- Article Archive
- Cases
- A question for digging deep
- Emotions, physical ailments and hidden issues
- More uses of EFT & a philosophical bent
- Tapping variations
- "Harry's" case and breathing suggestion
- Followup on EFT in the prison system
- Physical problems and persistence
- Using EFT on past life issues
- Core issues, sexual pleasure and "The Sins of Eve"
- Headaches, substance sensitivities, phone work, dental fears and grief
- How to become "unstuck"
- "But it doesn't work for me...."
- Jet lag--tuning your time field
- Persistent tapping on several issues
- Balance problem, corns & autism
- Using EFT to enhance education skills
- Mourning the mother she's slowly losing
- Tapping brought us closer and made me understand
- A bridge for "Dr. Fred's" beliefs
- Food repulsion, email phobia, golf & rejection
- Plugged up ears, suicide and delayed reactions
- Working together on vertigo
- A how-to guide for using EFT with couples.
- Henry's phrase points to core issues
- Using EFT for severe mental retardation
- Down Syndrome and EFT
- There's something lacking in my career
- Her sinuses opened like a floodgate
- Bringing down the barriers to a better bedroom
- Enhancing performance as a metaphor for life issues
- Mr Persistence, EFT and a brain tumor
- A teeny(?) and delightful success
- Business owner moves his business to the next level.
- Food repulsion: Green furry things and yucky tomatoes!
- An EFT "Pre-Beginner" reports success
- Warts
- Creative reframing: Satan to God
- Hip replacement, magic and miracles
- EFT with a mentally retarded patient
- Dying gently
- Lactose intolerance--including a 6 month follow-up--see below
- Thought for the day
- "Bedside EFT" for patient relief in a hospital setting
- Expensive Emotions
- Niki LaMont on depression, pain and a water phobia
- Guilt over terminating a marriage
- Calming down a suicidal client
- The freedom to sing
- When a prisoner won't disclose the issue
- When pets have to pee...
- ...And he cried on my shoulder
- Hospice care and EFT
- How do I know the right words to say when I'm tapping?
- A builder with psoriasis & little things
- EFT clears eczema.
- Loneliness and many, many aspects
- An uncontrollably sobbing client--"my mother didn't love me"
- Emergency uses for EFT
- A problem with Happy Birthday
- Expert golfers, EFT and comfort zones
- Men only want one thing
- Tinkie said, "I don't fit in"
- Cholesterol and EFT
- Free to pee
- Programming dreams with EFT
- When you gotta go...
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
- Insight--"I'm terrified I'm going to be like my father"
- Sales performance
- Alan--a mentally retarded client
- EFT "homework" and other messages
- What would love do here?
- EFT and circumcision
- Low libido
- Suicidal client helped over the phone
- A blind man's erection problem
- Fasting??--try it on everything
- Using EFT on Paranoid Schizophrenia
- EFT helps trumpeter blow his own horn
- Clients with low energy--(Note: many suggestions from our members follow this message)
- Using "Setup Emphasis" for gout and other stubborn issues.
- Pulse rate improvement: From 130 to 90 in 1 minute
- Crohn's disease, gas, dental pain and a message from Albert Einstein
- Intentional EFT, enhancing romance and chewing cold things
- EFT on Schizophrenia
- Alzheimer's, "Absent tapping," & other experiences
- Anaphylactic shock--"Before her eyes, the swelling began to go down."
- EFT, phone work and a business idea
- Migraines and a chocolate/cookies addiction
- Tapping with intention
- Breasts, body parts and self image concerns
- Feeling Responsible For Someone Else's Death
- Persistence, hemorrhoids & Uncle Bugs
- Two EFT success stories: pain & the opinions of others
- Contempt and the effects of projection
- Greg Nicosia on tapping with intention
- Puppy dog, wetting one's pants, stress & a "no results" case
- Delayed reaction to EFT--back pain & rape trauma
- Intentionality on an airplane
- Inside a successful schizophrenia case
- Apex problem--a response twist
- Emotional nose, burning house & golf questions
- A miscarriage and the recall of core issues.
- Tapping the finger points and the value of a hug
- EFT for growing larger breasts
- Using EFT for Fertility.
- Phantom limb pain
- Using EFT with frail people
- No more "conversations in my head"
- Pyrophobia, fear of medicines and working with groups over the phone.
