Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) also known as ‘tapping’ is a body/mind self-help method. It combines a gentle touch together with mindful and vocal attention to thoughts and feelings. EFT involves tapping with our fingertips on acupuncture points on the hands, face and body while focusing (temporarily) upon an issue we wish to resolve.

EFT allows us to release and transform the uncomfortable feelings like hurt. guilt, fear or anger that may be affecting our experiences. EFT can also be used to help transform the thoughts and beliefs behind our emotional experiences. After just a few rounds of tapping, people often report ‘feeling lighter’ and ‘calmer’ and able to breathe more easily – as if they now have more space inside. They may report that their thinking has changed, they have gained new insights or that they are feeling better overall.

As we begin to notice, acknowledge, and transform how we carry our emotions, we begin to see just how this may be contributing to pain, illness, or other personal challenges. By using EFT, we can reconnect with our innate sense of unshakeable wellbeing.

EFT works with the body’s subtle energy system – a network of energy pathways, called meridians. These pathways are accessible via specific locations on the body called acupoints.

Acupuncture uses needles on these points, ostensibly to release stuck stagnant energy and rebalance the system; EFT has been called a psychological version of acupuncture, as the simple process of tapping certain acupoints while focusing on an emotional upset has the effect of releasing the intense charge of troubling emotions.

When we are upset, and uncomfortable emotions like worry, fear or guilt arise, it feels as if our body is telling us that something we are feeling (or thinking) requires our attention.

EFT can help us reset our personal energy system little by little at a pace that is right for us. Once our system begins ‘rebalancing’ as we tap, we usually start feeling better – more relaxed- peaceful and serene – in relation to our specific problem or issue.

The body, mind, and emotions are interconnected. When we apply EFT to something that is bothering us, we can feel the shift in our thought, our feelings,  and our bodily responses.