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Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT):
A New Moment in
Science
© Copyright
2003 by Christopher Hegarty, Ph.D., USA
Explore !
Volume 12, Number 6, 2003
Sidebar
Imagine for a
moment a healing modality that, in less than 10
years, has become a highly valued method of more
than five
thousand medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, chiropractors,
acupuncturists, nurses and other members
of the
healing professions in dozens of countries. Imagine further that
no surgery, drugs or equipment are needed.
There is such a healing modality, Emotional FreedomTechniques (EFT). Practitioners worldwide have marveled at its simplicity,
elegance and rapid means of healing. It has been clinically effective in thousands of cases for physical symptoms, trauma, stress,
anxiety, fears, depression, addictive cravings, children’s issues and more. Even in the hands of most newcomers, it often achieves
either noticeable improvement or complete cessation of the client’s problem. For those practitioners who learn the advanced work,
there are much higher success rates. Many skilled practitioners get measurable results over 80% of the time. In addition, the process
is often rapid,
long lasting and gentle and sometimes works when nothing
else will.
For more
than 10 years I have both witnessed, and used,
acupuncture meridian methods as part of an
integrated
healing process that has proven valuable.. There are
too many proven successes to ignore the results.
(See What
health care practitioners around the world say about EFT at the end of
this article.) A very important book giving
scientific
validation in this field is Science and Human Transformation:
Subtle Energies, Intentionality and
Consciousness, by Stanford professor William A. Tiller, Ph.D. (ISBN: 09642637-4-2). The potential within these procedures is so
far-reaching that we may have reached “a new moment in science.” While there are several useful techniques in this field, Emotional
Freedom Techniques (EFT) is clearly the leader.
How Does it
Work?
EFT is
sometimes called “acupuncture without needles” and
generates its results by balancing the body’s
energy
meridians while the client “tunes in” to their problem in a
gentle, conversational manner. In this way
an important
link is established between mind and body. It parallels
acupuncture, except that needles are not used.
Instead,
certain meridian points are stimulated by tapping with the
fingertips while the client focuses on the issue
they wish to
resolve.
A simple way
to explain how the EFT strategies work is to use the
analogy of a circuit breaker in your kitchen. Once
the circuit
is over-powered you cannot turn the lights on or get the
refrigerator to cool until the circuit breaker has been
reset. EFT
resets the circuits in a person’s body and mind. This
acupressure-based healing modality was pioneered
by renowned
chiropractor, George Goodheart, furthered by medical
doctor John Diamond and psychologist Roger
Callahan and
dramatically simplified and improved by Stanford
engineer Gary Craig. With the initial aid of
Adrienne
Fowlie, Craig developed EFT and made the work
elegant, efficient and affordable for almost anyone.
Craig
deserves the Legion of Honor award for making the work
available at little or no cost to millions of people.
Many people
have achieved success using only the 79 page EFT
Manual (which is free and can be downloaded from
www.emofree.com). More in
depth training is available at modest cost
through live seminars and EFT’s 57 professional
videos. The
favorite video of most practitioners is “6 Days at the
VA”. It displays full EFT sessions with Vietnam
veterans and
clearly shows how these hospitalized soldiers (with Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder) are freed from the
horrors of
war often in a matter of one or 2 sessions. I recently
watched Craig demonstrate the value of EFT
to an
audience of over 350 people. Like many other EFT audiences
they were initially skeptical.
How, they
questioned, could tapping with their fingertips on various
acupuncture points bring relief to both physical
and
emotional pain? Nonetheless, the audience members were soon
tapping along with him as a means of bringing
relief to
their unwanted memories and physical discomforts. I witnessed
more than 70% report noticeable relief. Back
pains
subsided, headaches went away and sinus problems vanished. In
addition, the unrelenting traumatic memories
emanating
from war, rejection, rape and abuse were replaced,
for most, by a sense of calm. Many of the attendees
claimed they
were able to eliminate issues that years of conventional
counseling had been unable to resolve.
To Craig,
these results are logical and to be expected.
In his words, “Einstein discovered decades ago that physical matter (including the human body) is made of energy. Thus,
even though the human body may appear to be solid, its foundation is energetic at its core. This simple fact is one of the most
universally agreed upon
findings in the scientific world but, to date, it has not been
well integrated into western healing procedures.”
For more details on EFT’s results, visit the EFT website (www.emofree.com). There you will find hundreds of cases where physical
issues such as migraine headaches, carpal tunnel, lactose intolerance, strep throat and multiple sclerosis symptoms have gained
complete or partial relief
through EFT. These case histories serve as an aid for anyone
wanting to master the subtleties of this process.
Four Examples
From the EFT Materials
1. John was
hit over the head with a lead pipe resulting in a metal
plate being inserted into his skull.
Afterwards
he had daily migraine headaches. These headaches
were effectively relieved with EFT in
short order
with the help of New York Therapist Dr. Carol Look.
This report is available on the EFT web
site in a
case history entitled 18 -month migraine headache
follow-up. You can read the article at http:
//www.emofree/cases/migraine/followup/htm.
2. Josh, a 5
year old boy, had ongoing anger and behavior
problems after witnessing his grandmother
being
accosted by thieves. He was relieved of this problem in
one session at an airport...to his mother’s
delight.
This report is available on the EFT website in an
article entitled, Josh: Building rapport
with
children--anger and behavior problems. You may read the
article at http://www.emofree.com/
children/josh.htm.