- Rapport in the prison system--Part I of III
- Dental gagging and accepting oneself
- Jason's motion sickness
- EFT and self image
- Press Releases
- EFT in the News
- Stories
- Weight Loss
- Editorials
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Can EFT cause a client to "feel worse?"
- How do I introduce EFT to skeptics?
- Are there any problems using EFT for pregnancy?
- Are there any negative side effects or abreactions?
- How do I handle Hand-Me-Down EFT?
- How do I choose the language to use while doing EFT?
- Can we do EFT surrogately or through intention? If so do we need permission?
- Can I be effective with "just the basics?"
- How do I find a client's "hidden issues?"
- What procedures might be taken if a client is undergoing a medical emergency?
- When it doesn't work....???
- How do I handle the "Big One?"
- How does EFT differ from Thought Field Therapy (TFT)?
- What's a good way for newcomers to apply EFT to themselves?
- Why do you sell it so inexpensively?
- What do I do when the clients stop tapping even though they have had substantial success with EFT?
- Can EFT be combined with other techniques?
- How do I find answers to my EFT questions?
- How do you help a "non-feeling" client?
- What do I say while performing EFT?
- Does EFT work on______?
- How long do the results last?
- EFT is obvious! So why wasn't it discovered many decades ago?
- Does it matter whether or not the EFT practitioner is skeptical?
- How do I use EFT for___________?
- When EFT relieves pain, does it mask the pain and thus thwart the ability for pain to signal danger?
- I'm used to affirmations being stated in the positive. Why does the EFT Setup language focus on the negative? What if I used positive statements instead?
- Using EFT for Epilepsy and seizures
- Are there suggested guidelines for professionals regarding an Informed Consent Statement?
- How do I apply EFT for performance issues?
- Are EFT's results due to either placebo effects or distraction?
- Fear
- Humor
- Baseball Quote
- City Slicker
- Airline Travel: The Next Generation
- George Carlin's Views on Aging
- BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
- Funny Sayings
- Proper Diskette Usage and Care
- Only in Merry Old England
- Punctuation Is Everything
- TRIBUTE TO BOB HOPE - Part III
- Computer Haikus
- Camping Trip
- Consultant
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 2
- Why Indeed ...?
- In Memoriam
- Accident report
- The Fire Truck
- Signs That Technology Has Taken Over Your Life
- Signs & Notices
- Goofy Conversions
- Addicted to Coffee
- Professional Advice
- The Bottle of Wine
- Marriage Names
- PICABO
- How to Give the Cat a Pill
- Humor From the Church
- Understanding Engineers
- Hasty Headlines
- Dad Math
- At the Inn...
- A Christian Upbringing
- Have You Heard?
- Scared Straight...For Math
- Do you REALLY need email??
- Funny Sayings - Part 3
- Computers and Companies
- Microsoft vs. GM
- Strange Laws - Part 2
- THE GOOD HUSBAND
- THOSE WERE THE DAYS - Part 1
- ITALIAN PASTA DIET
- THOSE WERE THE DAYS - Part 2
- Bathroom Sign
- Class Reunion
- THE LAWS OF INCONVENIENCE
- Calling God
- THE BLARNEY STONE
- Funny Sayings - Part 7
- If A Dog Were Your Teacher
- Politically Correct Holiday Greeting
- A Rope Went into a Bar...
- How Smart Is Your Right Foot?
- WORDS TO LIVE BY
- Canine Complex
- Cuff Links
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 3
- THE ARROGANT INSPECTOR
- The 'Middle Wife'
- Aging Perspective
- Flight Announcements
- The Sex of a Fly
- Honest Advertising
- Intermission Hijinks
- After-Thanksgiving Poem
- AN ODE TO ENGLISH PLURALS
- Getting Older
- Marriage Names
- A FROG STORY
- Cheap Therapy
- Husband 101
- Having Fun in Wal Mart
- Hasty Headlines
- Time Out
- A Change of Vows
- Farmer
- How Banks Work
- Stern Sibling
- TALKIN
- Funny Sayings - Part 4
- Creation Retold
- Having Trouble with Microsoft Word
- Strange Laws - Part 3
- Miracle
- Swapping Professional Secrets
- THE FINAL WORD ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH
- YEP
- Cakes and Ale
- Classified Ads
- THE LAWS OF INCONVENIENCE
- A Bed Near The Window
- NAME THAT BOAT
- Funny Sayings - Part 8
- Dog Thoughts
- The Perfect Husband
- Product Labels
- Toys for Today
- What I've Learned by Having Boys
- The C.E.O.
