Mentor Series: EFT EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE Course Objectives Understand the history, concepts and procedures for applying EFT to your clients and yourself.witness demonstrations of the techniques and protocols of EFT. Experience EFT and demonstrate the skills during practice sessions with partners. Have an effective tool to apply immediately with your clients or themselves. What is EFT? Referred to as EFT, this simple technique powerfully combines two well-established sciences: Mind Body Medicine Acupuncture / Acupressure Using a prescribed protocol of tapping on the body and face with the fingertips, EFT stimulates the meridian points used more typically in Eastern Medicine. This releases emotions tied to a given malady, and rebalances the energy meridians. When properly applied, the therapeutic process can be reduced, from months or years, down to hours or minutes. EFT can be applied to a nearly limitless array of issues in the realms of the: Emotional Mental Physical Spiritual Energetic History EFT was developed by Gary Craig (see www.emofree.com), who is neither a psychologist nor a licensed therapist. Rather, he is a Stanford engineering graduate and an ordained minister. He was in search of a more efficient way to truly resolve emotional issues. In his words:
On the surface, psychology seems to be very scientific. There are laboratories in nearly every major university in America dedicated to research on psychological issues. Theories are put forward and rigorously tested. "Controlled" studies are done to assure the findings are valid. These studies then form the basis of carloads of professional papers written by the most highly esteemed practitioners in the field. It all seems very impressive and, in many ways, it is. All this research does uncover many valuable aspects to our thinking process and our behaviors. They are used effectively in sales and advertising and many other fields. But the vast majority of them do very little to give people rapid, long lasting relief from their emotional problems. I know that sounds a little irreverent and I mean no one disrespect. But by an engineer's standards...that is a very true statement. There are some exceptions, of course, but the vast majority of the conventional techniques have poor track records. His search for reliable personal improvement tools took a mega jump to a new level when he was told about a psychologist in Southern California, Dr. Roger Callahan, who was giving people relief from intense fears (phobias) in minutes. Although skeptical, he quickly contacted Dr. Callahan to learn more. What he learned inspired him to make EFT available to the world and we are grateful! The Science Behind EFT Our bodies have a profound electrical nature. Any beginning course in anatomy covers this. It becomes quite obvious when you shuffle your feet across a carpet and then touch a metal object. This wouldn't be possible unless your body had an electrical nature to it. When you touch a hot stove and feel the pain, it is because of electrically transmitted signals that travel along the nerves to your brain. The pain travels at the speed of electricity and that is why you feel pain so quickly. Electrical messages are continuously sent throughout your body to keep it informed. This is vital to survival which is the number one reason why we don t want to mask pain without understanding its causation. Furthermore, without this energy flow you would not be able to see, hear, feel, taste or smell. Electroencephalographs (EEG) and electrocardiographs (EKG) give us further proof of this electricity in our bodies. The EEG records the electrical activity of the brain and the EKG records the electrical activity of the heart. To validate the importance of this electrical aspect of our bodies, just remember that when the EEG or EKG flat lines, the person is dead.
The understanding of the electrical body has been with us for a long time. About 5,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered a complex system of energy circuits that run throughout the body. These energy circuits meridians are the centerpiece of Eastern medical and wellness practices and are foundational in acupuncture, acupressure and a wide variety of other healing techniques. Western medical science focuses primarily on the chemical nature of the body and is only now starting to recognize and incorporate these subtle bodies in their philosophy and practice. EFT is a direct method of accessing the subtle electrical body. Applications for EFT When you are ready for rapid forward progress with your clients, apply EFT. Introduce it to your clients when: They are experiencing blocks to their progress with other techniques. You have completed all the discovery and change techniques and want to finish with a thorough cleaning of the environment. The client is experiencing emotional abreactions that cannot be removed in other ways. The client doesn t want to talk about issues or rehash the details, but wants to move directly to a new feeling and attitude. The client complains of a pain that does not require a medical examination such as stress headache. Remember that clients need to seek medical advice for physical pain to eliminate the possibility that the body is signaling a more serious medical condition. They are under medical care, and need to improve the speed and efficiency of recovery. This technique can also be used as a alternative pathway to discovering connections between symptoms and causes, as will be discussed later. When to Use EFT Pain Relief Anger AddictionsWeight Loss Anxiety Trauma Depression Fears & Phobias Blocks to progress Allergies Respiratory Problems Blood Pressure Relationship Issues Women s Issues
Children s Issues School Sports Sexual Performance Issues Serious Diseases (from migraines to cancer) Again, remember to get a doctor s permission and diagnosis when indicated. Possible EFT limitations No protocol will work 100% of the time in all cases. However, you will find there are few limitations or drawbacks to EFT. It certainly works in areas where other techniques have failed. It is estimated that about less than 3% of the population have serious emotional and physical disabilities. These would include psychosis and multiple personality disorder, to name only a couple. Please exercise common sense in this regard. While the use of EFT generates impressive relief for many people, please consult qualified health practitioners where appropriate and honor the boundaries of your own qualifications. Theory According to their website, the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body s energy system. When we experience a trauma, have a negative response to an event, are startled or afraid, and so forth, our electrical body receives a break in the flow of energy. There is a short-circuit in the meridian system of the body. When such experiences are repeated or intense enough, they create a pattern that can be easily triggered, or begins a downward spiral into more serious conditions (pain, chronic illness, etc.). By tapping on the meridian points designated in the EFT protocol the energy flow is stimulated and not easily broken. So, by simultaneously conjuring the disruptive memories or triggers, while applying the tapping- stimulated energy flow, the old, unwanted pattern is interrupted, much like an anchoring exercise. The trigger no longer creates the old pattern, as it is now replaced with the unbroken flow of energy in the electrical system. The new pattern is developed, and becomes the permanent response, bringing about the desired healing.
