Emotional Freedom Techniques - Pat...

EFT The Basic Recipe: by Pat Ballantyne

Emotional Freedom Techniques Introduction to EFT Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a relatively new therapy which may be described as a form of psychological acupressure. Well defined acupuncture points, known as endpoints, are stimulated, usually by tapping on them, whilst the person being treated is tuned into a specific issue. Most people are familiar with the ancient traditional Chinese therapy known as acupuncture in which an acupuncturist places very fine needles into very specific acupuncture points. This relieves symptoms and encourages healing to take place. Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years but was not accepted by western medicine as a legitimate therapy until the last 20-30 years after research has shown it to be effective for certain conditions. EFT and NICE Guidelines In the UK anyone working for the National Health Service (NHS) must abide by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Acupuncture is an accepted therapy for certain conditions according to NICE guidelines and is mostly used by physiotherapists and some General Practitioners (GPs). Currently, EFT is not accepted in NICE guidelines because research has not been completed regarding its effectiveness. For this reason, you will have more measures of your symptoms taken than if you use another psychological therapy, although all therapies are subject to measurement in this service to ensure their effectiveness. Research to date has shown EFT to be effective for many psychological conditions. Anxiety, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, (OCD), panic, and trauma have been the most researched so far. The Body’s Energy System EFT uses the body’s energy system to bring about change. In the west we refer to this energy system as the meridian system, in China this system is known as Chi, in India it is known as Prana. The diagram shown is a simplified diagram showing the lines of energy, and some commonly used acupuncture points. The dots on the diagram indicate the location of some of the acupuncture points. These endpoints are found at sites where the meridian is close to the surface of the skin. Each endpoint is associated with a specific part of the body, for example, the endpoint located under the eye is associated with the stomach. In acupuncture there are hundreds of these points, with EFT only 14 endpoints are stimulated, and typically only 8 of them are used, mostly on the face and upper body.


A Brief History of EFT In the 1980’s a psychotherapist in California, called Dr Roger Callahan was researching alternative therapies because he found that traditional psychotherapy often took a long time. Sometimes psychotherapy takes years of weekly therapy, placing it out of the price range of many people who need a psychological intervention. Dr Callahan learned about the body’s energy system whilst studying Acupuncture and Applied Kinesiology, a diagnostic tool, used by many alternative therapists. Through his study of Acupuncture he learned that stimulating a combination of specific points, selected because of the condition being treated, could bring relief to clients. Through his study of Applied Kinesiology, he learned that through a process called muscle testing you could accurately predict which endpoints needed stimulation. Mary’s Story Whilst he was learning about Applied Kinesiology and Acupuncture, Dr Callahan was working with a client who had a severe water phobia. Her phobia was so severe she could not go outside if it was raining heavily, she could only bathe in a bath containing about an inch of water, she was unable to splash her face with water at a washbasin, and she had never been to the beach or a swimming pool before as these were too stressful for her. She had a young family and they were unable to engage in many normal family activities, like swimming or going to the beach. This client, who has given permission for her details to be used, was called Mary. She was aged in her mid thirties when she commenced therapy with Dr Callahan, and she had suffered with this water phobia as long as she could remember and she had been treated with numerous psychological interventions and with many therapists throughout her life. They were unable to discover when or how this fear had started and her water phobia seemed resistant to these therapies. Mary had been working with Dr Callahan for about 18months using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) a well researched and effective therapy, often described as the gold standard in psychological interventions. However, in Mary’s case, 18months of CBT had enabled Mary to stand with her back to a window at Dr Callahan’s home, where he worked, knowing that there was a swimming pool there. She was unable to look at the swimming pool as it filled her with dread. On the day in question, Mary had stood at the window, with her back to the swimming pool, and was visibly upset at the thought of the swimming pool being so close to her. She was “tuned in” to her problem. Dr Callahan asked Mary’s permission to try something new. Mary had said that she felt the fear in her stomach. Dr Callahan knew that the endpoint for the stomach meridian was a point under the eye. He directed her to tap on the points beneath her eyes. She tapped there gently, for about a minute. After a minute, her face changed, she looked at Dr Callahan and said, ”I don’t feel afraid anymore” She went out to the pool, sat on the edge of it and splashed her hand in the water. She didn’t try to get into the water, she couldn’t swim – tapping doesn’t affect your memory, Mary knew she was unable to swim. She was delighted, simply tapping under her eyes brought about changes that all those years of therapy had been unable to accomplish. It has been reported that Mary’s phobia has never returned. Thought Field Therapy (TFT) Dr Callahan was equally as delighted as Mary, and started testing out whether this would work for other clients with phobias. Just tapping under the eyes did not seem to work for