3. Ken, a
profoundly retarded man with autistic symptoms, was
inflicting harm on himself by biting his
arms (many scabs
and bleeding). Thanks to the creative use of EFT
by practitioner, Tom Altaffer, this biting
behavior
subsided and his wounds healed. This case history
appears on the EFT web site in an article
entitled EFT with a
mentally retarded patient. You can read
the article at http://www.emofree.com/
cases/retarded.htm.
4. Patricia
sought relief for her emotional issues but had no idea
that she was also going to achieve relief
for her
asthma. However, within the first few minutes of her use
of EFT she was breathing deeply and
freely in a
manner that her medications had never provided.
She also suffered from low back pain
and that,
too, subsided within the same session. This full
session is included in The EFT training
video set
known as The EFT Course (see http://www.emofree.com/eftcourse.htm).
Unique Features
of EFT
There are several features that set EFT apart from other such healing procedures. For example, it employs one basic tapping routine
that is effective for both physical and emotional issues. That’s why diverse audiences can achieve high percentage results even
though each member may be addressing a different issue. Further, healthy belief changes often occur as the energy meridians come
into balance. The abuse victim, for example, may experience a belief shift from “My father hates me” to the healthier, “Dad doesn’t
know how to love. He needs help.” Along with this more peaceful attitude, physical symptoms often subside. Also, EFT’s results are
often long term. Properly done, the process most often does not need to be repeated. I know a number of people, who received very
successful EFT sessions more than 10 years ago, and have never had a relapse. This is particularly so with emotional issues involving
traumatic memories, grief, fears and phobias. It is also true with many physical symptoms although highly skilled practitioners may be
necessary in complicated cases. Many injuries, including sports injuries, tend to heal faster when EFT is part of the healing
protocol.
A New Moment in
Science?
My view of science is that “SCIENCE IS THE BEST WE KNOW AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.” However, “the best known” is not
always “the best available.” Valuable breakthroughs often take a long time before being accepted. For example, the doctor who
discovered and proved the need for sanitary conditions when clients were being treated saw his proven work ignored for decades.
EFT, by contrast, has already received international acceptance. Thanks to close teamwork between highly skilled practitioners,
seminars and word-of-mouth, the EFT email list has grown over a thousand fold since it first started 6 years ago and it continues to
grow at an impressive pace. Also, the EFT training videos are modestly priced and can be copied and freely distributed to your
colleagues and to other professionals. It is estimated that over 1,000,000 people worldwide have received the benefits of EFT.
A controlled
study is now available in the September, 2003 Journal of
Clinical Psychology.
For historical perspective, let me also mention that I served as a special advisor for the Academy of Parapsychology and
Medicine at the time (1972) that it sponsored the first acupuncture symposium held in America. Dr William Tiller was head of the
Materials Science Department at Stanford University at that time and played a major role in bringing the symposium to Stanford.
It was conducted on the Stanford University campus one day before the American Medical Association opened its annual national
meeting in San Francisco. The room was
filled with M.D.s from all over the US. In an
interview with Dr. Paul Dudley White, who
had served as Dwight Eisenhower’s personal physician while he was President of the United States, he stated “Christopher, I traveled
to mainland China as a tourist after retiring from medicine. I went to a demonstration of acupuncture at a leading Chinese hospital and
witnessed a number of major operations being done without anesthesia that changed the rest of my life. I am now devoted to seeing
acupuncture
used in the U.S. It may take time to see the benefits
utilized in the U.S., but it will happen.”
With that
symposium as the starting point, acupuncture is now being
widely used in America. EFT is a logical
extension of
that movement and, because of it’s value and simplicity (and skillful
use of the internet) is known around the
world. EFT has come full circle and is now being used in China, the birthplace of acupuncture. I have not known of a healing
breakthrough to reach so far, so soon. My observation
is that EFT will likely be a global force in the field of
integrated health and healing.
What Health Care
Practitioners Around the World Say about
EFT
“In addition
to several emotional issues, I have used EFT for impressive
relief for many physical problems including Hiatal
Hernia,
Candidiasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. The process is gentle and
often provides benefits where other methods fail.”
Raul Vergini, MD Italy.
“In my opinion, even though Gary is not a therapist by profession, his masterful use of EFT has made him
one of the top 5
therapists I have ever met....and I’ve met the best.” David
Lake, MD, Australia
“EFT has
been, for me, the single most effective technique I’ve used in
my 45 years of practice as a psychiatrist. I’ve had
success with
panic, social anxiety and many other disorders.” Curtis
Steele, MD, Canada
“I have found
EFT to be so useful that it has become the
centerpiece of my practice. I have used it successfully on
a long list
of emotional issues, including paranoid schizophrenia. Interestingly,
when the emotional issues subside,
physical
ailments often enjoy simultaneous relief. I have seen this with the
symptoms of fibromyalgia and MS as well as
for swallowing
problems, back pains, hemmerhoids, acidity, breathing
problems, stomach pain, vaginitis, headaches,
joint pains
and stomach problems.” Sonia
Novinsky, Ph.D., Brazil
“In my 50
years as a practicing psychiatrist, EFT has proven to be
one o fthe most rapid and effective techniques
I’ve ever
used.” Henry
Altenberg, MD, USA w
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Christopher
J. Hegarty, Ph.D. is an alternative medicine researcher/journalist,
best selling author and an advisor to a number
of
organizations in the health and healing field. His major focus is to make proven,
valuable healing and health products and services well
known
internationally.
Whole Health Corrections, 212 Arrowhead Blvd., Jonesboro, GA, phone 404-247-9467