EFT- Is It All It's Tapped Up To Be? by Catherine Dixon

An examination of the anecdotal evidence (of which there is plenty), would suggest there is and that EFT is indeed the “greatest healing breakthrough of the 20th century”. On the other hand there are those who view the ritual as more new age non-sense and its practitioners, at best, as dubious. To a strongly rational mind, the concept of tapping the body while making Californian type affirmations in one breath and loving and accepting yourself with the other, borders on the silly.  

Yet hyperbole aside, does it work? To find out, I downloaded the free manual from the Emofree.com website and applied the “basic recipe” to a current issue. I tapped on my frustration and was astonished at how quickly the anger dissipated to reveal that I actually felt humiliated and unacknowledged. Once this was tapped on too I was able to see the issue from a completely different and balanced perspective.

EFT has a core conceptual problem. How to present EFT as an intervention to a keenly intellectual and analytical mind. Having a fairly analytical mind myself with a strong streak of pragmatism thrown I understood how this dilemma can bring resistance. Yet resistance of any form stops healing in it tracks. The healing that comes through an intervention such as EFT is about contacting feelings and emotions rather than sparring with the intellect. An intellectual surrender and trust in the process is required and not everyone is prepared to this due to fear or skeptism.

EFT’s governing principle revolves around the concepts of “letting go” of the issue in hand and personal acceptance. With these in place the emotional charge around issues lose their hold and that enables the perspective to shift. This is true even for long standing and very deep issues.

After using EFT both personally and professionally for over four years now, I have come to deeply respect the remarkable transformations that it can bring about  bring about even on the most traumatic of conditions and although it does not work for everyone - as nothing does, it certainly makes a difference with the majority.

If you can present EFT in the most plausible way then most will be prepared to try it out. A skilled practitioner will be adept at asking questions and applying EFT – to the very heart of the matter.

I have seen how EFT has helped people heal from grief, past relationships and low self esteem. It has enabled people to face and let go of fear, including phobias, overcome regrets and even improve health conditions that have not been given a promising prognosis. I would not say it is a miracle but in the right hands, can perform something very close.

It needs to be used with sensitivity and with courage to be able go to core of emotional trauma, deep wounds to the part where the healing is most needed. For this reason I think it is better administered at the hands of a therapist or a specialist in this field than as self help.

By Catherine Dixon, BA (Hons)