other phobic clients, but using Applied Kinesiology, he found that by tapping on several specific endpoints, in a predefined order, he could help bring relief for many different phobias, previously very difficult to treat. He called this new therapy the Callahan Method. It was originally a treatment for phobias, and consisted of tapping on endpoints and certain other brief procedures which Dr Callahan discovered to be helpful. At follow up sessions, clients returned and told Dr Callahan that not only were their phobias gone, but their stress and anxiety levels were reduced, they were functioning much better overall, even some physical symptoms were relieved. Fascinated by these results, Dr Callahan continued research using Applied Kinesiology and found that tapping on specific endpoints, in defined sequences, along with the other brief procedures could effectively eliminate other intense negative emotions. Each emotion had its own paradigm, so there was a tapping sequence for each emotion including fear, anger, shame, guilt, sadness and embarrassment. These emotions could now be easily eliminated by simply following the appropriate predefined sequence. In addition, the therapist would use an Applied Kinesiology technique known as muscle testing to discover what other points needed to be stimulated to get the best results. Dr Callahan started training other therapists in his new methodology, which he now called “Thought Field Therapy” (TFT). In 1991, one such trainee was Gary Craig. Gary had trained as an engineer, and as such took a scientific approach with an engineering perspective. He had been a minister of religion, and had worked as a personal coach and therapist for many years. He was fascinated by what he heard about this new therapy and decided to do the training. On completion of his training, Gary used TFT to treat clients for several years. Being a scientist and engineer by training, he wondered whether this process could be further streamlined. TFT needed a therapist to work out which points should be tapped on, Gary wondered what would be the result if a person simply tapped on all the 14 endpoints. He found out that results were consistent when a person tapped on all the endpoints. Apparently, tapping on all the endpoints could bring relief from any negative emotion, without the intervention of a therapist. Emotional Freedom Techniques, more often known now as EFT, was born. This new technique was user friendly, anyone could easily learn the tapping sequence and apply it to their own issues. Uses of EFT On the front of the EFT Manual, which Gary made available to anyone to download for no cost, is outlined some of the issues that people can get relief from. These include: Trauma Anger Anxiety Fears and phobias Pain relief Addictions Depression Allergies Weight loss Relationship issues


School, sports and sexual performance issues In the manual he says that EFT could be tried on anything. The aim of this guide is to enable you to have enough skill to do just that.

Emotional Freedom Techniques – Instructions for the “Basic Recipe” In this introduction to EFT, 2 methods are shown. The first, the longer version, Gary Craig called “The Basic Recipe”. It is useful to learn this longer version, as it shows where all 14 endpoints are located. In the second, shorter version, only 8 of the endpoints are stimulated, but the other points are very useful in situations where a person cannot use the endpoints located on their face. This will be further explained later. Tapping Technique:

Use 2 fingers, most people choose the index and middle fingers of their dominant hand (the hand you write with).

Tap about 7 times on each of the points indicated on. Do not count, using an appropriate reminder phrase will ensure that you tap about 7 times on each point.

Tap firmly and quickly.

You can tap on either side of the body, or on both sides simultaneously.

Measuring Intensity

It is important to always measure the intensity of a given problem before you start tapping. Use a scale of 0 – 10, 10 being the most intense feeling. This will enable you to keep track of any changes you are feeling in dealing with the problem. The Tapping Points Inside of the Eyebrow – Tap on the inside edge of your eyebrow, where the hairs of your eyebrow begin. Outside of the Eyebrow – Tap on the outside edge of your eyebrow, where the hairs of your eyebrow end. Under the Eye – Tap underneath the eye, directly below the pupil. These 3 points are located on the eye socket Under the Nose – Tap half way between the bottom of the nose and the top of the upper lip Chin Point - Tap in the crease below the lower lip Collarbone Point – This point is accurately located where the collarbone, sternum and first rib meet. The easiest way to locate it is to find the 2 ends of the collarbone, there is a “u” shaped dip halfway between them, go down 1 inch and across 1 inch Under Arm – This point is located 4 inches down from the armpit, approximately where a ladies bra strap is found. For men, it is straight across from the nipple.


