Has anyone any experience of Emotional Freedom Technique?

[JanetLG]

On another thread, Gaining Strength mentioned Emotional Freedom Technique. I have googled this, and it looks really interesting. It's a therapy you can self-administer, and it treats all kinds of emotional (and physical) problems, by tapping with the fingers on certain meridians of the body (similar to aupuncture points) to clear negative energy.

Does anyone have any experience (good or bad) of this technique for anything (not just NPD-related)?

Janet

[NoMoreMindGames]

yes, an old therapist of mine did that with me a couple of times, and then i did it on myself a couple of times.  it actually did seem to work....it was very strange.  i would highly recommend it.

[Gaining Strength]

I haven't actually had any noticeable help from it but I do find the process calming so I do it at times.  One of the things that they recommend it that you get as specific as possible and I have wondered if that is part of my lack of success because so much of my "trauma" was like a slow drip of water - each drip was negligible but the accumulation created the damage.

[JanetLG]

Authentic and Besee,

I think what you are describing is a bit different from what I mean. What you tried sounds more like a kind of hypnotherapy / psychotherapy (I've had that). With this EFT, you don't consciously 're-visit' anything, you just name the problem in a positive way in an affirmation, then perform a series of tappings on acupressure points on the body. It takes a couple of minutes to go through the routine, apperently. You wouldn't need a therapist to be with you with EFT (excpet perhaps to learn the technique properly in the first place), but I agree that you would if you were going to consciously 'bring up' issues in a therapeutic setting like with psychotherapy and need to discuss them afterwards.

NMMG,

Can you give me a bit more info. on what happened with you?

Gaining Strenth,

This technique is something I definitely want to try - thanks for mentioning it in the other thread!

Janet

[NoMoreMindGames]

Authentic and Besee,

I think what you are describing is a bit different from what I mean. What you tried sounds more like a kind of hypnotherapy / psychotherapy (I've had that). With this EFT, you don't consciously 're-visit' anything, you just name the problem in a positive way in an affirmation, then perform a series of tappings on acupressure points on the body. It takes a couple of minutes to go through the routine, apperently. You wouldn't need a therapist to be with you with EFT (excpet perhaps to learn the technique properly in the first place), but I agree that you would if you were going to consciously 'bring up' issues in a therapeutic setting like with psychotherapy and need to discuss them afterwards.

NMMG,

Can you give me a bit more info. on what happened with you?

Gaining Strenth,

This technique is something I definitely want to try - thanks for mentioning it in the other thread!

Janet

yes, EMDR and EFT are two different things, although they do have similarities.

janet, what you described is exactly what EFT is like...and it didn't retraumatize me at all.  when i was done with the first session, i felt a definite "lightening" feeling....like something had been lifted from my chest that had been weighing me down.  i'd been in tears prior to the session, but was practically skipping down the sidewalk to the bus stop afterward.   i only needed to do it 4 times.  eventually i was able to stop my meds and haven't had much therapy since then.  then, of course, i've had some setbacks and triggers happen...but i just simply seem to process them better now...i don't have the PTSD responses anymore.  i don't seem to replay an incident in that constant "replay loop" in my head like i used to....i hurt for a while, but then i feel better and move on.

i think it's definitely worth a try.  it seemed pretty harmless.  all you do is basically say things like "that traumatic experience i had (but more specific) is over now, i release that experience to God (or the universe...whoever you want to release it to), i am free, i forgive the person who did this to me" while you're tapping on specific points around your body rhythmically.

[JanetLG]

NMMG,

Thanks for explaining what happened with you. It seems like this has got a lot of potential - not just for emotional issuies like people have on this forum, but all the other stuff too, both emotional and physical!

I tried it this morning on the neck pain that I get, and it had gone by the time I finished the routine. My husband tried it on the heartburn he gets all the time, and it took that away, too. Even though we're sceptical. Even though we only came across this stuff yesterday, and we're both working from a printed-out sheet as a reminder, because we haven't memorised the routine yet. It still worked. I can't wait to try it on the 'bigger' emotional issues.

Shunned, try this website, which is the one by the founder of this stuff. There's an 85-page pdf manual that you can download, for free (there's videos you can buy later, but the manual tells you all the basics) :

http://www.emofree.com/newcomer.htm

I'm off to have another go!

Janet

[NoMoreMindGames]

NMMG,

Thanks for explaining what happened with you. It seems like this has got a lot of potential - not just for emotional issuies like people have on this forum, but all the other stuff too, both emotional and physical!

I tried it this morning on the neck pain that I get, and it had gone by the time I finished the routine. My husband tried it on the heartburn he gets all the time, and it took that away, too. Even though we're sceptical. Even though we only came across this stuff yesterday, and we're both working from a printed-out sheet as a reminder, because we haven't memorised the routine yet. It still worked. I can't wait to try it on the 'bigger' emotional issues.

Shunned, try this website, which is the one by the founder of this stuff. There's an 85-page pdf manual that you can download, for free (there's videos you can buy later, but the manual tells you all the basics) :

http://www.emofree.com/newcomer.htm

I'm off to have another go!

Janet

you know, it never crossed my mind to try this for my back pain.  i'm totally going to now!!!  wooohooo!

[JanetLG]

NMMG,

Yes,      wooohooo!     Exactly!!

I'm really excited about this technique, I think it's going to be good.

I've just found this site, for UK people - it's the site of the first UK therapist to have been trained by the US founder of the technique. She does courses for the public, and training, and individual consultations. Bit pricey, but the effects seem to be almost instant, so she's not going to need people to come back often for any repeat visits, so she's got to make her money somehow!

http://www.eft-courses.co.uk

Fortunately for me, this woman's address is only 30 minutes' drive from where I live. How convenient!

Janet

[JanetLG]

I've found a video of the technique (bit brief, but it shows how easy it is to do on your own):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQp0kA5a5OI

Janet

[Ami]

I would love to hear about success stories with EFT. I tried it but I think that I was too "sick" for it to work.                             Love  Ami

[JanetLG]

Ami,
Considering that it was only yesterday that you had such a huge 'Aha!' moment about  your attitude towards yourself, it was probably what's called 'Psychological Reversal' happening when you tried it - that is, your body sabotaged what you were trying to achieve, by numbing out the positive effects.

I bet if you tried it now (not now this minute, but now rather than when you did before), it would work much better, because your frame of mind is so much more positive now, and you are much more 'real' in yourself.

Janet

[Ami]

Dear Janet,
   You may be right. I needed a nuclear bomb before  a smaller weapon would work-- HUH?         Ami
 

[JanetLG]

Yup!!

[JanetLG]

Here's another video, of an English therapist doing EFT to cleanse the chakras, for general well-being and calming feelings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3hy3P0W2BU

Janet