Emotional Freedom Technique

"You have full domain over the creative process of your own miracle."
--Jim Self

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), developed by Gary Craig, is a remarkable modality that clears emotional energy blockages. There are many techniques that move and clear energy, as EFT does. EFT is one of my favorites and I use it often, both with clients and myself.

EFT is based on Chinese acupuncture, which posits that there are invisible lines of energy called meridians that go from one place to another place in our bodies. The theory is that if there is a blockage in one of these meridians, symptoms will develop, either physical or psychological or both. In acupuncture, tiny needles are placed in the end points of certain meridians, which clears the blockage and eliminates the symptom. It's somewhat like clearing the clog out of a bathtub drain so the water can flow freely.

I had a dramatic firsthand experience of the effectiveness of acupuncture. Several years ago I was going on a trip with a friend who happened to be an acupuncturist. I developed a severe headache accompanied by nausea, a kind of headache I used to get that would normally take about 24 hours to tame.

As we drove, I began to feel worse and worse until I finally asked my friend to stop the car, because I was sure I was going to be sick. She stopped, pulled out acupuncture needles from who-knows-where, and started placing them in various places in my head, neck, and shoulders---no alcohol wipes or anything---it was like emergency "surgery," and I was glad to have it.

Within 15 minutes all the nausea had cleared up, and within one hour the headache was completely gone and it didn't come back. No medications, no need to lie still in a quiet room for hours, just clearing the energy blockages. I was very impressed, to say the least.

Several years later I encountered EFT, which is sometimes referred to as "emotional acupuncture." Needless to say, I was extremely interested. The difference is that instead of using needles, we tap on various meridian end points with two or three fingers while focusing on an emotion that is distressing. It looks and feels crazy, but it really works!

The results of the tapping are not necessarily instant (although occasionally they are). However, the energy associated with the painful emotion does get cleared out and there is relief, just as I felt from the clearing of my dreadful headache.

I believe that EFT can be used in combination with almost any other healing method, and I often do that.