Acupuncturist gives his view of EFT and Classical Chinese Medical Aspects

By Ricardo B. Serrano, R.Ac.

Most people in the West think of Emotional Freedom Technique as a disciplined practice of tapping acupuncture points and set-up phrases intermixed with western psychology and are not aware of its deeper Classical Chinese medical aspects which this article will hopefully elaborate.

Eastern and western health philosophy differ in the way the two systems handle psychology. Asian philosophy emphasizes the unity of body and mind, whereas western philosophy separates the body and mind. The classical Chinese associate the emotions directly with the organs and they do not perceive the emotions as being stuck in the brain as the westerners do.

Taoist and Buddhist philosophers link the emotions to each organ and have developed deep theories of psychology based on these relationships. Thus, the state of mind and the stage of one's body are intimately connected.

In the West, although it is understood that certain physiological conditions can influence the mind, mental and emotional disorders are generally not connected to specific organs or organic functions, but are believed to be wholly centered in the brain. Fundamentally, the Chinese associated the emotions and related mental states to the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) and to the organs! associated with them. In general, the emotions are related to the organ associated with each element.

According to Huang Di Neijing, "In the human body located on each channel are a set of points identified with each of the five elements. On the yang channels they are represented by jing/well-metal, rong/spring-water, shu/stream-wood, jing/river-fire, and he/sea-earth. On the yin channels they are represented by jing/well-wood, rong/spring-fire, shu/stream-earth, jing/river-metal, and he/sea-water. By acupuncturing the corresponding elemental point of the organ system that is the most susceptible, that organ system will become balanced and thus avert any potential disorder."

I have made important additions and modifications to Gary Craig's EFT procedure to avoid side effects called 'Qi deviation' and also increase its effectiveness a hundred-fold with a variant of EFT called "EFT Qi-healers Method." The Jing-Well acu-points of the liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach, gall bladder and bladder in the feet are added to balance the Yin (lower) and Yang (upper) meridians, and Pan Gu Shengong with tonic herbs are also integrated with EFT to remove the energy toxins and restore the Three Treasures -- Jing (essence), Qi (vitality) and Shen (Spirit) -- leaked by the negative emotions held in the five organs.

Tapping of the acupuncture points with intention, and loving and accepting oneself work in EFT therapy because according to the three theories of Classical Chinese Medicine, "Qi follows intention," "the heart is the supreme master of the organs and is the home of shen, the spirit. If the master is brilliant, his subjects are peaceful. If the master is disturbed, his twelve officials [the body's organ systems] are endangered," and "when the Qi obstruction or stagnation in the energy meridians is normalized through acupuncture," balancing of yin and yang, and emotional and physical healing naturally take place.

"Our true Spirit, which the Chinese call shen, is the spark of divinity that resides within the heart of every human being and manifests as love, kindness, compassion, generosity, giving, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy, tenderness and the appreciation of beauty. It is the Spirit of a human being as the divine messenger, the channel of God's will and love.

Shen is the purpose of all spiritual paths. It is the Buddha's desire to end suffering and it is Christ's love and compassion... Shen manifests only when the heart is open. Once the heart is open, shen manifests as light that illuminates the path of a man or woman in life's journey toward the spiritual goal and along the spiritual path." -- quotes from Ron Teeguarden's book Radiant Health

The reason why EFT therapy works:

By reinforcing the Qi, opening one's heart to shen's unconditional love, and clearing the Qi stagnation or obstruction through acupuncture (acupressure) along the 3 extra meridians (Du Mu, Ren Mu and Chong Mai) and the yin and yang meridians of the heart, pericardium, triple warmer, spleen, stomach, small intestine, lung, large intestine, bladder, kidney, gall bladder and liver, the charge or intensity behind unwanted negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, guilt, fear, pain, anger, sadness, trauma, etc. can be intentionally neutralized during EFT therapy. Furthermore, the leakage of the Three Treasures -- Jing (essence), Qi (vitality), and Shen (Spirit) -- due to negative emotions is plugged restoring the normal functions of the five major organs.

Choose to be FREE of unwanted negative emotions which cause most diseases and addictions.

"In the human body there are the zang organs of the liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidneys. The qi of the five zang organs forms the five spirits and gives rise to the five emotions. The spirit of the heart is known as the shen, which rules mental and creative functions. The spirit of the liver, the hun, rules the nervous system and gives rise to extrasensory perception. The spirit of the spleen, of yi, rules logic or reasoning power. The spirit of the lungs, or po, rules the animalistic instincts, physical strength and stamina. The spirit of the kidneys, the zhi, rules the will, drive, ambitions, and survival instinct.

"Overindulgence in the five emotions -- happiness, anger, sadness, worry or fear, and fright -- can create imbalances. Emotions can injure the qi, while seasonal elements can attack the body. Sudden anger damages the yin qi; becoming easily excited or overjoyed will damage the yang qi. This causes the qi to rebel and rise up the head, squeezing the shen out of the heart and allowing it to float away. Failing to regulate one's emotions can be likened to summer and winter failing to regulate each other, threatening life itself." -- Huang Di Neijing

"As an advanced "EFT Qi-healers Method," a variant of EFT, I originated, it is possible to heal many kinds of physical, psychological and emotional diseases in a short time when EFT therapy is integrated with Pan Gu Mystical Qigong moving form, Qi-healing and taking Chinese tonic herbs which altogether restore the Three Treasures -- Jing, Qi, and Shen." -- Ricardo B. Serrano, R.Ac.

"It is significant to know the patient's lifestyle and emotional state because emotions such as anger damage the yin, while overexcitement scatters the yang. When a physician lacks compassion and sincerity, when a physician is hasty in counselling and does not make the effort to guide the patient's mind and moods in a positive way, the physician has robbed the opportunity to achieve a cure. So much of all illness begins in the mind, and the ability to persuade the patient to change the course of perception and feeling to aid in the healing process is a requirement of a good physician."

"To completely heal a person, acupuncture, herbs, and these other modalities are only one aspect of the treatment. You must also come into synchrony with the patient in many other ways. For example, when patients lack the confidence to conquer illness, they allow their spirits to scatter and wither away. They let their emotions take control of their lives. They spend their days drowned in desires and worries, exhausting their jing/essence and qi and shen/spirit. Of course, then, even with all these other modalities, the disease will not be cured." -- Huang Di Neijing

"The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system. Our unresolved negative emotions are major contributors to most physical pains and diseases." -- Gary Craig, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Founder

Emotional Freedom Technique is basically a simple practice to learn, anyone can do it!

Ricardo B. Serrano, R.Ac