Emotional Freedom Techniques

Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) utilise the concept of the body’s energy meridian points, through which they believe energy flows. According to this theory, blocks or imbalances in the flow of energy lead to or exacerbate ill health, and repairing these blocks or imbalances can help to restore health.

EFT therapists believe that tapping on these meridian points with the fingertips restores the balance of energy to resolve physical and emotional issues. Current research suggests a relationship between meridian points, as traditionally envisioned, and the networks formed in the body by interstitial connective tissue.

The same acupuncture points located throughout the body and accessed during an acupuncture treatment can be used to help manage many psychological issues and, over time, to reduce symptomology. This may be because the tapping helps to restore the balance of energy in your body, and also because tapping can be a form of mindfulness that draws your attention away from the things that are distressing you and towards a place of calmness in which it is easier to find a sense of calm and to reframe trauma. Both aspects of this therapy are important, and it is impossible to separate one from the other.

As you work closely together, your therapist will help you to focus on a particular issue that is having a negative impact on your quality of life while tapping on certain parts of your body, such as the top of your head, areas near your eyes, the chin or the collar bone. You may also be taught eye movements to accompany the taps.

While tapping, you may be encouraged to use particular phrases that evoke the emotional issues that are troubling you and that may also be impacting on physical symptoms.

In this way, EFT combines elements of TCM with common, clinically proven approaches to distress. The result is a simple, empowering tool that many people find tremendously useful in managing their symptoms.

EFT is particularly useful in helping you to manage issues relating to mental health including:

• Emotional dysregulation
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Anger management
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Compulsive eating or other eating disorders
• Other compulsive disorders
• Panic attacks
• Phobias
• Substance abuse (including alcohol abuse, nicotine addiction, and the abuse of legal and illegal drugs)
• Ongoing distress relating to unresolved grief and bereavement

EFT can also help with the management of some chronic physical health conditions, particularly:

• Chronic pain, which might be associated with conditions including fibromyalgia, headache/migraines, arthritis, rheumatism etc.,
• Symptoms associated with chemotherapy and other physically challenging treatment modalities.
• Other conditions that are physical in origin and cause persistent pain, discomfort, or distress, such as tinnitus, asthma, psoriasis, etc.
• Sleep disorders, including insomnia and night terrors
• Temporary physical conditions that can cause discomfort and distress, such as menopause, pregnancy, issues relating to childbirth and maternity, or the period of recovery following surgery.
• Anxieties relating to end of life and dying, for example in patients experiencing palliative care.

EFT can also help people who do not generally suffer from any significant issues but who are currently experiencing temporary anxiety or stress. These might include:

• A major life event, such as an important exam.
• A professional or sporting challenge.
• Pregnancy loss or issues relating to infertility.
• A difficult situation at home, such as divorce or bereavement, or dealing with the illness or death of a parent, a child, a partner, or a close friend.

At times like these, anyone can find themselves experiencing a variety of mental and physical symptoms relating to stress. EFT can reduce the severity and incidence of these, making it easier for them to move through and beyond this challenging period in their lives, while also allowing them to learn a pragmatic technique that will help them to navigate future challenges.

EFT is not generally indicated as a singular approach for serious psychiatric disorders although, together with other treatments, it may help to manage some of the associated symptoms.

It is important to note that, while mental and physical ill-health are often discussed as though they are separate entities, in real life they are obviously intensely interlinked. Physical ailments, particularly when they are chronic, can lead to profound emotional distress and poor mental health. Mental illness can be a major contributor towards physical health issues relating to stress, substance abuse, and so on. In all of these contexts, EFT can help to break the cycle, reduce overall stress levels, and transform an overwhelming situation into one that is properly managed.

In fact, EFT is often offered together with, or as an add-on to, other forms of therapy. For example, someone with PTSD may initially present in deep distress, and attend a series of therapy sessions using a suitable technique, such Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), while also learning how to use EFT for self-soothing and help with emotional regulation between sessions.

Over time, they may be able to gradually cease attending therapy sessions, and use the EFT skills they have learned to effectively manage their own symptoms in the longer term, often leading steadily to a tapering of symptoms.

In some cases, on their initial presentation, a patient might be prescribed medication to help them to manage their symptoms. Often, effective management with a technique such as EFT can remove the need for any medication at all.

