While EFT (Emotional Freedom Therapy) is a relatively new form of alternative healing, it is proving to be successful for people all over the world. Many are taking EFT workshops, courses and trainings and are using EFT to help them lose weight, stop smoking, overcome anxiety and depression and deal with everything from phobias to physical pain.

What is EFT?

EFT is an energy healing technique that draws on many healing systems, such as acupuncture and Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Based on the idea that our bodies have energy systems and meridians, EFT is a gentle and easy technique that allows one to ‘tap’ different energy points on one’s body to release negative emotions and restore the energy and emotional bodies to balance. EFT is a self-healing energy therapy that allows you to work on yourself and become your own healer. EFT requires no needles or fancy medical equipment and can be learned by anyone interested, regardless of background.

The Basic EFT Technique

To experience the benefits of EFT, simply think about an emotional experience that brings up a lot of feelings for you. Allow yourself to experience those feelings and proceed by naming them out loud, such as ‘fear’, ‘anxiety’, ‘sadness’ or ‘anger’. Choose the main emotion that is dominant. Think about this emotion and rate it on a scale of 0-10, with zero being no emotion at all and 10 being the most severe emotional reaction.

Using your index and middle fingers, begin to tap the fleshy part of your hand underneath your pinky finger. In EFT this part of the hand is called the ‘Karate Chop Point’ – it is the place on your hand you would use to karate chop a block. Begin tapping this point while repeating the statement: “Even though I have this fear, I deeply and completely accept myself with compassion and love.” Do this several times. You have just learned the basics of EFT.

If there are situations that you are dealing with you may want to name them out loud while you tap, such as “Even though I am feeling anger at my mother for her actions, I deeply and completely accept myself.” If you are using EFT for pain or physical issues, you can also name these things out loud: “Even though I want a drink of alcohol, I deeply and completely accept myself and know that alcohol makes me feel depressed and sad.” For pain you may say, “Even though I am experiencing this pain, I love and accept myself completely.”

Reevaluating Your Levels of Emotional Freedom

After tapping several times on your Karate Chop Point and saying your statements out loud, reevaluate your level of emotional feeling on a scale of 0-10. Repeat this process often, until your can say that your emotional reaction to the situation or feeling can be rated at zero.

Advanced EFT

While tapping on the ‘Karate Chop Point’ is the first step in EFT, there are many more things to learn. You also have meridian points under the nose, under the collar bone and the beginning of your eye brow, among others. There are many more ways to use your new found healing therapy.