- Cured
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 4
- DADDY, HOW WAS I BORN???
- My First Mammogram
- Are You Ready For Children?
- For Those Who Need a Chuckle
- The Helicopter
- Give a Man a Fish...
- Band Insect
- Afternoon Rounds
- AN ODE TO ENGLISH PLURALS - PART 2
- Write it Down?
- Marriage Names
- WHY GOD MADE MOMS
- Chuckles
- Are You An Internet Addict?
- Washing Your Cat
- Speeding Ticket
- The Concept of Marriage
- The 84-year-old Newlywed
- The Company Picnic
- Eternal Devotion
- 25 Signs You've Grown Up
- SAFARI SURVIVAL
- Funny Sayings - Part 5
- Dear Dad
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS (PART 1)
- Dear Bubba
- Missing
- Good Communication
- MAN
- YEP
- Call Center
- Classified Ads
- THE LAWS OF INCONVENIENCE
- Monastery Life
- BY THE BOOK
- Funny Sayings - Part 9
- Why Dogs Can't Use Computers
- Politically Correct About Men
- Product Labels
- Job Competition
- What I've Learned by Having Boys
- EYEGLASSES
- Cyclic Number
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 5
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Monkey Business
- Bad Puns
- For Those Who Take Life Too Seriously
- The Human Race is Doomed
- Photogenic?
- RESTAURANT MATH
- RESERVATIONS OF AN AIRLINE AGENT
- Quick Jokes
- Detective Mom
- A Novel Approach to Saving Money
- WHY GOD MADE MOMS
- How to Clean the Toilet
- Internet Police
- Why Learn English Part 1
- Where Is God ?
- Phrases from the 50's - Part 1
- New Year's Resolutions -- Over Time
- Car Warning
- I Think I Need a Computer
- DINNER INVITATION
- QUALITY ASSURANCE
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS - PART 2
- Deep Observations on Life
- Out of the Mouths of Babes
- Wash. Biol. Surv.
- WOMEN OVER 40
- CHASING RABBITS
- Call Policy
- Classified Ads
- Fried Eggs
- Why Indeed ...?
- The Talking Dog
- The best road rage!
- Eating Oreos
- Signage
- Product Labels
- Skydiver
- Most ridiculous British laws:
- WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS
- Creative Definitions - Part 1
- Mourning the Mayonnaise
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Comments made in the year 1955!
- A Barbie we can relate to
- Fresh New Perspectives
- The Male Perspective
- Pull Over!
- Dalmation Duties
- Airline Food
- Painting the Porch
- Aging Gracefully
- Animal Super Bowl
- WHY GOD MADE MOMS
- The Clergyman
- A Kitten's Prayer
- Why Learn English Part 2
- DAILY THOUGHTS FROM DOGS AND CATS
- Phrases from the 50's - Part 2
- The Minister and the Funeral
- Case Closed
- Having a Bad Day
- Airline Maintenance
- A DRY TOWN
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS - PART 3
- Deep Thoughts
- Near Death Experience
- Walk A Mile
- AN INTERESTING PHILOSOPHY
- THE HISTORY OF WIRELESS
- Calories That Don't Count
- Cold Cream
- The Mountain Man and the Army
- Why Indeed ...?
- University Safety Committee
- 80% Agreement
- The English Schoolteacher
- Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
- Two-Cow Philosophy
- Untold Riches
- Abbott and Costello meet Windows 95
- WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS
- Creative Definitions - Part 2
- The Price of Good Health
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Bargaining with God
- A Good Explanation
- The Man I Marry
- Hasty Headlines
- New Business Model
- Amish and Elevator
- A Pain in the Leg
- And that
- Three Dogs...and a Collie
- BIZARRE DRIVING LAWS - Part 1
- Coming Mergers
- Life Before the Computer
- The Wisdom of a Witch
- GOLF GAME
- Phrases from the 50's - Part 3
- Bad Day
- CEO Blunder
- Great Truths That Little Children Have Learned
- Airline Maintenance
- BEING COOL
- BIKERS
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS
- Deep Voice
- Annual Neologism Contest
- Army Insurance
- TRIBUTE TO BOB HOPE- Part I
- Computer Haikus
- Calories That Don't Count
- Commuting Hazards
- Winning the Lottery
- Why Indeed ...?
