An Introduction to EFT Therapy

Kathy introduces us to EFT Therapy. She explains how it can help with issues of anxiety, insomnia, on-going pain, trauma, relationship problems, disordered eating, fertility problems and more…

EFT Therapy: What is it and how can it help me?

All of us suffer from stress, anxiety and overwhelm at moments in our life. We can’t think straight, thoughts constantly churn around in our brains and we can struggle to make decisions. When our brain tells our body to go into fight-or-flight mode, there are often physical symptoms that occur. These can include a racing pulse, sweaty palms, irregular breathing, tearfulness and tight, painful muscles.

The last year of restrictions has exacerbated this low-level stress into something more persistent and on-going for many of us. Those worries about our jobs, financial status, relationships and health can seem more pronounced when we are isolated, bombarded with bad news and facing an uncertain future.

If this sounds like you then EFT (or tapping) can help.

What is EFT Therapy?

EFT is a therapeutic technique which combines elements of modern psychology with ancient Chinese meridian energy stimulation, or acupressure. EFT is often described as “psychological acupuncture”. It involves simultaneously speaking about a problem out loud whilst tapping on the meridian energy points of the body (the same points used in acupuncture).

When you start to feel those over-whelming physical symptoms of emotional distress such as a pounding heart or tearfulness, your emotional (feeling) brain is activated. It is then impossible to use logic or reason (your thinking brain) to relieve your symptoms. Starting to tap, whilst talking about the issue, sends immediate calming signals to your brain telling you that you are safe. Your body relaxes, the symptoms ease and you feel more in control of the situation. You can then begin to address the problems and issues behind the symptoms.

Working with an EFT therapist will enable you to find and permanently resolve the root cause of an issue. One of the great advantages of EFT is that it also provides a safe, simple and effective self-help tool to calm symptoms whenever you need it.

Does EFT Therapy Really Work?

Kathy’s Personal EFT Experience

EFT therapy was recommended to me as a way of dealing with a long-term eating disorder. I had tried talking therapy in various forms, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Whilst CBT helped me understand WHY I thought and behaved in the way I did, it didn’t help me make successful changes.

At first I felt like an idiot tapping away on myself and I was very sceptical as to whether it would actually work. But the calming effect was immediate! Over time, I came to terms with unresolved childhood issues, changed unwanted responses to various emotional triggers and transformed beliefs that weren’t serving me. EFT changed my life.

What does the research say?

EFT has been around in various forms since 1970. Like many ‘alternative’ therapies, it has taken a while for medical professions to acknowledge EFT therapy and it’s place in supporting mental wellbeing.

Early research into EFT focused on the body’s energy (or meridian) system. However, more recent clinical trials have shown that it also has profound effects on the nervous system, the production of stress hormones (particularly cortisol), DNA regulation and brain activation. Clinical trials have shown tapping can reduce cortisol levels by 43%. This is significantly lower than talk therapy or resting.

A five and a half year study of 5,000 patients showed that 90% of those who received EFT therapy had reduced anxiety levels and 76% had complete relief from symptoms. Those percentages dropped to 63% and 51% respectively for patients undergoing CBT, which is considered the NHS ‘gold-standard’ treatment.

As the number of trials increases, EFT is proving to be effective in treating a wide range of issues including Insomnia, Depression, PTSD, Fertility Issues, Unexplained Pain and Eating Disorders. What’s more, the research shows that EFT has the potential to work quickly, with fewer sessions than talking therapy, and has lasting, long-term effects.

Using EFT Therapy for Long-Term Change

Our emotional reaction to events, how we think, feel and behave, is often controlled by our subconscious mind. It stores every life-experience we have, starting in your childhood. These become the foundation of our emotional responses and behavioural patterns later in life.

We tend to operate on auto-pilot. When our mind finds a familiar pattern it replays it, rather than taking the time and effort to come up with a new behaviour. Being teased for having puppy-fat may have set up a lifelong battle with body image and weight. Stumbling over a rapid-fire maths question at school may have ingrained an ongoing fear of numbers. This could get you into financial difficulties later in life…

Our subconscious mind is also the reason we struggle to make changes stick. It likes to stay with what it knows. The familiar comfort zone of those old beliefs and behaviour patterns feels safe. If our conscious mind tries to override these patterns, our subconscious creates all sorts of inventive reasons to revert back. How many times have you committed to go to the gym regularly, only to convince yourself that tonight isn’t a good night? Or promised yourself you will start your diet again on Monday, but start eating bars of chocolate to get you through a difficult workday? That’s your subconscious mind at work and it can be in control for around 95% of our day!

Working through the Layers with EFT 

EFT Therapy helps make your subconscious conscious. You will understand why you do what you do and change the beliefs and behaviour patterns that keep you stuck. Gentle questioning and tapping will work through the connected layers of an issue, almost like working down through a tree.

• The leaves are the presenting symptoms: disordered eating, on-going pain, insomnia…
• The branches are the emotions underpinning those symptoms: guilt, fear, anger, sadness…
• The trunk represents current and past events which cause the emotions: being humiliated by a teacher, being rejected by a childhood friend…
• Ultimately we get to the underlying belief at the root of the tree: I am stupid, I am not loveable…

This way of working firstly calms the emotions around the symptoms. This helps remove the emotional charge associated with the events which caused or perpetuated your symptoms. You can then uncover and release the core beliefs that your subconscious mind is using to keep you stuck.

EFT enables you to start making conscious choices in your life. You can lose troublesome, compulsive behaviours, become happier and open yourself to exciting possibilities!

Want to give EFT a try?

If you have any questions about how to use EFT then please do contact Kathy at kathy@kathycoleman.co.uk

Kathy offers a FREE Therapy Discovery session for every new client – call her on 07803 207401 to book.

For more information visit Kathy’s website www.kathycoleman.co.uk 

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