is the key. Many newbies get results the first time they tap for something simple. But for more serious or complex issues, you may need to consult an experienced EFT practitioner.
Tapping is gentle and non-invasive. However, if you have a history of serious trauma, it is wise not to tackle such issues by yourself. Seek help from an experienced EFT practitioner.