- A Well-Planned Retirement
- A Little Mixed Up
- Fifty Fun Things to do in an Elevator
- The Spanish Computer
- The Bank Robber
- Colorful Shipwreck
- Accuracy!
- WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS
- Creative Definitions - Part 3
- Now That
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Baseball in Heaven
- HMO
- Thirty Lines to Make You Smile
- Hasty Headlines
- MEMO
- Ancient Artifact?
- A Moral Lesson
- And that
- Is It Better To Be A Jock Or A Nerd?
- BIZARRE DRIVING LAWS - Part 2
- Funny Sayings - Part 1
- Computer Help Desk
- Life Support
- Women in Leather
- GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES FROM A LAW FIRM
- PRAYING FOR PEACE
- Bad Weather
- Chemistry Final Exam
- The Four Stages of Life
- Airline Maintenance
- Success
- Survivors
- BILL GATES BUYS A HOUSE
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS - PART 5
- The Definition of Barbecuing
- Not My Job
- On the Phone with with Technical Support
- TRIBUTE TO BOB HOPE - Part II
- Computer Haikus
- Calories That Don't Count
- Congressional Mugging
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 1
- Why Indeed ...?
- Dear God
- A New Teacher
- Finally! Answers About Marriage
- Talking Dog
- Signs & Notices
- Beethoven's Grave
- Adoption
- Amazingly Simple Home Remedies
- The Perfect Man
- Marriage Names
- A TEST FOR PROFESSIONALS
- Beer, Fishing, Golf and Sex
- How To Lie To The Bathroom Scale
- Twelve Step Recovery Plan
- Hasty Headlines
- Estate Planning Basics
- Astrological Light Bulbs
- Kindergarten Wisdom
- And that
- The Old Golfer
- BIZARRE DRIVING LAWS - Part 3
- Funny Sayings - Part 2
- Computer Swallowed Grandma
- Martha Stewart Holiday Schedule
- Strange Laws - Part 1
- 24 SIGNS YOU MIGHT BE CANADIAN
- OLDER and WISER
- The Bartender
- Circulatory Exam
- Inspiration
- Ugly
- The Balloon Man
- He Failed His Way To The Top
- Not The Critic
- WHAT IS LOVE? (Part 2)
- AN EXERCISE IN GRATITUDE - Part 3
- The Emperor's Seed
- Beauty tips
- Handwriting On The Wall
- Raised as a Chicken
- Distance Never Separates
- THREE DAYS TO SEE
- When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
- A Butterfly Hovers
- The Jag
- The Ones Who Care
- To Have Succeeded
- Letter To My Grandchildren
- What do Angels Look Like?
- Covering All the Bases
- Love software
- World's Greatest Psychotherapist
- The Obstacle in Our Path
- The Weight of a Burden
- Mom - Job Description
- The Final Exam
- Now and Beyond
- WHAT IS LOVE? (Part 3)
- ANGELS IN THE POST OFFICE
- Sioux Indian Story
- The best day of my life
- Happiness
- The Reflection
- Don't Go To Bed
- Good People
- And This Too Shall Pass
- By Changing...
- Jars of Clay
- To Build A Bridge
- The Dates that Matter
- The Precious Gift
- State Of The World Message
- Cross My Heart
- Love and the papers everyone kept
- The World's Most Communicative Disease
- Strongest Dad in the World
- Children Learn What They Live
- The Joy of Gratitude
- The Firth of Forth Bridge
- On Failure
- No Matter What Happens
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 1
- Keep Your Dream
- The best time of my life
- Healing Garden
- Rich or Poor?
- The Elderly Caretaker
- The Wise Sage
- Miguel's Poem
- Capt. Laurent Gourley...8-6-69
- Just Be
- To Risk
- Misfits
- My Resignation
- My Comfort Zone
- The Daffodil Principle
- Lucky's Greatest Treasure
- You are so beautiful to me
- The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget
- A Sweet Lesson in Humanity
- That's all I remember!
- Flying
- Others at their best
- Are you God
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 2
- Roses of Life
- Better Far to Risk A Fall
- Here I Grow Again
- Shake It Off and Step Up
- Look Mommy
- Start With Yourself
- Attitude
- Cerebral Palsy and a flower inside a cocoanut shell
- Kitten From Heaven
- To Track Down My Dream
- Creating Destiny
- Making Sandcastles
- You Sure Are Lucky...