Breast Point - This point is located under the breast, directly below the nipple, where the underwire of a ladies bra would be located. This point is only used when it is absolutely necessary to stimulate it as it is difficult to access on women. The associated organ is the liver, so this point is indicated when the liver is diseased or for some anger issues. The next 5 points are located on the hand, the best way to find them is to hold your hand as though you were going to make a karate chop, with the thumb closest to the nose. Thumb Point – The base of the nail closest to the nose Forefinger Point – The base of the nail closest to the nose Middle Finger Point – The base of the nail closest to the nose Little Finger Point – The base of the nail closest to the nose Karate Chop Point – Tap on the soft part of the hand between the wrist and the little finger, where a karate chop would be delivered from. Top of Head – Tap on the crown of the head, anywhere around the crown is ok. Wrist Points – Tap on either the inside or the outside of the wrist, use the flat of the hand. These last 2 points are master points and tapping on them will stimulate several meridians.


The Basic Recipe The Full Basic Recipe consists of 4 parts: The Setup The Sequence The 9 Gammut Procedure The Sequence The Setup To do the Setup, simply tap on the Karate Chop point whilst repeating a neutralising affirmation 3 times as follows: Even though I have this (insert a brief description of the issue being worked on) _______________________ I deeply and completely accept myself.

Some examples of setup statements could be:

For pain: “Even though I have this headache, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For a physical symptom: “Even though I have this stiffness in my neck, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For a distressing memory: “Even though they laughed at me when I forgot my words in the school play, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For phobia: “Even though I have this fear of dogs, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For cravings: “Even though I have this craving for chocolate, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For emotions: “Even though I have this anger towards my sister, I deeply and completely accept myself”

The Sequence

Tap about 7 times on each spot as below whilst repeating a reminder phrase which keeps you “tuned in” to the problem

1. Inside of the eyebrow repeat reminder phrase 2. Outside of the eye repeat reminder phrase 3. Under the eye repeat reminder phrase


4. Under the nose repeat reminder phrase 5. Under the chin repeat reminder phrase 6. Collar bone point repeat reminder phrase 7. Under the arm repeat reminder phrase 8. Breast Point (optional) repeat reminder phrase 9. Thumb Point repeat reminder phrase 10. Forefinger point repeat reminder phrase 11. Middle Finger Point repeat reminder phrase 12. Little Finger Point repeat reminder phrase 13. Karate Chop Point repeat reminder phrase 14. Crown of the Head Point repeat reminder phrase

Some examples of reminder phrases using the examples used above would be:

For pain: “This headache”

For a physical symptom: “This stiffness in my neck”

For a distressing memory: “They laughed at me”

For phobia: “This fear of dogs”

For cravings: “This craving for chocolate”

For emotions: “This anger towards my sister”

The reminder phrase does not have to have the same wording for every tapping point, using different words which reflect a similar meaning can help address different aspects of the problem.

The 9 Gammut Procedure

The 9 Gammut Procedure is a brain balancing procedure. It is indicated when the emotions are strong and the brain is operating from 1 hemisphere. It enables the brain, and therefore thinking, to become more balanced. This procedure can help people see their issues from a more balanced perspective. In the 9 Gammut procedure, eye movements are performed, whilst the person taps on the Gammut point, found by clenching the fist, and tapping between the ring finger and little finger, about an inch back from the clenched knuckle. The following eye movements are performed:

1. Close both eyes 2. Open both eyes 3. Make both eyes look hard down to the right, without moving the head 4. Make both eyes look hard down to the left, without moving the head


5. Roll both eyes to the right, as though looking round the numbers on a clock, again without moving the head

6. Roll both eyes to the left, as though looking round the numbers on a clock, again without moving the head

7. Hum a few notes (usually the first line of Happy Birthday to You) 8. Count to 5 9. Hum the tune again

These 9 movements constitute the 9 Gammut Procedure The Sequence

Repeat the Sequence again, tapping on all 14 points whilst repeating the reminder phrase. On completion of these 4 steps, reassess the intensity of the issue that was being worked on, and if it is greater than 0, you may repeat the entire sequence again, this time adjusting the wording by adding the words “still” and “some” to the neutralising affirmation and addressing the “remaining” issue with the reminder phrase as follows:

Adjusted Neutralising Affirmation

Even though I still have some of this (insert problem) _______________________ I deeply and completely accept myself.

