In recent years, emotional freedom techniques (EFT), most commonly in the form of “tapping,” are proving to be an effective and low-cost tool for helping individuals from all walks of life. The impacts are so profound that not even major Western institutions can ignore this powerful holistic healing technique. For example, as of February 2nd, 2023, the American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc., is offering a complete, 14+ hour training seminar on EFT.
It’s important to point out that while researchers have been studying the neuro-cognitive responses to EFT tapping, this technique itself was developed out of Eastern medical philosophies, such as chakras and meridian points, and should help bring visibility to the power of holistic healing.
As a Board-Certified Holistic Nurse and Professional Energy Healer, I integrate tapping into my work with clients because it is a rapid and powerful tool to re-integrate our physical, spiritual, and emotional selves, especially for those who have become out of touch with their bodies. This article explores EFT and the underlying Eastern medical philosophies that make it effective.
Chakras and Meridian Points: Our Body’s Energy Centers
EFT is derived from ancient eastern medicinal knowledge of how the mind and body intersect, particularly regarding how our bodies receive and put off energy. As a Holistic Healer, I see a critical part of my role with patients as showing them that these treatments do not channel mystical, enigmatic forces; instead, EFT tapping enhances your own body’s capacity to heal itself.
The first important point here is that Western medical institutions recognize EFT tapping as a form of energy psychology, a budding field in addressing a number of psychological and physiological ailments and supported by dozens of studies demonstrating its effectiveness.
And energy psychology looks at the various energy centers within our bodies, which is nothing new among healers. Eastern medicine has long recognized the importance of meridian points and chakras, which essentially equate to our body’s energy hot spots and prove invaluable in the treatment of physical, spiritual, and mental ailments.
This understanding of the body is at the core of acupuncture treatments, for example, and provides avenues for holistic treatment and care. By using EFT tapping to stimulate critical meridian points, individuals can take control of their emotions by sending signals to the parts of their brains that control stress.
These hot spots lie at the intersection between our physical and mental energy systems, which are driven by the integration of these experiences by our Central Nervous System.
While there are 12 major meridians, EFT tends to focus on the following nine:
- Small intestine
- Top of the head
- Bladder
- Gallbladder
- Stomach
- Under the nose
- Chin
- Kidney
- Spleen
By tapping points on the face, arm, and collarbone, individuals can work to ground themselves, achieving a significant degree of insulation from the debilitating impacts of anxiety and depression, two debilitating symptoms of trauma and PTSD.
This manual from EFT International offers a comprehensive introduction to the vast array of emotional freedom techniques currently in use, offering in-depth explanations of everything from detailed how-to instructions to troubleshooting common obstacles.
The Interrelated Nature of Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and PTSD
To help explain why EFT tapping is such an effective tool for anxiety, depression, trauma, and PTSD, it’s essential to understand how these challenges manifest within our various self-states.
Research shows a significant overlap between our physical and emotional experiences. The emotional pain we feel, even if it’s lingering from past experiences that no longer directly connect to our present, can cause gastrointestinal issues, sleep disturbances, auto-immune conditions, and a plethora of other ailments. When our brains are under stress from conditions like anxiety and PTSD, they release hormones, like adrenaline, even when there’s no immediate danger. Over time, these hormones drive our immune system to target and attack our own cells, resulting in a downward spiral of chronic inflammation.
Holistic healing helps by keeping past emotional experiences and resulting impacts from that trauma from taking over and controlling your life. EFT tapping, for example, helps to reassert the energy being contributed by your body, grounding you at the moment and helping your body to realize that despite what happened in the past, you can care for yourself and protect yourself now. By directing your own body to focus on and draw strength from itself, you can help restore balance.
EFT and the Burn Bright Way™
Words can’t describe how much I appreciate the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). As a Holistic Healer, my approach to patient care centers on the individual’s unique needs and developing a course of care that is optimized for meeting those needs. This involves empowering patients with the tools and self-awareness they need to reassert control over their lives and work towards lasting improvements in quality of life.
In that regard, EFT is critical in offering individuals the tools they need for immediate grounding and self-care. By providing immediate relief, well-tailored EFT regiments can be employed within minutes, paving the way for patient recovery from anxiety and depression, particularly for those struggling to overcome the extensive traumas associated with PTSD.
I hold an Energy Psychology Certification demonstrating the efficacity of my services in treating the debilitating pain of trauma and PTSD, which often manifest as anxiety and depression. While drugs can artificially influence your experience while you’re on them, they cannot improve your relationship with yourself and your past.
The reason that the anxiety and depression resulting from trauma cannot fully be remedied by medication is that no medicine can target the underlying stress generated from unaddressed traumatic experiences and the never-ending fight-or-flight state that zaps our energy from various parts of the body.
All that they can do is temporarily help to drown it out. While that’s important, and western medical prescription drugs have a profound impact by giving us a temporary reprieve from our symptoms, relying on them entirely deprives patients of a full sense of agency. That sense of agency allows us to grow and evolve, and I believe wholeheartedly that we cannot find true peace without it. The Burn Bright Wayä is focused on supporting clients as they work towards inner peace.
Resources:
Anthony K. (2018, September 18). EFT Tapping. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/eft-tapping#treatment.
Bedosky, L. (2022, November 9). What is EFT Tapping? A Detailed Scientific Guide on Emotional Freedom Technique. Everyday Health. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://www.everydayhealth.com/wellness/eft-tapping/guide/.
Laurence, E. (2022, October 25). EFT Tapping: What You Need to Know. Forbes. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/eft-tapping/.
(2021, April). Free Tapping Manual. EFT International. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://eftinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/EFT-International-Free-Tapping-Manual.pdf.
(2023, February 2). The American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc. Now Offers the Complete EFT Training Seminar Online. Digital Journal. Retrieved on February 13, 2023, from https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/news/the-american-institute-of-health-care-professionals-inc-now-offers-the-complete-eft-training-seminar-online.
(n.d.). Causes – Post-traumatic stress disorder. National Health Service. Retrieved on February 13, 2023, from https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/causes/.
(n.d.). Energy Psychology Certification. Energy Psychology Group. Retrieved on February 13, 2023, from https://energypsychologycertification.com.
