EEmotional Freedom Techniques (EFT Tapping)
Emotional Freedom Techniques (or EFT Tapping as it is often described) have been at the cutting edge of effective, lasting, transformation for the last 30 years. EFT Tapping is backed by extensive clinical evidence and a trauma-informed approach to wellbeing.
Often when we start our therapy journey, we have a strong intention about what we would like to change – perhaps a self-defeating or self-sabotaging thought, behaviour or belief. But, somehow, we keep slipping back into old patterns. Our inability to gain control of these runaway emotions can create a seemingly impossible hurdle to overcome.
Maybe you have tried talking about this issue until you are sick of listening to yourself. But the
negative behaviour or thought continues as if it has a life of its own. It feels like a miserable hijack every time.
Emotional Freedom Techniques are a clinically backed, polyvagal-informed doorway to relief. As they combine working with the body (breathing & touch), thoughts and emotions to help us move forward and they often reach the places that other techniques cannot.
With practical, procedural steps involving self-touch, talk and mindful attention to our issues EFT can be easily learned to regulate the pathways holding up old, negative patterns.
This enables the client to break down the scaffolding holding up the negative belief or behaviour so that the hijacks no longer occur.
Examples of presenting issues; physical or emotional trauma, emotional abuse recovery, phobias, emotional contributors to physical pain, cycling anger, grief, disturbed sleep, divorce, money worries, negative thoughts, addictions & bullying.
Intention is important, but without effective action, is only the first step.
Every technique practised in an EFT Tapping session can be taken away to be safely used at home for self-care.
Kate Munden is an Advanced EFT Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in the field and is a Certification Trainer with EFT International.
There are also several studies showing that EFT often clears phobias in a single session. Therapist Steve Wells did the very first randomised controlled trial of EFT for phobias (Wells et al., 2004). Participants received just one single 30-minute session, after which their levels of phobic response dropped dramatically. Six months later, subjects still had a much lower rate of phobic reaction to the objects of their fear.