- Determination
- The Magic of Hope
- 57 CENTS
- Broken Wing
- Infecting the World
- The Archer and the Arrow
- Five Short Chapters on Change
- Follow the Leader
- Point of View
- Unforgiveness
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 3
- If You Were
- The Boy and the Worm
- House of 1000 Mirrors
- The Star Polisher
- Magic Mommy Kisses
- A Determined Spirit
- The Magical Tablecloth
- Challenged
- Lesson
- Which one are you?
- Asking God
- The Pickle Jar
- Cookies
- Dig a Little Deeper
- May You Have...
- The Angel on Hwy 109
- Be Thankful
- Mean old Moms
- Are Your Potatoes Heavy
- SLOW DANCE
- The Loving Picture that will never leave your memory
- Secret of Success
- Good Corn
- Positive Side of Life
- Before It's Too Late
- EXPLANATION OF GOD
- The Mustard Seed
- The little boy with a bad temper
- How Do You Think?
- Stray Cat
- The Fisherman and The Investment Banker
- The Trouble Tree
- Whispers
- I Tried to Climb the Mountain Today
- Letter From a Farm Kid
- Whiners
- Crayola Bomb
- The Sneeze
- A Drunk Fell in a Hole
- Million Dollar Lesson
- Real Heroes
- Attitude determines everything
- Eating the Cookie
- Nice Kids
- Explanation of God by an 8 year old boy
- AN EXERCISE IN GRATITUDE - Part 1
- Defining Success
- Great Opportunity
- Positive Thinking
- The Best Medicine
- GOSSIP
- Miss Isabel
- Boy Wanted
- I Love You
- The Carpenter
- Customer Service From Heaven
- Paid In Full
- The 30 Second Quiz
- Count Your Blessings
- Lincoln and Failure
- Wisdom from Oscar
- Twenty Four Crowded Hours
- A Newborn's Conversation with God
- A Sioux Indian Story
- A lesson in attitude
- Embassy of Hope
- No Matter What Happens
- WHAT IS LOVE? (Part 1)
- AN EXERCISE IN GRATITUDE - Part 2
- Forsaken?
- There is beauty in everything
- A Group of Frogs
- The Race
- Does it Still Serve a Purpose?
- THE MEANING OF LIFE
- Time to Learn
- A Builder or a Wrecker?
- The Impossible Dream
- The Horseman
- Optimism
- Heaven and Hell
- The Seven Wonders of the World
- True Story of Courage and Love
- The Lonely Road
- Wisdom
- This is What Love is All About
- The Value of Time
- Research
- Energy psychology in disaster relief
- The effects of EFT on long-term psychological symptoms
- Neurophysiological Indicators of EFT Treatment Of Post-Traumatic Stress
- Assessment of the Emotional Freedom Technique: An Alternative Treatment for Fear - The Waite & Holder Study
- Evaluation of a Meridian-Based Intervention, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), for Reducing Specific Phobias of Small Animals
- Self-administered EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) in individuals with fibromyalgia: a randomized trial
- The Treatment of Combat Trauma in Veterans Using EFT
- Energy Psychology: a review of the preliminary evidence
- Studies Accepted in Peer Reviewed Journals
- The Effect of a Brief EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Self-Intervention on Anxiety, Depression, Pain and Cravings in Healthcare Workers
- Change Is Possible: EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) with Life-Sentence and Veteran Prisoners at San Quentin State Prison
- Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) For Traumatic Brain Injury
- Energy Psychology in Rehabilitation: Origins, Clinical Applications, and Theory
- Thought Field Therapy and its derivatives: rapid relief of mental health problems through tapping on the body
- The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Athletic Performance: A Randomized Controlled Blind Trial
- Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Research on Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Other Meridian Based Therapies
- Rapid Treatment of PTSD: Why Psychological Exposure with Acupoint Tapping May Be Effective
- Six Trauma Imprints Treated with Combination Intervention: Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Thought Field Therapy (TFT) or Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
- Pilot Study of EFT, WHEE and CBT for Treatment of Test Anxiety in University Students
- Psychological Symptom Change in Veterans After Six Sessions of Emotional freedom Techniques (EFT); An Observational Study
- Veterans: Finding their way home with EFT--an observational study
- The Effect of Progressive Muscular Relaxation and Emotional Freedom Techniques on Test Anxiety in High School Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Clinical Story of a 6-Year-Old Boy's Eating Phobia; An Integrated Approach
- The Neurochemistry of Counterconditioning: Acupressure Desensitization in Psychotherapy
- Studies Presented at Professional Conferences
- World Trade Center Tower 2 Survivor: EP Treatment of Long-term PTSD:
- Psychological Trauma in Veterans using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques): A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Does Prolonged Exposure Need to Hurt in Order to Help? Exploring Two Alternatives
- Measuring Physiological Markers of Emotional Trauma: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mind-Body Therapies
