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Introductory EFT Workshop, India 2019. Photo Courtesy Puja Kanth
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques. EFT is a practical self-help method that involves using the fingers to gently tap on the body's acupuncture points along the meridian lines of Chinese medicine. It is often referred to as ‘EFT Tapping’ or simply as ‘Tapping’. The therapeutic effects of this technique are recognized around the world. One can use EFT tapping for anxiety, weight loss issues, pain, stress and many other issues.
Download a Free Introductory EFT Tapping Manual and How to Tap Guide (including Free EFT Tapping Points Chart)
EFT Tapping helps us tune in to the negative patterns that we form around our uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or troubling memories. We ‘tap’ on the correct pressure points while bringing the thoughts or emotions into consciousness. The aim is to find relief, relaxation, and promote healing around the emotional or physical issues that hold us back.
EFT Applications:
EFT Training Photo Courtesy Puja Kanth
There are two primary applications or faces of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) or what is now more commonly known as Tapping:
1. EFT or Tapping for Self-Care - This method of gentle tapping on certain areas of the face and body while tuning into an issue, helps you relieve stress and feel better in the moment. It is usually self-administered, though it can be guided by someone else, as in a group or in a video. EFT or Tapping in this way can help you rapidly self-soothe and come into calm. With further practice, training, and mentoring, EFT can also be self-administered in ways similar to Practitioner-Assisted EFT (below) as an effective tool for personal growth.
2. Practitioner-Assisted EFT - This is 1-to-1, client-centred care that is facilitated by an experienced EFT practitioner. During a series of 1-to-1 EFT sessions, a practitioner helps a client “tap into" their unique subjective experience of a presenting challenge (or troubling issue/s) for the purpose of gaining clarity and resolution. This supports the client in making changes (emotional and/or physical), shifting limited thought processes, resolving past traumas, opening to beneficial ways to move forward and more.
Find EFT Practitioners
All of the EFT Practitioners who are listed in the Practitioner Directory are certified by EFT International. We require our members to uphold positive ethics and a code of conduct. They also must complete an annual professional development process. If you are looking for an EFT Session or ‘Tapping Therapy’, please visit the practitioners directory. Each practitioner will describe their specific skills and certifications. A session can be arranged in-person. Many practitioners also offer remote sessions on the phone or online.
EFT is a session between a trained EFT practitioner and a client or patient. The practitioner will use EFT techniques to work on general or specific issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, chronic pain, or weight loss. EFT sessions can be long or short and single or multiple depending on the needs of the client.
Can I Practice EFT Techniques on Myself?
It is easy to use EFT tapping for yourself. Photo courtesy Jade Barbee
YES! It is easy to get started with our free introductory tapping manual. The manual is a great place to learn the beginning tapping techniques and tapping points. If you want to go further, our certified Trainers offer EFT training courses all over the world. You can visit the Training and Events page to find a training course or workshop near you.
Practicing EFT for yourself is a simple and effective way to quickly work on an issue. Once you know the basic technique, you can spend a short amount of time tapping any time that it is convenient.
How Can I Learn More About EFT?
Our website is a great resource. We have an archive of EFT articles written by our members. The Science and Research section has links to studies and research on how EFT works. Taking a workshop, or getting a session from an EFT practitioner are also great ways to get direct experience.
The History and Background of EFT
In the 1970s, Dr. George Goodheart, Dr. John Diamond and Dr. Roger Callahan each discovered that verbally focusing on a problem or issue (emotional or physical) – while manually stimulating acupuncture points – could bring surprising relief in their patients – particularly with regard to fears, phobias and physical responses to stress.
Dr. Callahan was so moved by his discoveries in this area that he patented his emerging "tapping" program TFT or Thought Field Therapy. Eventually, his focus on "tapping" would completely transform his Psychology practice, which was unheard of in therapeutic circles at that time. TFT, while effective and still widely practiced today, was involved and complex. It was primarily accessible only to therapists or those willing to make a substantial financial investment in learning the process. One of Callahan's students, Gary Craig, was able to synthesize it into a more simplified form – one involving fewer tapping points and far less complexity. A Stanford trained engineer and Master of NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), Craig added key NLP concepts, and called it EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques.
EFT first appeared in the late 1990s via Craig's popular website (emofree.com) where he made it available to laypeople via low-cost videos. Since that time, it has proliferated steadily beyond traditionally therapeutic circles and taken-on added refinements – many of which were shepherded-in by Craig and his students through experimentation.
Despite some rapid evolution in the early years, original or "classic" EFT has remained largely unchanged. It is this version of EFT that comprises EFT International's model of EFT tapping training.