Energy Psychology is a relatively new field that uses physical and cognitive methods to support people in permanently and quickly shifting unwanted emotional and behavioral states. The technique combine Eastern approaches to the mind and body with Western psychology and psychotherapy ideas. Many people refer to these methods as “acupuncture without needles” and there are many variations of techniques and practices used for this.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is one of the well-known variations that use techniques derived from acupuncture and acupressure. EFT was developed in the 1990s by Stanford engineer Gary Craig. EFT is derived from Thought Field Therapy (TFT), developed in the 1980s by psychologist Roger Callahan. A quick explanation of the method is that there is manual stimulation of certain acupuncture points that send signals to the amygdala and other brain structures that reduce the hyper-arousal associated with a traumatic memory or threatening situation. When the brain “re-integrates” the traumatic memory, then there is reduced arousal or no arousal of this emotion in the future. Despite growing acceptance of acupuncture by the Western medical establishment in recent years, related techniques such as EFT have yet to be embraced to the same extent by mainstream practitioners. Implicit in EFT’s procedures and protocols is the assumption that the original cause of most limiting beliefs and psychological/physiological distress is life trauma, particularly in early childhood. The negative effects of life trauma are very simply referred to in EFT as a ‘disruption’ in the mind/body’s energy system.

This technique has been used to successfully deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, phobias, stress management, wide range of physical challenges, pain management, and a wide variety of conditions. EFT has been recently used for enhancing the performance of individuals in personal, business, sales and sports domains. This technique is attractive not only because of the potential for quick and lasting results, but because it can be taught to people to use themselves. Almost anyone can use EFT to good effect as a self healing tool. Recently a study was performed that claimed 86-90% success rates in only six EFT sessions for war veterans suffering from PTSD.
The EFT method: See the future post

Lori Todd, PhD
Dr. Lori Todd is the senior coach at WorldLegacy  and a Leadership and Advanced Trainer.  Lori has been coaching and leading transformational workshops since 1996, and leads trainings across the United States and Mexico.  She received a BS from Antioch College, MS from Cornell University, and a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  In 1990, she became an Assistant Professor at UNC and, in 1994, President Clinton awarded her a Presidential Faculty Fellow award for her teaching and research.  Lori is Certified in Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).  See DrLoriTodd.com