Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a unique form of “psychological acupuncture” that uses the ancient Chinese meridian system to relieve psychological stress and physiological pain. EFT balances the energy system with a tapping procedure which stimulates designated meridian endpoints on the face and body. Restoring the balance of the energy system neutralizes emotional conflicts at their source, which then allows the body and mind to resume their natural healing abilities. EFT is safe, easy to apply, and is non-invasive.

Designed by Gary Craig, a personal performance coach in California, EFT belongs to a new class of treatments referred to as Energy Psychology. Gary has dedicated his work and life to teaching people how to overcome emotional and physical blocks to success and has been emotionally, spiritually and financially generous with his discoveries. EFT is one of the most effective, efficient, gentle treatment techniques I have come across since joining the mental health field nearly fifteen years ago.

As Gary neatly summarized in a recent article on his web site, all scientists agree that the body is an "energy configuration" made up of positive and negative electrical charges in the form of atoms, the basic "building blocks of all matter." Einstein informed modern scientists that all matter lies somewhere on the same energy continuum. This was captured in his famous Theory of Relativity which states E=MC². If we view the human body as an energy configuration rather than separate organs, parts and equations of chemicals, we will understand why and how EFT works. (Click here to view Gary’s complete article on this subject.)

Before continuing and using the EFT technique on yourself or others, you must read this:

DISCLAIMER: EFT is gentle and easy to use, and has to date yielded remarkable results for relieving emotional and physical distress. While there have been no distressing side effects reported to my knowledge, this does not mean that you will not discover side effects for yourself. IF YOU INTEND TO USE THESE TECHNIQUES, YOU MUST AGREE TO TAKE FULL REPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS WHILE APPLYING THESE TECHNIQUES. You may wish to consult a trained EFT practitioner. If you continue reading through this page and apply these techniques, you are agreeing to take full responsibility for yourself and others when applying the EFT technique, and shall neither hold Gary Craig, myself nor anyone else associated with EFT responsible for any adverse side effects or outcomes.

If you agree to the above disclaimer, you may continue on…

Gary Craig offers a free beginners EFT manual on his web site that describes details of how to use and apply his treatment technique. While the technique is simple and effective, I recommend you receive thorough training in its use by visiting Gary’s web site, http://www.emofree.com, to complete his tutorial and certification training, attending classes offered by trained energy therapy clinicians, or visiting one of Dr. Patricia Carrington’s web sites, http://www. eftsupport.com.

The basics of EFT are as follows:

STEP 1: Choose a problem to work on.

STEP 2: Rate your anxiety or discomfort. Decide how much it bothers you on a scale of 0-10 (where 0=no distress and 10=highest level of discomfort) when you think about it right now. (How anxious are you? How uncomfortable do you feel?)

STEP 3: Perform the Set-Up as follows:

The Set-Up: While tapping on the Karate Chop Point, name your problem you have chosen to work on, followed by an affirmation of yourself. Below are a number of choices and examples of possible Affirmation Statements:

"Even though I have this anxiety about next week’s audition, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I’m worried about my speech next week, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I’m afraid to quit smoking, I deeply and completely accept myself."
"Even though I have this strong craving for chocolate, I completely love and accept myself."

So while you are tapping on this Karate Chop Point, state your affirmation out loud 3 times.

After you have completed this step, choose an easy, short Reminder Phrase that would represent the problem you want to work on, such as “this anxiety problem” or “my chocolate cravings.”

STEP 4: TAP the stress-relief POINTS as shown below. As you tap on each point in sequence, state your Reminder Phrase, such as "my anxiety about my audition" or "my craving for a cigarette."

EYEBROW (EB)
SIDE OF EYE (SE)
UNDER EYE (UE)
UNDER NOSE (UN)
CHIN (CH)
COLLARBONE (CB)
UNDERARM (UA)
HEAD (H)

STEP 5: Rate your anxiety or stress again.
Now think about the same problem again, and rate how uncomfortable you feel about it now on the 0-10 point scale (remember, "10" means you really feel awful about it, while "0" means it doesn’t bother you at all).

STEP 6: Perform the Set-Up again.
Now you are ready to do a few more rounds of tapping on the issue if there is still some discomfort associated with it. For example, suppose you rated your anxiety about your audition next week as a "6" on the 0-10 point scale, and after the first round of EFT, your anxiety dropped to a "3." You can continue tapping until you feel no anxiety whatsoever. Revise your Affirmation Statement to reflect the fact that you have indeed taken care of some of the anxiety, but there is still more to work on.

Examples of your revised Affirmation Statements would be:

"Even though I still have some remaining anxiety about my audition, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I still have some cravings for chocolate, I deeply and completely accept myself."

"Even though I’m still a little afraid of small spaces, I deeply and completely accept myself."

STEP 7: TAP the stress-relief POINTS again.
Go back to STEP # 4 and tap on all of the points while using a revised Reminder Phrase such as "remaining cravings" or "remaining anxiety."

STEP 8: Measure your anxiety or stress level on 0-10 scale.

STEP 9: Repeat Steps #5-#9.

STEP 10: The 9-Gamut Procedure… ("The Brain Balancer")

Originally, the basic recipe of Gary Craig’s treatment used a procedure called the "9-Gamut." I don’t use it frequently, however many clients like the feel of it and think it is a good tool to synthesize their treatment. The 9 steps are simple and are listed below. Feel free to use them at the end of any of your tapping rounds. You must be tapping the Gamut Point (see "G" in diagram to the right) while you complete these 9 steps:

1. Close your eyes

2. Open your eyes
3. With your head straight, look down to your right
4. While keeping your head straight, look down to your left

5. With your head straight, twirl your eyes in a circular motion counterclockwise
6. With your head straight, whirl your eyes in the opposite direction
7. Hum a few bars of any song you like

8. Count out loud from 1-5
9. Hum again

Please be sure to keep your body well hydrated. Emotional Freedom Techniques and other energy therapies work with the electricity of your body, and water conducts electricity.