Protocols of EFT There are numerous protocols within the practice of EFT. A modified version will be provided to you in this course. It is equally effective and efficient to the lengthier version, as is even admitted to in the original course, and will address nearly all issues that arise. If you find that you have a case that is not responding this version, and would like to learn more detailed protocols for applying EFT, please refer to their website www.emofree.com. Steps in Applying EFT 1. Determine the issue to be resolved through indications during a session or direct communication from the client. 2. Ask for a level of intensity. On a scale of 1-10, how intense is your feeling of? 3. Optional: Once, at the beginning of the routine, you can rub the Sore Spot, located about 3 inches down the chest from the center U of the collarbone, and about 3 inches out to either side. This is where lymph collects. Rubbing this area clears any polarity reversal and gets the lymph, and energy, flowing. 4. Tap the Karate Chop area of the hand, while making the statement: Even though I I fully love and accept myself. 5. Begin the tapping routine, while stating one or two words that encapsulate the essence of the issue. See diagram below for tapping locations. For example, smoke, overeat, anger, guilt. 6. Clients can do the tapping themselves, saving the therapist from touching the client or crossing any boundaries. 7. Tap approximately 7 times in each location. Tapping should be gentle, yet firm enough to stimulate the energy channels. 8. Recheck the level of intensity, on a level of 1-10. 9. Ask if any other correlations came to mind. While doing the protocol, the client may remember a specific event, new trigger words, other related emotions or thoughts, etc. 10. Say the beginning statement again, inserting the new words or phrases, while tapping the karate chop area of the hand. 11. Proceed with the full round of tapping on that new word, emotion or thought. 12. Continue with any new words and concepts, repeating some multiple times if needed. 13. Break state. Change the subject and talk about a relaxing or happy topic for a minute or two just to refocus their mind. A sample conversation might be where they went on their last vacation, or some other pleasant and relaxing conversation. 14. Recheck the level of intensity. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most intense, how would you rate the level of intensity for this emotion now? 15. The level has likely been greatly reduced. If it has come down from 10 to a level of 1 or 2, you have been successful for a first session. You can ask if that is comfortable, or if they would like to continue to reduce the intensity even further.
16. If the level is still at a 5 or 6, for instance, continue to tap or do other protocols, if time allows. Combining EFT with Hypnotherapy When EFT is added to the Hypnotherapy session, it can be a powerful solution to any issue, and may be the key to success in some of the tougher cases. With Hypnotherapy, we are addressing underlying root causes, changing perspectives, setting goals, and moving towards health and happiness. Sometimes, however, an energetic component may stubbornly remain. EFT is a powerful tool to apply. There are no set rules about when to apply EFT within the hypnotherapy session. If the client comes in and complains of a migraine or other distracting issues, it may be efficient to start with EFT to remove or reduce such symptoms. When a client is having difficulty getting past a certain energetic or emotional block, it may be worthwhile to bring the client out of trance, apply the EFT to get things moving, and then return them to the formalized hypnotic state once again to continue the session. My personal favorite is to proceed with a typical hypnotherapy session, leaving about 20-30 minutes at the end to apply EFT. During the session, I underline certain key words or phrases that I will use during the application of EFT. These words and phrases may be something like disappointed, betrayed, lonely, never got attention, blocked to progress, fear of success, compulsively eating, and so forth. When it is time to start the EFT, I simply go back over my notes, and we apply the EFT protocol to each of the words and phrases that they have previously stated. EFT as Homework When you have used EFT with your clients and they have become familiar with the protocol, you can instruct them to continue to practice the technique at home. This will empower your clients to continue their healing progress between sessions and provide them with a well-appreciated skill they can use throughout their life. On a paper, create a drawing as was included in this material. It doesn t matter that it may be a bit crude or funny looking. Alternatively, you can have photocopies of a drawing handy that you can give them. Write the numbers, in order, so they will know where to tap. Remind them to tap approximately 7 times in each location. Write the phrase on the paper: Even though I, I fully love and accept myself. Ask them to demonstrate the tapping routine to you so you are certain they remember how to do it correctly.
You are welcome to use the drawing included here as long as you include the copyright information. Remember that you can always use EFT on yourself to desensitize reactions, break patterns, reduce pain, and make other rapid and effective changes.