Does EFT Actually Work?

​​EFT Founder, Gary Craig, developed Emotional Freedom Techniques in the 1990s so it is actually a fairly new therapeutic tool.

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Although its roots can be traced back to the ancient practice of acupuncture, EFT itself is still in comparative infancy, and its mechanisms are not yet fully understood.

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What we do know is that stimulating points on the so-called 'energy meridians' has a notable impact on the parts of the brain that control stress.

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So, because tapping lowers stress, EFT has proved to be very useful in treating trauma and a whole host of emotional problems.

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However, although we often think of stress as an emotional response, it also has a profound effect on the physical body.

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Muscle tension, high blood pressure, headaches, heartburn and a whole host of aches and pains are all either caused by stress, or exacerbated by it.

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Because the stress response has an impact on both the mind and the body, EFT can be used to address both emotional and physical issues.

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A growing number of RCTs (Randomised Controlled Trials) and systematic reviews/meta-analyses are all adding up to provide a significant body of evidence about the effectiveness of EFT.

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And I think that's the key word - "effectiveness".

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We may not yet fully understand why it works, or how it works, but we do know from RCTs that EFT Tapping offers significant relief from a whole range of emotional issues including anxiety, depression and panic attacks.

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Indeed, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has concluded that there is sufficient quality data for EFT to be considered as a treatment for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

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That's not a bad start for a treatment protocol that, let's be honest, looks and sounds a bit crazy!

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So if you want to read up on some of the evidence for EFT thus far, here is a random selection of links that you should find informative.

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• A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized and Nonrandomized Trials of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for the Treatment of Depression (Nelms, Castel)

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• Psychological trauma symptom improvement in veterans using Emotional Freedom Techniques: a randomized controlled trial (Church, Hawk, Brooks, Toukolehto, Wren, Dinter, Stein)

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• Acupoint Stimulation In Treating Psychological Disorders: Evidence of Efficacy (Feinstein)

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• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NICE Guidelines)

 

EFT research papers are also available for a variety of issues such as exam stress, food cravings, raised cortisol levels, fear of childbirth and many more.

 

As well as scientific papers, there's also loads of anecdotal evidence about the benefits of tapping, and many celebrities and sports stars have discovered just how useful it can be.

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Here are just some of the successes that we know about:

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• Whoopi Goldberg - fear of flying

• Lily Allen - chocolate addiction

• Michael Ball - panic attacks

• Duchess of Cornwall - anxiety about flying

• Naomie Harris - nerves

• Nick Heyward - stress management

• Stephen Gately - performance anxiety

 

Madonna and Jasmine Harman are also said to be big fans of EFT.

 

What do sports stars Jorge Reyes, Bralon Taplin, Paul Gallen and Fernando Alonso have in common?

 

All of them have been spotted on camera using tapping, prior to major sporting events.

 

So lots of people aready love EFT.

 

But no matter what other people might say, you won't know the benefits of EFT Tapping until you actually try it.

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I was sceptical until I gave it a go.  Now, if I have a problem or a challenge in life, EFT is my first port of call.

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It might make all the difference for you too! 😉