The basic techniques of EFT are very simple. When you start to experience negative symptoms, you can remove yourself from what you are doing and focus on some simple steps:

• Firstly, identify the issue that is troubling you. Perhaps you want to reduce your levels of stress or anxiety, or maybe you are trying to overcome the urge to eat or to give in to negative emotions. Whatever the issue is, you recognise it and give it a name. You may be dealing with more than one issue in your life, but for the purpose of EFT you should focus on one at a time .
• Secondly, note the intensity of the issue, and rank it on a scale of one to ten. If the feelings you are experiencing in relation to the issue are overwhelming, you would rank at a ten, for example, while if it is only a slight issue at present, you would give it a lower number.
• Thirdly, name the issue and use it in a phrase that reinforces your sense of self-worth. For example, if you are experiencing a compulsion to overeat, you might say something like: “Although I am struggling with the desire to overeat, I utterly and deeply accept myself,” or if you are dealing with the aftermath of pregnancy loss, you might say: “Although I have experienced pregnancy loss, I utterly and deeply accept myself.”
• Fourthly, while repeating the phrase that you have chosen, you will perform taps on specific parts of your body, as shown to you by your therapist. You will use two fingers together and will tap about five times on each point.
• Finally, take some time to assess and rank the intensity of your feelings about the issue that is troubling you. Ideally, you will be less bothered by it, and the ranking will have improved. You can repeat the process until you are no longer focusing on the issue, or your negative emotions have retreated to a manageable level.

Most people find that they start responding more quickly and effectively. Over time, as you become accustomed to the process, you will gradually become more adept at recognising when to use this approach, and more effective at employing it.

While with practice you will become very adept at using EFT at home, in the early stages of treatment it is very important to work with a therapist whom you trust, who will teach you the technique, explain how it works, and guide you as you learn.

EFT is still a relatively new, developing field, but the research shows that it is particularly effective in treating anxiety, whether the anxiety is a primary symptom or a manifestation of another disorder, such as PTSD, and that it can help to effectively manage the symptoms of conditions such as depression. 

Studies into the efficacy of EFT often find lowered cortisol secretion in people using this technique. As cortisol is a substance produced by the human body in response to stress and anxiety, this is an objective measure of the usefulness of this technique.

EFT is often used in conjunction with other therapeutic approaches: sometimes medication in the short term, and often a modality such as CBT, which helps patients to unlearn damaging behaviours and responses to stress, and learn new, more effective behaviours and responses to stress. Often EFT is one of a suite of approaches that are used to help manage a distressing condition.

In the case of people whose health issues originated in trauma such as PTSD, EFT can help them to release the tension and distress relating to trauma until, while they will always remember the terrible events, they will gradually stop affecting them in such a damaging way.

One of the great things about EFT is that it is completely risk-free in terms of physical side effects. Whereas when conditions such as anxiety are treated with pharmaceutical interventions, there’s always a risk of distressing or less than helpful side effects, EFT is a gentle approach to managing a wide range of mental health and emotional wellness conditions.

While there is certainly a place for medication in treating conditions such as stress, anxiety and trauma, most therapists aim to use psycho-pharmaceuticals for a brief period only, and work to help patients to empower themselves to manage their own symptoms effectively and to heal. 

If you have a condition that might benefit from treatment with EFT, and are looking for a suitably qualified therapist, either in the UK or online, please get in touch with the Private Therapy Clinic on Whatsapp message at: +447511116565 email, chat bot or book online to arrange an appointment.

Chatwin H, Stapleton P, Porter B, Devine S, Sheldon T. ‘The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Emotional Freedom Techniques in Reducing Depression and Anxiety Among Adults: a Pilot Study.’ Integr Med (Encinitas). 2016;15(2):27–34. Link

Church D. ‘Clinical EFT as an Evidence-based Practice for the Treatment of Psychological and Physiological Conditions.’ Psychology. 2013. a;4:645–654. Link

Dincer B, Inangil D. ‘The Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Nurses’ Stress, Anxiety, and Burnout Levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial.’ Explore (NY). 2021 Mar-Apr;17(2):109-114. Link

Geronilla L, Minewiser L, Mollon P, McWilliams M, Clond M. ‘EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Remediates PTSD and Psychological Symptoms in Veterans: a Randomized Controlled Replication Trial.’ Energy Psychol Theory Res Treat. 2016;8:29–41 Link

Stapleton P, Church D, Sheldon T, Porter B, Carlopio C. ‘Depression Symptoms Improve after Successful Weight Loss with Emotional Freedom Techniques.’ ISRN Psychiatry. 2013;2013:573532. Link

Swingle PG, Pulos L, Swingle MK. ‘Neurophysiological Indicators of EFT Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress.’ Subtle Energies Energy Medicine. 2004;15:75–86. Link