How Emotional Freedom Technique Can Transform Your Mental Health for Good

By Govind Kumar Jha

March 13, 2019   •   Fact checked by Dumb Little Man

what is emotional freedom technique

A fast-paced life surely offers you the luxuries you have always dreamed of. On the flip side, however, it’s uglier than you have ever expected.

The constant rat race and the urge to stay ahead in every sphere of life have resulted in tremendous peer pressure, relationship issues, social image concerns, and different types of disorders. One out of every five individual suffers from anxiety, anger issues, and depression owing to pressure at work and stringent societal norms.

Do you know what is more frustrating?

The online world where everyone retreats to for some peace is another sinner in disguise.

Social media has played a significant role in enabling these conditions and forcing youth into drugs, bad habits, and even fueled mental health issues. Some even develop suicidal tendencies.

Another dark nook of this big bad world has people who are suffering from childhood trauma, instances of sexual assault, and depression. According to research by King’s College London, 31% of the youth living in the UK suffer from childhood trauma. 8% of the young population has had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by the time they reached 18.

The most unfortunate aspect of this story is that no pill or injections are powerful enough to pacify the pain these wounds inflict on the patients. Childhood trauma, anxiety, and stress are some of the deep-rooted problems that feed on a person’s mental health.

This is where alternative medicines and science take over.

Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT is a new-age concept that has taken the medical world by storm. A very urban version of the archaic acupressure technique, EFT has been proven to have a serene effect on the behavioral patterns of the patient.

EFT: How It Came Into Being

Brought into this world by Dr. Gary Craig, this technique digs deep and exterminates the issues from the grass-root level. It was in the year 1995 that the superior Emotional Freedom Technique or Special Acupressure technique using fingertips found its place amidst most competitive therapies.

Touted as one of the most effective and pain-free treatments of recent times, the Emotional Freedom Technique is an offspring of a similar yet dated technique known as Thought Field Technique or TFT. This particular technique proved to be effective for people with symptoms like anxiety, phobias, and physical problems related to stress.

Founded by Dr. Roger Callahan, a clinical psychologist, TFT’s concept laid the foundation of EFT, in many ways.

Gary Craig, who is one of the leading creators of the Emotional Freedom Technique was also one of Dr. Callahan’s students. The former, with the help of his teacher’s guidance, established EFT which is way more advanced than its old counterparts.

Is It Worth It?

Before you get into calculating the pros and cons, ask yourself:

Do you have anything to lose?

Probably, it is time to try alternative therapies that are solidly backed up by Science.
According to the previous researches, more than 5,000 success stories have taken the field of medical science by storm.

People have reported feeling relieved of their symptoms of depression and addiction through this method. Moreover, a wide variety of peer-reviewed journals, investigations, and independent researches display the breadth of the ongoing researches and efficacy of the treatment.

Unlike the traditional acupressure technique wherein needles are used to put pressure at certain points of your body, this treatment uses fingertips.

Based on the regnant concepts of Chinese Medicines and Acupressure, EFT aims to re-define the medical approaches towards combating signs of depression and mental health problems. The technique has the practitioner using his/her fingertips to tap or gently apply pressure on meridian points or energy hot spots.

Here’s how to do it:

This procedure aids in the restoration of balance to your body’s energy. The idea is that these pathways promote a flow of balanced energies to maintain optimal health. A little bit of imbalance and your body starts to suffer from sickness and diseases.

How EFT Could Help You

EFT can untangle every knot in your body and free up the trapped flow of energies at a gradual pace. Wondering what it does and to what?

Here is an eye-opening list of symptoms EFT can pacify:

Addictions

addiction

Addiction to drugs, alcohol, social media and even video games, you name it, can be substantially alleviated by EFT on all levels. If you know someone dealing with these issues or if you have any of these concerns, then consider switching your treatment plans.

See Also: Telltale Signs Your Loved One Needs Intervention for Addiction

Past Traumas

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation says that childhood trauma involving sexual or physical abuse, domestic violence, and neglect or parental loss may have a long-lasting influence on one’s mind. It can increase your risk of depression.

Stress and depression are inter-linked. Their occurrence is a result of heightened levels of the hormone corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF).

With EFT, you can get over these issues of the past and most importantly, their effects on your thought patterns. The gentle pressures on different points release trapped energies and let your mind unwind.

Insomnia

insomnia

One of the many curses of a stressed lifestyle is insomnia. Loss of sleep, anxiety, and inability to take naps — all these are many different forms of the same dark cave.

Those with insomnia suffer from stress-related issues, low energy, heavy mood swings, and finally, depression. EFT can be effective in dealing with these problems.

People who choose this technique for insomnia report feeling mellow and relaxed after a single session. Moreover, continued sessions can significantly improve health conditions, correct the body’s biological clock, and reduce sleeplessness induced by anxiety.

It can also help with minor causes of insomnia, like replacing certain medications, coping with jet lag and much more.

See Also: 7 Insomnia Hacks That Will Change Your Lifestyle

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

One of the many forms of anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, reflects angrier forms for the obsession with things and person. This can also indicate an extreme urge for perfection, cleanliness, and unrealistic expectations pertinent to achieving a task in a particular way.

If not corrected at the right time, this disorder can cause irreparable damages like uncontrolled anger, sense of dissatisfaction, mood swings, disturbed personal lives, and depression. You can choose to go painless by opting EFT and giving it a fair chance.

Emotional Freedom Technique involves a great blend of personal counseling followed by meticulously planned painless acupressure sessions. You can sort out your concerns through conversations, set expectations, and see the worries fading away within a timeframe.

Author Bio

Vineeta Tiwari is an ambitious writer and a side-project aficionado. Single and happy at 30, she writes about health, fitness, body image, and relationships. “A bad player is always a good coach” is the foundation of the ideas that she puts into words. Her articles are embellished with personal experiences and a good load of life learning skills. Currently, she collaborates with www.klikly.com.

Govind Kumar Jha

Govind Kumar Jha is an exclusively experienced content writer & blogger. He is working as a Sr. Content Marketing Specialist with one of the emerging home service portals i.e. www.klikly.com. With more than 4 years of content writing experience, he has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications.

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