- The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Psychological Symptoms: A Limited Replication
- The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Psychological Symptoms in Addiction Treatment
- The effect of an energy psychology intervention (EFT) versus diaphragmatic breathing on specific
- Other Studies and Experiments
- EFT improves Minerals, Amino Acids & Vitamins
- Before and after photos of Rouleaux--"blood cell clumping"
- An Objective Experiment on the Use of EFT for Depression
- EFT for Libido: Study Results Summarized -- 80% report an improvement of 50% or more
- An EFT study: Reducing anxiety in dental patients with EFT
- Preliminary Report of the First Large-Scale Study of Energy Psychology
- Clear evidence that our emotions affect our body--in this case, dramatic changes in the blood
- The results of Carol Look's eyesight experiment
- Articles evidencing the existence of energy meridians
- Cases
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Article Archive
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any negative side effects or abreactions?
Important Note: This article was written prior to 2010 and is now outdated. Please use my newest advancement, Optimal EFT. It is more efficient, more powerful and clearly explained in my free e-book, The Unseen Therapist™. Best wishes, Gary
Are there any negative side effects or abreactions?
By comparison to almost any other process, EFT is quite gentle and rarely has any serious side effects. It is often used instead of other procedures, such as EMDR, TIR or "Flooding" because of its gentle nature. In 1997, an informal questionnaire was put out to 250 therapists asking for descriptions of significant abreactions with EFT or TFT. Out of an estimated 10,000 applications of these energy tapping procedures only 20 such cases were reported. This approximates 2/10 of 1%. This informal questionnaire is not put forward as an official study and therefore does not suggest that there is minimal risk involved. Anyone using EFT must assume full responsibility for their results and is advised to mention to clients the possibility of abreaction or other negative effects.
Here is another article on this subject which appeared on our EFT email support list...
Don't go where you don't belong
Hi Everyone,
This is an important message and I have spent many hours writing and rewriting it to "get it right". Fortunately, what I have to say here is obvious common sense and 99% of you already understand what I have to say.
The bottom line here is that we need to use common sense with EFT and NOT apply it to people with serious issues UNLESS we have the appropriate experience to do so. While our fascination with these procedures gives us much cause for enthusiasm, we must weigh that enthusiasm against some common sense caveats. Let me explore both sides of this issue.
First, one of the delightful aspects of EFT (and its many cousins) is that, for the vast majority of people, it can be applied with little or no pain. Its gentle nature has prompted numerous psychologists to write books on the topic so that the lay public will have access to these procedures. And why not? Why deny the public access to tools that are so often transformative on so many issues...and...for most people is gentle and easy to apply?
Consider, for example, that....
Therapists are routinely teaching the process to their clients for use at home.
Teachers are learning it for use with their students.
Coaches are learning it for use with their athletes.
Parents are learning it for use with their children.
Physicians are learning it for pain management with their patients.
Massage practitioners are blending it with their existing procedures for longer and more lasting results.
Spiritual leaders are applying it to those in need.
Chiropractors, acupuncturists and homeopathy practitioners are augmenting their practices and teaching it to patients for self use.
And so on it goes...
I don't know for sure how many tapping enthusiasts are now using these procedures in behalf of others but I would estimate that it exceeds 100,000 and it has probably been applied over 1 million times worldwide.
This wouldn't happen, of course, unless (1) substantial results were being received and (2) perceived dangers, or negative side effects, were minimal.
While no experienced EFT'er can deny seeing substantial results, not everyone is aware that, infrequently, there CAN BE negative side effects--sometimes severe.
Let me explain.
Some people have been so badly traumatized and/or abused in their lifetimes that they have developed severe psychological problems.... such as multiple personalities, paranoia, schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders. While EFT has been helpful even in such severe cases, IN THESE INSTANCES IT SHOULD ONLY BE APPLIED BY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL WITH EXPERIENCE IN THESE DISORDERS.
