Science Behind EFT

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT): A New Moment in Science

© Copyright 2003 by Christopher Hegarty, Ph.D., USA

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 Freedom Techniques (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 web site (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.com/migraine-
headaches/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’ delight. This report is available on the EFT web site 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 ofthe most rapid and effective techniques I’ve ever used.” -Henry Altenberg, MD, USA 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.

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