IT’S too simple and too easy and tooquick; it can’t possibly work. People havebeen known to make such comments untilthey actually try EFT, and then they changetheir tune.Emotional freedom technique, or EFT,was developed over the past 12 years byStanford-trained engineer Gary Craig. Afterhe took a $100,000 training course fromcognitive psychologist Roger Callahan in asimilar method, Craig went his own way,and has now trained more than 30,000 practitionersin this popular method.EFT includes contacting a specificseries of the same points used in Chineseacupuncture. The technique works byreleasing energies that may be blocked inthese meridians, and can give the patientrenewed vigor and joy.Disruptive emotions arise with disharmonyin the body’s energy system. Whilethe client is “tuned in” to the problem, lighttapping with the fingertips on certain spotsreleases the congestion and allows thepatient to return to normal. Either thepatient or the health professional can dothe tapping.AFTER 20 years of doing energy andhealing work using dozens of modalities,my jaw still drops at some of the results weget from these meridian therapies. Ofcourse, nothing will succeed 100% of thetime, but EFT usually renders satisfactoryto spectacular effects. Sometimes I forgetto use it until nothing else has worked; thenI reach back and pull out EFT.Since Craig’s great contribution, manymeridian therapy approaches have been created.I have studied a dozen or so, and havefound that in a few minutes you can learn amethod that can be used the rest of your life,with or without help from a friend.The basic procedure takes fewer thanfive minutes to perform and about half anhour to teach – it’s that simple. However,just as anyone can draw a picture while arttakes a lifetime to perfect, the artistry ofEFT grows and grows. Although I havenow completed more than 250 hours oftraining over the past few years, I continueto learn every time I use the technique.As any condition can have an emotionalcomponent, EFT may be applied to allkinds of situations, from road rage to stagefright, from a twisted ankle to a headache.Obviously, appropriate medical treatmentshould always be sought.EFT can be done any time, anywhere,and might make you more able to take careof yourself and get help if you need it.While results are usually better with atrained professional, once you learn thebasic technique, you can apply it as youlike. It’s empowering.LET’S look at a couple of examples.When a young man came into my office forhis monthly tune-up and told me he wasvery upset because his girlfriend had brokenup with him the day before, I knew wehad to do something immediately to easehis emotional pain. He appeared to be onthe edge of tears, and was not able to sitstill or pay attention. He had good reasonto be upset, and I could not talk him out ofit. He told me his level of upset was aneight on a scale of one to ten. His breathingwas labored and his heart rate was almostdouble the usual resting heart rate for thistrained athlete.He had done EFT before, so I suggestedwe do it together. With his permission, Istarted by leading him through a quickround consisting of tapping the handstogether while repeating a set-up phrase.We went through the words and tappingsequence twice in under five minutes, afterwhich he said his level of distress had gonedown from eight to five. The third roundbrought him to a level two, and his breathingbecame slower, more even.He was still sad, hoping his girlfriendwould come back, but he was more relaxedand able to cope.In another case, a woman arrived forher appointment experiencing back painshe rated as a nine on the one-to-ten scale.She was not able to get up on the treatmenttable and she was bent over to the right andforward. Her face showed contortions andshe was complaining of nausea from thepain. We did a quick round in which shecould only use one hand while the otherclutched her back. This and some breathingbrought her pain down from a nine to afour. Another two minutes of tapping andshe was free of nausea, ready to go up onthe table for her treatment with a pain levelshe reported as a three.THERE are 14 medical doctors and ahandful of Ph.D.s on an advisory board foremotional freedom technique. It is beingused in practices across the globe right now.My preference is always the least invasiveand most gentle method of treatment,and EFT meets my requirements. Its atechnique that respects the patient, workswell, takes very little time and has no downside. After more than 12 years of use by avariety of people, no negative side effectshave been reported.Try it on anything and everything. Itcan’t hurt and it may help. Energy systemshave been recognized as central to humanhealth for thousands of years. Now wehave a simple, quick and easy approach toclearing old wounds, enhancing health andreturning people to joy.For more info, visit www.emofree.com,a Web site with testimonials, case historiesand even a free manual you can download.Dianne Rowley has been in practice inCosta Rica since 1991. She can be contactedat 266-0123 or healthnow@gmail.com.
Today in Costa Rica