Why? Because some of these patients experience "abreactions" whereby they go out of control. During abreactions they can be harmful to themselves and others and may need to be sedated or hospitalized. This, obviously, is no place for the novice....no matter how enthusiastic one might be with the tapping procedures.
Incidentally, we don't know yet whether tapping actually causes such abreactions or if it is just the memory of one's troublesome issues that precipitates such problems. Nonetheless, if you have no experience in these areas, please don't go where you don't belong.
How often do these abreactions happen? In a psychiatric hospital they are common. In everyday society they are rare. I recently called several proficient tappers that have dealt with a wide variety of emotional problems and learned that less than 1 in 1,000 clients had experienced such a severe abreaction.
This minimal percentage is given for perspective only. It is not to suggest that EFT'ers should "play the odds" and "go where they don't belong". On the contrary, a novice EFT'er should use common sense and NOT TRY TO ALLEVIATE AILMENTS THAT ARE BEYOND THEIR CAPACITY OR TRAINING.
I am well known for the phrase "Try it on everything!" This phrase appears in the EFT manual, The EFT Course and on our web site. Its purpose, of course, is to open up our minds to EFT's possibilities. It is not meant as a license for irresponsible actions. Fortunately, people interpret this within a reasonable context and do not, for example, use EFT to get someone to fly off the Empire State Building.
On some occasions, people undergoing EFT have normal tears or other forms of distress that accompany the recalling of their troublesome memories. On other occasions some physical pains "get worse"--at least temporarily. The proficient and experienced professional will greet these responses as normal and appropriately apply EFT for their resolution. Again, when these responses occur, common sense must prevail. If the EFT'er is in over their head, they should refer the client to someone with more experience.
With this in mind, let me mention (1) my own approach to clients and (2) some gentler ways of using EFT. These are meant as guidelines for your possible use. You must, of course, take full responsibility for your own use of EFT (or any other healing procedure).
1. My own approach to clients: I NEVER ASSUME EFT IS TAKING THE PLACE OF MEDICINE OR ANY OTHER FORM OF HEALING PROCEDURE. While I am consistently astonished at some of the results with EFT, I recognize that there is much I don't know. Who am I to even remotely think that I know everything there is to know in the healing field? I may see astonishing results with EFT that are simply not explainable by the medical model, for example, and I may genuinely think that other disciplines should pay attention to what we are doing. But, in no case, does my observation mean the client should ignore other advice.
My mental set is that a problem may be relieved by approaching it energetically and I am often right....headaches vanish, nightmares disappear, phobias fade and so on. But it is never done with the thought that the client should discontinue their medications or not seek out the advice of others. That is up to the client and their advisors. My self talk, which usually comes out of my mouth as well, goes something like....
"Let's give this a try and see what happens."
My expectation is that we will get good results and my hope is that the client will tell their other advisors about it. In that way, the word spreads even faster. I WANT the other advisors involved. Everyone wins when this happens.
2. Gentler ways of using EFT:
For those interested, there are some sections on our web site that deal with some of these issues. Go to.....
www.emofree.com/tutorial.htm
www.emofree.com/faq.htm
www.emofree.com/trauma.htm
Also, here are some specific techniques to add gentleness...
a. Use tapping to "take the edge off" before one gets into the issue. This, to me, can be very important and is described in detail in many places on our web site including...
www.emofree.com/trauma/molestation.htm
b. The Tearless Trauma Technique which is described at....
www.emofree.com/trauma/tearless.htm
c. Break down global issues (e.g. PTSD) into the SPECIFIC EVENTS in one's life (e.g. war memories) and tap on those individual SPECIFIC EVENTS one by one until the global issue collapses. Here is something I wrote on this recently...
"Generally speaking, the more specific the issue, the quicker the resolution. That is one of the reasons why I have argued for breaking down a broad issue such as PTSD or Anxiety into the SPECIFIC EVENTS that typically cause the more global problem. Each SPECIFIC EVENT is often resolved within 1 to 5 rounds of tapping and, after several SPECIFIC EVENTS have been collapsed, there appears to be a GENERALIZATION EFFECT that collapses the rest of the global problem."
Hugs, Gary
Also, here is another article I posted to another email list on this subject. It was written in response to Joaquin Andrade, MD, from Uruguay whose clients tend to be severely emotionally damaged and commonly abreact even without a healing method.
