(EFT) Emotional Freedom Technique is an alternative healing method invented by Gary Craig in the 1990s. Based on the teachings of his one time mentor Roger Callahan, it has been hailed as miraculous by many holistic healers and doctors, equally disparaged by critics who call it pseudo science, and in spite of, or perhaps because of the controversy is wildly popular. It is available for purchase on DVD on the internet, is taught in workshops in conjunction with the DVD and has been glowingly endorsed by celebrities such as Deepak Chopra. The basic theory of EFT is simple, heal the mind and good health will follow. EFT is The Power of Positive Thinking taken to a whole new post modernist level.
The success of EFT lies in the balancing of the body's subtle energies that flow through the body, in much the same way as blood flows through veins. This balancing is done with an elegant sort of emotional acupuncture. Instead of using needles, specific points on the body are stimulated by tapping with the fingertips.
EFT theory states that negative emotions are created in the following sequence: in response to a negative experience negative emotions are born, thereby leading to negative programming in the body which leads to a disruption in the body's energy field. EFT proponents believe tackling the negative experience alone is not enough to restore health. They believe that the energy imbalance must be remedied along with curing the negative emotions in order to remove the negative responses i.e. illness, phobia, etc
There are many You Tube videos showing EFT in action, and you can tap along with many of them, experiencing your own personal shifts and transformations. The issue here is that although you will hopefully have an experience of EFT working for you, this is a disjointed approach as there is no formal training. This means that if you try to use it on yourself without having foundational knowledge, it may work, or it may not. If it doesn't work, you could become disheartened and put EFT aside. Again, this would be tragic as, if used properly, EFT could literally be life changing for you.
One potentially excellent source of training in EFT comes from DVD-based courses. The advantage here is that you can learn the core skills in a structured manner whilst seeing EFT being used on real people with real issues. There is nothing like watching this technique being used in practice both for learning the process itself and also because it is so great to be able to watch while someone's issue is being (hopefully) resolved in front of your eyes.
Gary Craig himself has said placebo controlled studies of EFT are unreliable if not impossible because energy meridians are influenced and manipulated by tapping anywhere on the body. Thus EFT is really unable to be tested through scientific means and this has caused its opponents to label it as pseudo science. Its reliance on anecdotal evidence and aggressive promotion on the internet have also damaged its plausibility. It has been speculated in an article of the Guardian that perhaps the act of rhythmically tapping the body while in distress simply serves as a distraction from the ailment, making it seem as if EFT is effective.
There are disadvantages of using DVD-based training: Firstly you are not able to ask your own questions. Learning is a personal experience and DVDs are not able to give the individual attention that can help you really get the technique. In addition, if you get stuck when you are first starting, as with the other learning methods above, it can be very difficult to know what to do, without any direct, immediate help.
For someone who is desperately ill and looking for a cure, it is irresponsible and misleading to claim EFT can cure them, particularly if that person is going to forgo proven conventional treatment in favor of EFT. That is not to say that EFT lacks all value, just that its efficacy has not been proven, and further studies are required before it is accepted or dismissed entirely.
Learn EFT from Courses and Workshops.Without a doubt there is no better way of learning EFT than by attending a course or workshop. The disadvantage is the cost, which tends to range from $150 (100) to $220 (140) for one-day workshops. However you get far more than just learning EFT. Most workshops have plenty of practice where you get to work deeply on your personal challenges or blocks, so attending a workshop is probably also the healing equivalent of a couple of therapy sessions with an EFT practitioner! A good facilitator will ensure you really get the EFT technique and will handle all your personal questions and confusions to make sure you leave the workshop with real experience and understanding under your belt.
If possible, attend a workshop that is accredited by the AAMET (Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Therapies) as this is the largest EFT organization in Europe and the U.S. If you wish to become an EFT practitioner, as we go in to the future, the AAMET is most likely to be the first organization to be approved by government health departments; as I write there is no other EFT organization that comes anywhere close in terms of its formalized structures designed to provide a clear curriculum and protocols for the safety of practitioners and clients.
[Emotional Freedom Technique EFT]
The success of EFT lies in the balancing of the body's subtle energies that flow through the body, in much the same way as blood flows through veins. This balancing is done with an elegant sort of emotional acupuncture. Instead of using needles, specific points on the body are stimulated by tapping with the fingertips.
EFT theory states that negative emotions are created in the following sequence: in response to a negative experience negative emotions are born, thereby leading to negative programming in the body which leads to a disruption in the body's energy field. EFT proponents believe tackling the negative experience alone is not enough to restore health. They believe that the energy imbalance must be remedied along with curing the negative emotions in order to remove the negative responses i.e. illness, phobia, etc
There are many You Tube videos showing EFT in action, and you can tap along with many of them, experiencing your own personal shifts and transformations. The issue here is that although you will hopefully have an experience of EFT working for you, this is a disjointed approach as there is no formal training. This means that if you try to use it on yourself without having foundational knowledge, it may work, or it may not. If it doesn't work, you could become disheartened and put EFT aside. Again, this would be tragic as, if used properly, EFT could literally be life changing for you.
One potentially excellent source of training in EFT comes from DVD-based courses. The advantage here is that you can learn the core skills in a structured manner whilst seeing EFT being used on real people with real issues. There is nothing like watching this technique being used in practice both for learning the process itself and also because it is so great to be able to watch while someone's issue is being (hopefully) resolved in front of your eyes.
Gary Craig himself has said placebo controlled studies of EFT are unreliable if not impossible because energy meridians are influenced and manipulated by tapping anywhere on the body. Thus EFT is really unable to be tested through scientific means and this has caused its opponents to label it as pseudo science. Its reliance on anecdotal evidence and aggressive promotion on the internet have also damaged its plausibility. It has been speculated in an article of the Guardian that perhaps the act of rhythmically tapping the body while in distress simply serves as a distraction from the ailment, making it seem as if EFT is effective.
There are disadvantages of using DVD-based training: Firstly you are not able to ask your own questions. Learning is a personal experience and DVDs are not able to give the individual attention that can help you really get the technique. In addition, if you get stuck when you are first starting, as with the other learning methods above, it can be very difficult to know what to do, without any direct, immediate help.
For someone who is desperately ill and looking for a cure, it is irresponsible and misleading to claim EFT can cure them, particularly if that person is going to forgo proven conventional treatment in favor of EFT. That is not to say that EFT lacks all value, just that its efficacy has not been proven, and further studies are required before it is accepted or dismissed entirely.
Learn EFT from Courses and Workshops.Without a doubt there is no better way of learning EFT than by attending a course or workshop. The disadvantage is the cost, which tends to range from $150 (100) to $220 (140) for one-day workshops. However you get far more than just learning EFT. Most workshops have plenty of practice where you get to work deeply on your personal challenges or blocks, so attending a workshop is probably also the healing equivalent of a couple of therapy sessions with an EFT practitioner! A good facilitator will ensure you really get the EFT technique and will handle all your personal questions and confusions to make sure you leave the workshop with real experience and understanding under your belt.
If possible, attend a workshop that is accredited by the AAMET (Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Therapies) as this is the largest EFT organization in Europe and the U.S. If you wish to become an EFT practitioner, as we go in to the future, the AAMET is most likely to be the first organization to be approved by government health departments; as I write there is no other EFT organization that comes anywhere close in terms of its formalized structures designed to provide a clear curriculum and protocols for the safety of practitioners and clients.
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