Adjusted reminder phrase

This remaining problem Some examples of adjusted setup statements using the examples above would be:

For pain: “Even though I still have some of this headache, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For a physical symptom: “Even though I still have some of this stiffness in my neck, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For a distressing memory: “Even though I still remember that they laughed at me when I forgot my words in the school play, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For phobia: “Even though I still have some of this fear of dogs, I deeply and completely accept myself”

For cravings: “Even though I still have some of this craving for chocolate, I deeply and completely accept myself”


For emotions: “Even though I still have some of this anger towards my sister, I deeply and completely accept myself”

Some examples of the adjusted reminder phrases using the examples used above would be:

For pain: “This remaining headache” or “I still have this headache”

For a physical symptom: “This remaining stiffness in my neck” or “my neck still feels stiff”

For a distressing memory: “I still remember that they laughed at me”

For phobia: “This remaining fear of dogs” or “I’m still afraid of dogs”

For cravings: “This remaining craving for chocolate” or “I still crave chocolate”

For emotions: “This remaining anger towards my sister” or “I’m still angry with my sister”

A Format for Using EFT The success of the use of the EFT Basic Recipe requires that certain steps are followed. In summary the steps of the Basic Recipe are as follows:

1. Identify the problem. 2. Measure the intensity of the problem on a scale of 0 to 10. 3. Perform the Basic Recipe (either the short or long version). 4. Measure the intensity again. 5. If the intensity is not zero, apply the adjusted basic recipe 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the intensity is zero

If the intensity does not reduce to zero, there are probably other aspects stopping progress. If other feelings or memories are present, they need to be cleared too. More Information about the Basic Recipe There are 3 reasons to always do the Setup before using a tapping sequence:

1. It ensures the energy is flowing in the right direction 2. It addresses a phenomenon known as “psychological reversal” which can be a

barrier to further progress 3. It ensures that the individual is “tuned into” the problem.


The body’s energy system has a “flow” just like electricity. Imagine if you put batteries into an appliance the wrong way round, the appliance wouldn’t work, in a similar way energy should flow in the right direction for progress to be made. The Setup ensures that the energy is flowing in the right direction. Psychological reversal is a common phenomenon in talking therapies. It is the reason why sometimes people do not make progress. It is also known as “secondary gain” and may be described as the “downside” to getting over a problem. For example, a person may not be able to get over their smoking habit because there is a part of them that realises that if they stop smoking they may miss the social interaction of other smokers, alternatively, they may lose their main way of coping with stress or gain weight. These are all barriers to progress and are present in about 40% of cases. Since it is not known when psychological reversal is present, it is treated as though it is always present. By repeating the Setup phrase 3 times, the individual should be “tuned into” the problem, ensuring that the tapping sequence is working on the target problem.

The Short Version of Basic Recipe The short version of the Basic Recipe consists of 2 parts: The Setup The Sequence The Setup To do the Setup, simply tap on the Karate Chop point whilst repeating a neutralising affirmation 3 times as follows: Even though I have this (insert problem) _______________________ I deeply and completely accept myself.

Tapping Procedure – The Sequence

Tap about 7 times on each spot as below whilst repeating a reminder phrase which keeps you “tuned in” to the problem

1. Inside of the eyebrow repeat reminder phrase 2. Outside of the eye repeat reminder phrase 3. Under the eye repeat reminder phrase 4. Under the nose repeat reminder phrase 5. Under the chin repeat reminder phrase 6. Collar bone point repeat reminder phrase 7. Under the arm repeat reminder phrase 8. Crown of the head repeat reminder phrase

The short version of EFT omits the finger points, and is usually sufficient to clear most issues. It is useful to be familiar with the finger points because there are times when you may feel emotional but it feels inappropriate to tap on your face and under your arm. In these cases it may be appropriate to rub the endpoints of the fingers. Some suggestions for times when tapping (or rubbing) the finger points could be:


In waiting areas, perhaps whilst waiting for a job interview, or waiting to see a medical professional, or any time you feel nervous whilst you are waiting.

In meetings, it may be hard to stay focussed, or the meeting may contain bad news.

In class, it can be frustrating when the content of a lesson is difficult.

In traffic, the frustration of being stuck in the traffic, or the delay is causing you to be late.

Some Important Concepts in EFT

Specific Events

Probably the most important concept in EFT is the importance of being specific. People often view their issues from a global perspective such as “I have low self esteem”, or "I feel unhappy", or "I am bad tempered". None of these global issues would be present unless something had happened to the person. Nobody is born with low self esteem. To have low self esteem, something must have happened, or something was said to someone to make them feel bad about themselves.

Often many events have contributed to the feeling of low self esteem, unhappiness or being bad tempered. For example, using low self esteem to show how this can happen, it is possible that the person was bullied at school, and this happened many times. It may seem that there were many instances of bullying and having to clear all of them would be a major task. However, the generalisation effect ensures that this does not happen. (see below)

When EFT is used on a global issue such as low self esteem, and the language used is, "Even though I have low self esteem...", this is like trying to chop down an entire forest of trees with one swing of an axe. There may be some relief but you haven't dealt with the core of the issue until you break it down into the specific events that caused the problem in the first place.

