EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE
WHY DO PEOPLE SEEK EFT?
Jessica supports people in a number of areas, including stress and anxiety, anger and frustration, limiting beliefs, self-esteem, habits or behaviours and physical discomfort/pain where you suspect there is a mind-body link. Or there may be a specific event or issue, past or present or general day to day challenges, big or small that are igniting distress, tension or fatigue.
Jessica was introduced to this tool as a student, when stress levels and pressure were high, & enjoys now being able to help students of all ages integrate this tool into their life for exam stress, sporting events, public speaking...not to mention relationships with family, friends, social media and coping with a changing world.
EFT is ultimately a self-help tool that can be integrated into your daily life as a way of empowering yourself, providing a way of releasing or calming distress as it arises, instead of storing and squashing the emotion like we often learn to do from a young age.
If you would like to equip and empower yourself by learning this practical tool, with the aim of feeling freer and calmer in your daily life, don't hesitate to reach out. Our emotions are not something to fear or look down upon, we are human after all, we all have them! Thankfully there are tools emerging such as EFT, that assist us to work with our distress instead of squashing it or holding on to it, to free up some energy for the things we want to focus on and enjoy.
WHAT IS EFT?
EFT is an easy to apply, non-invasive mind-body self-help tool that combines eastern and western methodologies. It was developed in the 1970s by American Psychologist Dr Roger Callaghan, who recognised the important link between body and mind and began incorporating his knowledge of the ancient meridian system into his practice, by applying tapping on specific meridian points. What he discovered was the importance of working with the body-mind link, especially for his patients with phobias, anxiety and PTSD.
It was then made accessible to the general public by Gary Craig in 1995 who named his concise tapping sequence EFT.
During a Tapping consult, you will be guided through the process, learning how to release distress from your body and mind, via activating specific meridian points with your fingertips (think acupuncture without the needles), with focused intent on the feelings and thoughts that are involved.
Whilst scientific research is growing in support of EFT's effectiveness, it is still considered experimental in nature. It is a mind-body self-help tool, it is not considered a treatment and does not replace any medical or psychological treatment or therapy you are currently receiving.
WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND IT?
EFT uses the ancient Chinese meridian system which is based on the philosophy of qi ("chi"), the 'life force' that flows throughout the body, and a gentle tapping procedure to stimulate specific meridian points to release distress, as mentioned previously like acupuncture without the needles.
It is thought that stress from both internal (thoughts/ emotions/ memories/health) or external factors (relationships, work-life, environment) may cause disturbance in the meridian lines.
"Tapping" with intention sends vibrations though the meridian line, which may help “neutralize or unblock” energetic disruptions here and restore flow of the body’s subtle energy systems.
The practitioner guides you through the tapping sequence, whilst saying specific phrases and focusing on the specific emotional challenges. This may send a calming signal to the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes emotions and is linked to the fright-flight-fight response.
People often report feeling “lighter” even after a few minutes. It is a tool for people of all ages, even for children, students and athletes to simply calm one’s nerves, or find relief from a specific feeling, or negative thought, such as being unkind to oneself. Having a tool in these moments can be very supportive.
RESEARCH LINKS
If you would like more information, check out the following links:
EFT International
https://eftinternational.org/discover-eft-tapping/eft-science-research/
Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology
https://www.energypsych.org/researchdb8c71b7
TED TALKS
https://www.ted.com/talks/peta_stapleton_is_therapy_facing_a_revolution