EFT is a psychological tapping or acupressure treatment. Let’s find out what it is, what it is for and, above all, how it manages to act for the treatment of physical and emotional pain
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The emotional freedom technique (EFT) is an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress. It is also called tapping or psychological acupressure.
This technique is based on touching some specific points on the body, in order to create a balance in the energy system and cure pain. According to its developer, Gary Craig, it is precisely an energy outage that is the cause of all negative emotions and physical pain.
Although still being researched, the EFT technique has been used to treat people with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Read also: Period pains: an app that teaches acupressure to relieve them
How does EFT tapping work?
Similar to acupuncture, EFT focuses on meridian points – or energetic hot spots – to restorebalance in the body. It is believed that restoring this energetic balance can relieve symptoms caused by a negative experience or emotion.
According to Chinese medicine, the meridian points are regarded as areas of energy flow in the body. These points help balance the flow of energy to keep you healthy.
L’acupuncture uses needles to apply pressure to these energy points, while EFT uses finger touches to apply pressure.
The latter helps to access energy and send signals to the part of the brain that controls stress. Stimulating the meridian points through EFT touching can reduce stress or negative emotion, ultimately restoring the balance of disrupted energy.
Emotional freedom tapping in 5 passi
EFT tapping can be divided into five phases. You can repeat this sequence to reduce or eliminate the intensity of negative feelings.
- Identify the problem: For this technique to be effective, you must first identify the problem or fear. Focusing on just one problem at a time is meant to improve the outcome.
- Test the initial intensity: Once you have identified the problem area, you should set a baseline intensity level. The intensity level is rated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst or most painful level.
- Setup: Before you tap, you need to establish a sentence that explains what you’re trying to address. This has to focus on two main goals, acknowledging the problems and accepting oneself despite the problem. It can help to repeat a sentence as if it were a mantra, such as “even if I have this problem or fear, I accept myself”.
- Tap Sequence: The tap sequence is to press on nine meridian points. In fact, although there are 12 main meridians that mirror each side of the body and correspond to an internal organ, this technique mainly focuses on nine points, which you will have to tap in this ascending order:
- karate chop (KC): small intestine meridian
- top of head (TH): governing vessel
- eyebrow (EB): bladder meridian
- side of the eye (SE): Gallbladder meridian
- under the eyes (EU): stomach meridian
- under nose (UN): Governance ship
- chin (Ch): central vessel
- Beginning of clavicle (CB): Kidney meridian
- under the arm (AU): spleen meridian
After touching the underarm point, finish the sequence at the top of the head point.
At the end of the sequence, rate your intensity level on a scale from 0 to 10. Compare your results with your starting intensity level. If you haven’t reached 0, repeat this process.
EFT: benefits
If you are wondering what are the benefits of using the EFT technique? Know that the benefits of the Emotional Freedom Technique are:
- it is simple and painless
- it’s easy to learn
- no need for a therapist
- It’s free
- it takes less time than a session with the psychologist
- can be used with a specific emotional intent towards your unique life challenges
- gives the power to heal oneself
- drastically reduces the discomfort that gives rise to problems.
Does emotional freedom tapping really work?
EFT has been used to effectively treat war veterans and military personnel. In a 2013 study, researchers analyzed the impact of this technique by touching war veterans compared to those who received standard care.
The data showed that within a month, the participants who received EFT coaching sessions they significantly reduced their psychological stress.
A 2016 review compared the effectiveness of using this technique, leveraging standard care options for anxiety symptoms. The study concluded that there was a significant decrease in anxiety scores compared to participants receiving other care. However, more research is needed to compare EFT treatment to other cognitive therapy techniques.
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