To access the relevant specific events with EFT, 2 tools are usually used, the Movie Technique and the Tell the Story Technique. They allow a person to access all aspects of specific events and are the most frequently used tools in EFT. These techniques are outside the scope of this introduction.

The Generalisation Effect

Once EFT has been used to clear a few problems or specific events related to a certain theme, such as low self esteem, the positive effects tend to generalise across related issues.

For example, someone who has 100 memories of being bullied at school usually finds that, after using EFT to clear only a few, the intensity tends to vanish for all of them. This is because these related events have commonalities.


Aspects Aspects are the different components to the problem. Most issues consist of several aspects. In order for an issue to be resolved fully, all aspects of the issue must be cleared with EFT. Until this is done, it can seem that EFT has been unsuccessful in resolving the problem, and persistence is sometimes needed. An aspect can be an event, a sensory experience, a physical symptom, an emotion, a belief or a thought. Aspects of a traumatic event such as a road traffic accident could be: The events: 1.) The green car pulled out so quickly; 2.) I didn’t see the lorry coming; 3.) The red van came from my left; 4.) I was in the ambulance; 5.)The red car didn’t stop; 6.) I couldn’t move; 7.) There was nobody there to help; 8.) The man just appeared at the window The sensory experiences: 1.) The sight of the car coming towards us; 2.) The sight of blood; 3.) The sound of the impact; 4.) The smell of petrol; 5.) The feeling of blood running down my face The physical symptoms: 1.) When I think about it I feel sick; 2.) I feel hot and sweaty when I think about it; 3.) My stomach feels fluttery when I think about it; 4.) I can’t catch my breath when I think about it 5.) My heart pounds when I think about it The emotions: 1.) I feel frustrated when I think about the woman shouting at me; 2.) I feel angry with the other driver; 3.) I feel powerless when I think about not being able to stop it from happening The beliefs: 1.) It could happen again; 2.) It was my fault; 3.) That road (be specific by naming the road) is dangerous The thoughts: 1.) I should have been more on the ball; 2.) I should have braked quicker; 3.) I couldn’t avoid him; 4.) My children could have been orphaned; 5.) My mother would be devastated Sometimes when working with traumas, other memories come up unexpectedly. When this happens it is because the old memory has contributed to the trauma in some way. For example, a person who has an aspect of feeling powerless when the accident happened may have a memory of feeling powerless as a child and this needs to be cleared in order to completely resolve the trauma. If this happens, it may be advisable to work with an EFT therapist to clear the trauma. This may look like a lot of tapping to get rid of a trauma, but each round of EFT only takes a minute, so in the example given about 30minutes of tapping would completely resolve the trauma. Conventional talking therapies can takes weeks or even months to clear a complicated trauma. In most cases this amount of tapping is not needed and these examples are only provided to show that sometimes persistence is needed. Another example of the aspects of a problem could be the aspects of a phobia of dogs. When questioned about their fear a person may say that they are afraid of being bitten, once that has been cleared, they may then say that they are afraid that the dog may attack them, once that has been cleared they may say that it is the size of the dog that worries


them, after clearing that they may say that it’s the sight of the dogs teeth that bothers them. These are all the aspects of the fear and are actually all separate fears and must all be cleared to resolve the phobia.

Aspects are present with most issues, some other examples could be:

An assault trauma can have aspects such as the smell of alcohol on the assailant's breath, the impact of a fist, the thought that you may die, etc

A fear of public speaking can have aspects such as, the faces of the audience, the fear of being judged, the fear of forgetting what you are going to say, a memory of being ridiculed as a child, etc

Specific memories from childhood often need to be cleared, because they may have contributed to the intensity of the current feelings, these may also consist of many aspects.

Some useful questions to ask yourself when searching for aspects could be: “What about the event bothers me the most?” “What else about the event bothers me?” “What am I feeling physically now? My stomach, my neck, my head? anywhere else?” “Have any memories popped into my mind as I was tapping?” “Who was there?” “Where was I?” “What happened?” “What happened next?” “What was I thinking at the time it happened?” “What are my beliefs about what happened?” Conclusion This is a brief guide to EFT and covers only the basic instructions and concepts. The aim of providing this information is to allow anyone to use EFT for themselves. In therapy these basic rules are used in conjunction with more advanced methodologies to deal with the more intense and more complicated issues. For more information go to www.patballantyne.com

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