The Origins of Emotional Freedom Technique goes back to Dr. Roger Callahan from the USA who discovered Thought Field Therapy (TFT) in 1986 which is a form of Energy Psychology. It was polished and made popular by a Stanford engineer Gary Craig in early 90’s and came to be known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
Millions of people worldwide are using this and are being immensely benefitted. This is clinically proven and many articles have been published in several scientific journals to showcase its effectiveness. The roots can be traced back to India. However the Origins of Emotional Freedom Technique used in modern times are credited to Gary Craig.
EFT is a combination of ancient eastern science such as Marma Therapy from Ayurveda, Acupuncture from China, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy from the western world and is known to produce great results.
It is perfectly in sync with the philosophy that body and mind have the capability to heal themselves therefore we have to just help them to do so!! It leverages the self-healing capability of our body and directs our focus on diffusing challenges.
The process involves tapping a few nerve clusters in our body called meridian points combined with specific suggestions. This will send calming signals to the part of the brain called Amygdala and prevents a phenomenon called “Amygdala Hijack”, which triggers the Fight, Flight and Freeze response under stress.
The Tapping Points
The EFT tapping sequence is the tapping on the ends of the following nine meridian points.
- Karate chop
- Top of head
- Eyebrow
- Side of the eye
- Under the eye
- Under the nose
- Chin
- The collarbone beginning
- Under the arm
EFT also helps in neutralizing the stress chemicals during the tapping process by releasing helpful and happy chemicals such as Dopamine and Endorphin.
This technique is widely being used to achieve mindfulness easily and effortlessly. The results are extremely rapid and significant. Unlike many traditional methods, EFT is simple to learn, easy to use, produces immediate, significant results, costs nothing to practice, can be used for any issue. It can be learnt by anyone easily within few days.
There are several online resources as well as courses available to learn this technique. We must remember always never to emotionalize medical problems and medicalize emotional problems. This is not a replacement for any medical treatments but a self help tool to support it.
Practice of EFT and Alpha Mindfulness meditation could prove to be a boon to mankind in fighting stress and minimize the damages caused by stress related disorders.
