How to Use the Emotional Freedom Technique

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How to Use the Emotional Freedom Technique

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There are two basic areas to learn in order to use EFT: the tapping

locations and technique, and the positive affirmations. These areas, as well as

some

advanced EFT principles and techniques, are covered in the following

sections.

You should be able to successfully treat many problems by diligently

applying the following instructions. To expand your abilities and understand,

consider my _EFT series on DVD or VHS_ (http://ww

w.mercola.com/article/eft_videos.htm) .

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If you are not getting the results you would like, or you have a

particularly traumatic issue, please do not give up! Instead, consider

consulting with

an EFT professional. Dr. Patricia Carrington has _some guidelines_

(http://www.eftsupport.com/find_therapist.htm)

_http://www.eftsupport.com/find_therapist.htm_

(http://www.eftsupport.com/find_therapist.htm) on selecting an EFT

therapist, followed by a list of EFT practitioners throughout the U.S. and

world. Many of these therapists even offer a free 15-minute phone session in

which you can ask them questions to see if you connect.

Proper EFT Tapping

The basic EFT sequence is straightforward and generally takes my patients

only a few minutes to learn. They have the slight advantage of me personally

showing them the tapping points, but you should be able to pick up these points

relatively quickly. With a little practice, you will be performing each

round in under a minute.

NOTE: While it is important to tap the correct area, you need not worry

about being absolutely precise, as tapping the general area is sufficient.

It's All in the Fingertips

The first thing to understand is that you will be tapping with your fingers.

There are a number of acupuncture meridians on your fingertips, and when you

tap with your fingertips you are also likely using not only the meridians

you are tapping on, but also the ones on your fingers.

Traditional EFT has you tapping with the fingertips of your index finger and

middle finger and with only one hand. Either hand works just as well. Most

of the tapping points exist on either side of the body, so it doesn't matter

which side you use, nor does it matter if you switch sides during the tapping.

For example, you can tap under your right eye and, later in the tapping,

under your left arm.

I modified this approach slightly by having you use both hands and all your

fingers, so that they are gently relaxed and form a slightly curved natural

line. The use of more fingers allows you to access more of the acupuncture

points. When you use all your fingers you will cover a larger area than just

tapping with one or two fingertips, and this will allow you to cover the tapping

points more easily.

However, many obtain quite successful results with the traditional

one-handed two-finger approach. You can use either method, but I tend to use my

modified version in an effort to be more complete.

Ideally, you will want to use your fingertips, not your finger pads as they

have more meridian points. However, if you are a woman with long fingernails

you should of course use your finger pads (otherwise you may end up stabbing

yourself).

You should also remove your watch and bracelets, as that will interfere with

your use of the wrist meridian tapping.

Tap Solidly - But Don't Hurt Yourself!

You should tap solidly, but never so hard as to hurt or bruise yourself.

If you decide to use both hands, I recommend slightly alternating the

tapping so that each hand is slightly out of phase with the other and you are

not

tapping with both hands simultaneously. This provides a kinesthetic variant of

the alternating eye movement work that is done in EMDR and may have some

slight additional benefit.

When you tap on the points outlined below, you will tap about 5-7 times. The

actual number is not critical, but ideally should be about the length of

time it takes for one full breath. There is probably a distinct benefit for

tapping through one complete respiration cycle.

Please notice that these tapping points proceed down the body. That is, each

tapping point is below the one before it. That should make it a snap to

memorize. A few trips through it and it should be yours forever. However,

unlike

TFT, the sequence is not critical. You can tap the points in any order and

sequence, just so long as all the points are covered. It just is easier to go

from top to bottom to make sure you remember to do them all.

Remove your Glasses and Watch Prior to Tapping

Glasses and watches can mechanically and electromagnetically interfere with

EF, so I advise everyone to remove them prior to tapping. For quick sessions

conducted upon yourself, this is not critical, as you can easily tap around

them, but I think there is always a benefit to removing them when possible.

Using EFT in Public: Eliminating any Embarrassment

Many people are concerned about embarrassing themselves by using EFT in

public, especially when implementing my revision of it, which really makes one

stand out in a crowd.

After a while of using and perfecting the technique - in private quarters,

if you prefer - you will be able to use only two fingers of one hand, and to

say the affirmation softly under your breath or silently. This way you can do

EFT in just about any social setting, and if people even notice what you are

doing at all, it will appear to them that you are merely thinking.

Next Page: _Finding the Right Tapping Points_

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