Do you ever wish that instead of trying to cope with upsetting memories and emotions, you could somehow magically release how they make you feel when they invade your thoughts? Well read on, because help is quite literally at hand.n nWhat is EFT?nUsing EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) enables the release of all negative emotions in a fast but gentle way. It often works when nothing else will and the changes are usually permanent. No equipment or drugs are involved and there are no side effects. It is a technique that can be applied to any problem, physical, emotional, past present or future. Emotional Freedom Techniques is a psychological version of acupuncture. A session involves gently tapping a sequence of energy points on the body with the fingertips, which releases negative emotions, usually in minutes.nnThere are no fireworks or fanfares with EFT just subtle alterations in the energy system, turning emotional upsets into a form of peace and clarity. Anxious one minute, calm the next and the only intervention is lightly tapping a few selected stress release points on the body. Being able to replay traumatic events in the mind without any emotional response may seem like the stuff of fairy tales but this, and much more is now possible due to the discovery of EFT in America. The simple treatment is violating established beliefs about what is possible in therapeutic terms. Thousands of people all over the World have gained complete and permanent relief from previously traumatic memories after using the groundbreaking procedure.n nAnother spin-off discovery of the treatment is the ability to reduce anxious cravings. People use EFT to quit smoking, alcohol, chocolate and other substances. A leading question to be asked of a person undergoing treatment might be, what does the substance stop you from feeling? The common response to this question is that the addictive fix suppresses or tranquillizes an emotional upset that longs to be resolved. Alcoholics, for example, are temporarily altering their emotional state by drinking. They use alcohol to sedate, blur, or have a mind holiday from deep-seated painful memories and feelings. Drinking may blot out the feeling that they are lonely, not good enough, unworthy, or unloved, and that is where EFT comes in! EFT is used to address the emotional reasons why a person drinks, smokes or suffers from of binge eating. The technique is applied to each upsetting memory or negative belief, releasing any emotions one by one until the recipient is calm and relaxed. Once the emotional charge has been released the client is encouraged to talk about their former problem to check that all the emotion has gone. The test is to be able to talk about even the most traumatic issues as if they were discussing the weather. nnIf you're thinking, "This sounds too good to be true" you would not be the first. Healthy skepticism though, is usually replaced by curious fascination once EFT has been experienced personally. Because the process is simple to learn and takes minutes to apply, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from trying it out. Once you understand the basic principles, it makes you wonder why such a simple procedure wasn't discovered long ago. n nHow does EFT work? "All negative emotions are caused by a disruption in the body’s energy system".nnUntil recently there has been no effective treatment for releasing negative emotions. Gary Craig, the founder of Emotional Freedom Techniques, simplified an earlier discovery by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan called Thought Field therapy or TFT. To understand how EFT works, it is useful to know a little about our Meridian system. The meridian system is an intricate web of energy pathways that flow throughout the body. These pathways closely resemble the nervous system and are responsible for channeling energy throughout the physical body. There are 14 major meridians that form an interconnected circuit. Identical sets of meridians are found on each side of the body. The end points of each meridian are close to the surface of the skin. Spaced along each meridian there are key points, which act as amplifiers or gateways. These are commonly known as acupuncture acupressure points. EFT uses the end points of each major meridian to release the energetic disturbance that we experience as negative emotion. n nEFT works like this: Negative thoughts cause... a disruption to the body’s energy system, which causes... negative emotion.nnCreated by The Heart CentrenWhen we are going about an average day our energy system operates normally, supplying our vital organs and maintaining positive health. When we are happy and having positive thoughts we feel light and expansive. nnTry it now! nnThink about a really happy memory or imagine a wonderful dream coming true. Now, how does having this thought make you feel? nn Does your energy feel light or heavy?n Does your energy feel expansive or contracted?n Do you brighten up at the thought of it or does your energy feel dark or dull?n Do you feel your energy moving around or does it feel still? nnnThe common responses people report are that having a happy or positive thought brings with it an experience of light, expansive, bright, flowing energy. Negative thoughts however seem to have the opposite effect, causing electro-magnetic like contractions to our energy system that people report as feeling heavy, dark, constricted or tight and stuck. This is what we experience as negative e-motion (energy in motion) Tapping acupressure points with our fingertips, while "tuned into" a negative upsetting thought, corrects the resulting energetic disturbance bringing about balance and alignment. This is usually experienced as calmness and people often feel temporarily light headed or tingly as a result of the change in energy from negative to positive. When we next think about the previous upset it should be clear of negative e-motion. If not it just means that there is some more tapping to do. nn ”We use feeling words unconsciously, without knowing that we are accurately describing what is occurring within our energy system”.nnPeople often describe themselves as feeling blocked or stuck in their emotional problems. What they are describing is their stuck energetic state; they are used to feeling a certain way when they think about their problem. EFT gets the blocked or stuck energy moving or flowing again correcting the way the thought affects them in the future. To use a metaphor, if you imagine your energy system as a flowing stream and any negative thought as a dam blocking it, EFT sends a surge of water that frees the flow. It also means that this particular dam has been busted for good! n nFeeling Words:nWe only have to look at the words we commonly use when describing negative feelings; upset, agitated, disturbed, irritated, to realize that we have been describing our energy system all along. Negative thoughts are often accompaniednby a physical sensation; like butterflies in the stomach for example, and it may leave us feeling drained or low of... you've guessed it, energy! We are only at the beginning of this new and very exciting discovery into EFT.n nThe thousands of practitioners throughout the World are achieving the "impossible" with their clients on a daily basis. People who have been advised to get on with their lives despite their problems are now learning to live without… well, some of them. Freeing ourselves from fear gives us hope, when we have hope we can change the World! n nVal & Paul hold EFT Self-Hepl Weekend Workshops and 3 Weekend’s Intensive Practitioner Training Seminars in Eastbourne.n nOne to one consultations and telephone sessions are available.nnFor further information: V. Lynch 75 Anderida Road, Lower Willingdon, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 0QBnnTelephone: 01323 505263 Email:
theheartcentre@btinternet.com Web:
www.theheartcentre@co.uk nnCreated by The Heart Centre