Dear Joaquin,
Upon reading of the abreactions that you, Maarten and others reported after using tapping techniques I became concerned. This was especially so because, after doing this for 11 years and applying it a few thousand times myself, I have never seen an abreaction. "Was I that out to lunch on this issue?", I thought.
So I called several EFT practitioners (both licensed and unlicensed) to explore their experiences on this regard. Altogether, these practitioners have used tapping procedures on over 5,000 people and have taught EFT to over 500 other practitioners (both licensed and unlicensed). NONE of them has ever experienced an abreaction and NONE of them has ever had a trainee call them with a reported abreaction. [Note: I defnined abreaction in these explorations to EXCLUDE tears of other forms of distress that normally occur in a healing session (and that subside with further tapping or the mere passage of time). I INCLUDED in the definition such things as uncontrollable panic attacks, incoherency, inability to perform their occupation for a few days or hospitalization.]
In addition, I noted that Dr. John Diepold and Dr. Phil Friedman reported to you (via an email list) that they have been applying tapping procedures consistently over a combined 14 years and, between them, they reported only 1 abreaction.
If you will permit my engineer's left brain to speak for a moment, this paucity of abreactions easily qualifies as a statistical non-event. It would be an unrealistic stretch to conclude that tapping causes abreactions when only 1 such abreaction is reported out of thousands upon thousands of applications spanning a period of over 10 years. Rather, this informal finding clearly falls into the "random event" category.
This is not to negate your experience. On the contrary, if someone of your stature and dedication finds abreactions and other "horror stories" (your term) while using tapping procedures, I think we are obligated to investigate why. I consider myself qualified to assess the statistical lack of proof mentioned above but do not consider myself an authority on the "why's and wherefor's" of abreactions. This is because (1) I have no formal training in this field, (2) I possess no conventional credentials or licensing and (3) I have never even seen an abreaction.
That being said, I would like to offer some thoughts along these lines for you and other learned readers to consider. The most obvious thought is that the population you deal with appears to contain an above average concentration of severely emotionally disadvantaged people. We are talking DID, BiPolar disorders, Schizophrenia and the like. These patients, in my understanding, abreact with great frequency and, at least in the USA, can often be found in psychiatric hospitals BECAUSE they abreact so often and so intensely. In many cases, members of this client population abreact while seeing something disagreeable in a movie or on TV. At other times they have "out of the blue" intrusive thoughts or flashbacks with no obvious trigger. Basically, they can, and do, abreact whether or not they are undergoing a tapping session.
Now, I don't walk in your shoes and have never been in a psychiatric hospital in my life (except, perhaps, the VA hospital in Los Angeles). Nor am I face to face with your patients when all this is happening. Thus any thoughts I may have on this matter must be speculative. However, it appears logical to me that many members of your client population would abreact under almost ANY form of therapeutic intervention. After all, these interventions, by their very nature, serve to tune the patient in to their troublesome issues.
Further, you have administered tapping procedures to nearly 30,000 patients and, if I understand correctly, approximately 30 have exhibited these intense abreactions. Percentage wise, that is only 1/10 of 1% out of a population that is much more prone to abreactions than the "garden variety" traumas, fears, etc. that constitute the clients of most practitioners. Even if you have witnessed 10 times as many abreactions, that is still a mere 1% out of a population that commonly abreacts. Unless there is something I'm not seeing (very possible) this is still statistically insignificant for this population.
The above are speculations of mine and I offer them as food for dialogue. Some questions that might arise here are...
1. Could this low percentage of abreactions be caused by something other than tapping (e.g. a random flashback that happens to occur while tapping, a reaction to a practitioner, a smell in the room, a phrase that triggers a memory and so on)?
2. What percentage of abreactions do you get with other therapeutic interventions and how does that compare with the percentage that occurs during a tapping session? Could it be that other interventions would trigger as many, or even more, abreactions?
3. If these abreactions occur while tapping (and thus tapping appears as the "obvious trigger"), why doesn't 75% or more of this abreaction prone population exhibit these intense behaviors? Why is it such a tiny percentage? What else may be happening? If, indeed, tapping causes abreactions, shouldn't abreactions show up most of the time while tapping an abreaction prone population?
I have much more to discuss on these issues and will write more soon.
With the greatest respect, Gary
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