EFT
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a method that combines elements of acupuncture, psychology, and neuro-linguistic programming. It is a method that involves using the fingers to gently tap on the body's acupuncture pressure points.
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EFT reduces negative emotional charge in memories or situations to the point that we can think clearly, unaffected by the overwhelming emotion connected with it. That is when the acceptance, forgiveness, and healing can take place. It is an approach that combines elements of Eastern acupressure and modern psychology.
Our brain and body registers an emotionally loaded issue and encodes it in our amygdala and hippocampus. Whenever our subconscious finds a situation similar to the remembered one, it fires up all the red lights, rockets, and sirens it has - physical reactions. It's like driving a car: you automatically scan the road and environment for any speeding/breaking cars, kids, or pets running out on the road, derbies, holes in the road, sings - anything that could cause you to act promptly to avoid a danger. But, you're still moving forward, keep a conversation, looking unconcern.
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EFT has helped me to stop that scanning for my past negative experiences (trauma) in my environment.​​
What is EFT?
Energy Medicine point of view:
EFT is called acupuncture without needles. By tapping on specific points on the face, torso, head and/or fingers we tap on so-called meridians - energy pathways in the body. That allows the body to rebalance those energies and to start the process of healing.
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Scientific point of view:
EFT seems to affect amygdala (responsible for stress) and hippocampus (memory centre) resulting in changes in neurological responses, reduction of cortisol levels in the body and reduction of arousal triggers. By tapping on the acupuncture points we are sending signals to the stress centre amygdala, that in its turn sends relaxing signals to the whole body “no danger, no need to run away, no need to stress”.
How can EFT help?
EFT focuses on helping you develop emotional intelligence, allowing you to better understand and regulate your emotions. In other words: you learn how to be grounded -- how to listen and acknowledge what your body and emotions are trying to tell you.
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It can help you identify the relationship between your emotions, your thoughts, and your behaviours.
You can learn effective strategies to cope with stressful situations. You learn to allow the emotions, feelings and thought to surface and flow. You learn to accept them instead of ignore or even criticise them.
EFT is not only effective for treating individuals, but also for couples therapy.
In summary: EFT can be a self-help method once you learn how to use it properly. It can also be a powerful technique when used by a therapist to help with issues that have had a negative effect on your life for a long time.