by Oasis Wellness Partners on June 28, 2021
Often when people come in for therapy, many of their issues are rooted in past negative events or traumas. We all experience traumas – big and small, and some people experience many traumas. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, often called Tapping), is a tool used by therapists to help clients manage their stress and anxiety, as well as release negative emotions, heal old wounds and resolve past traumas.
EFT, as a form of psychological acupressure, focuses on the same energy meridians that traditional acupuncture has used to treat physical and emotional ailments for over five thousand years. Simple tapping with the fingertips inputs kinetic energy onto specific body meridians while you give voice to your specific problem. The technique combines exposure, cognitive restructuring, and physical relaxation while tapping on a sequence of meridian points and repeating key phrases out loud.
This physical EFT tapping with the fingertips targets the acupuncture points on the face and body where the energy is stuck to help clear this out. The physical tapping is a piece of how EFT works to help balance and open the way for the energy traveling through these channels to flow freely throughout the body.
Not only is EFT a tool people can use on their own, but when done under the care of a licensed psychotherapist, it is a therapeutic technique. As a self-help tool, one can learn EFT to manage stress and promote wellness. When done in a therapy session with a licensed psychotherapist, EFT helps address clinical issues.
In a psychotherapy session, faulty beliefs and cognitions are identified and addressed through the EFT process. With the assistance of a psychotherapist, one is able to work through conscious and subconscious issues in a way that supports the release of stress and unforgettable feelings.
EFT requires focusing on a negative emotion at hand such as a fear or anxiety, a bad memory, or an unresolved problem. Simultaneously, you mentally focus on this issue and use your fingertips to tap three to five times each on nine of the body’s meridian points. The integration of physical and mental awareness creates an adaptive systemic effect helping you identify patterns in your responses to stressors.
With EFT, you tap along a series of specific meridians while making statements in an effort to address faulty beliefs and cognitions, stress, or other uncomfortable feelings. The first “tap” occurs on the side of the hand (this is called the karate chop). While you acknowledge the problem, you also need to acknowledge something reaffirming. For example, “Even though I feel anxious, I deeply and completely love and accept myself”. You repeat the tapping sequence until you get the intensity rating down to a level where you feel comfortable. By tapping on these meridian points while concentrating on accepting and resolving the negative emotion, you access your body’s energy and restore it to a comfortable, more balanced state.
If you are interested in trying EFT, give us a call at our Scarborough Maine wellness center to schedule a session with Leah Wentworth, licensed EFT practitioner. (207) 883-5549
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433 US Route One
Scarborough, ME 04074
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