Eloisa Ramos-How Does EFT Work?

How Does EFT Work?
Meridian Tapping Explained

http://www.healing-with-eft.com/how-does-eft-work.html

How does EFT work to produce remarkable results from just saying a few words and tapping on meridian points? It seems too easy.

It might be hard to believe, but the ideas behind EFT have existed for thousands of years. EFT is based on the subtle energy system of acupuncture meridians that was discovered by the Chinese about 5,000 years ago.

See Acupuncture Meridians. Much later, Albert Einstein also told us that everything is composed of energy. Currently, Quantum Theory supports this understanding. The Chinese application of this knowledge took the forms of acupuncture and the internal martial arts. EFT is a new Western application.

How does EFT work with subtle energy? Look around and observe how life grows and is nourished by energy. Energy sustains all life, from plants to humans to the creation of stars. Life-giving energy comes in many forms, not just those considered "essential" to life; such as sunlight, water and food. There is also good music, good feelings, physical touch, words of kindness, good company, an uplifting thought, a smile from a stranger--to name a few. All forms of positive energy energize us. This energy is transported throughout our body via acupuncture meridians. Sometimes this energy can be disrupted, and we experience its effects: unease, discomfort and pain. With physical tapping at specific points along our energy meridians, EFT "taps" into our energy system to balance it and keep it running smoothly.
How does EFT work at the physical level?
Gary Craig answers the question, "How does EFT work?" by instructing us to think of our bodies as electric. The EFT Discovery Statement is: “The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.” The acupuncture meridians act like energy circuits conducting currents of energy. If these circuits are disrupted, emotional discomfort is experienced. Please note the strong connection between illness, emotions and stress as acknowledged by Dr. Gabor Mate in this interview.
Think of energy disruption like a TV with a short in a wire. The effect of this short is a ZZZZT (as described by Gary Craig) on the image seen on TV. The impaired flow of electricity causes the problems with the TV image. When the flow of energy is disrupted in people, negative emotions and thoughts are actively distorting the picture or perception of ourselves and the world. The physical tapping with the tips of the fingers on points on the face and body clears this ZZZZT and balances the energy traveling through these channels.

How does EFT work with respect to the tapping points?. These points correspond to acupuncture points on our major meridians. Our finger tips contain points where the three main energy channels (Central, Right Main, and Left Main Channels) meet. According to Taoist Chi Gung Theory, these three main channels come into existence first. Then they create the other acupuncture meridians, while still in the womb. The Central and Right Main Channels flow through the right EFT "sore spot" (a point about 3 inches to either side of the thymus gland, where lymphatic congestion occurs) and the right hand karate chop point. These two points can be used interchangeably during the "Set-up" part of EFT. The Central and Left Main Channels flow through the left EFT "sore spot" and the left hand karate chop point.
How does EFT work at the emotional level?
Our meridians and chakras are responsible for processing emotional, mental, and spiritual information. Information is another form of energy. Every day we absorb huge amounts of information. Everywhere we go we collect impressions of our environment, of other people, or of our experiences, just to name a few. We are even monitoring information from our body's inner workings such as temperature, sugar balance, and PH levels. Most of the information received gets processed continually by our subconscious mind without our conscious awareness.

How does EFT work to help us process so much information? EFT taps into the subconscious mind and brings up information that is stuck and buried. Negative feelings provide a valuable service to us. They alert us to energy disruptions. By working to clear negative emotions, we clear energy blocks before they have time to affect the corresponding physical areas of our bodies and express disease. Because a trauma is loaded with many strong negative emotions, it is difficult for us to process it. We don't give ourselves the time to sit with the emotions and allow them to release. We feel overwhelmed and unable to handle them. As a result, we tend to stuff them, pretend they are not there, and just run away from them by keeping ourselves distracted. By holding on to them in this manner, we keep short circuiting our energy meridians each time these emotions begin to come up as the memory of the trauma gets triggered into awareness. These feelings will keep trying to resurface in order to be acknowledged and released because this is how our energy system clears the ZZZZT and fixes itself.

How does EFT work to clear traumas and disruptions in our chakras, meridians, and acupuncture points? When we experience an overwhelming situation, an intense surge of energy in the form of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations surges through us. The chakras, meridians and acupuncture points hold the unprocessed excess energy generated during the trauma. This creates overload to our energy system and cause it to "crash", the way a power surge or too much information can cause a computer to crash. EFT comes in to release the burden of this excess charge, through the tapping. Emotions are given a safe place to be acknowledged and gradually released one by one, until the excess energy is cleared bringing the system back on-line. Another way to understand energy blockages is to think of a river with many tributaries. If some small avalanche washes debris into the water, the current can easily carry it away. But if it continually gets washed in there, or if there is a massive avalanche--the current can't keep up. Some of that debris settles, blocking the water flow. Water backs up in some areas (excess energy) and some areas don't get water at all (energy deficiency).

Like the continual debris that settles or the river avalanche, unresolved (undigested) emotions that come from every day life and traumas can get stuck in our energy pathway. If these blockages are strong enough, they may even reverse our energy, so that we feel like we are working against ourselves.

How does EFT work in unblocking emotions? The "set-up" statement in the Emotional Freedom Techniques allows the emotion to simply be, without resistance or rejection. This acceptance, along with the "tuning in" that occurs when giving the problem an intensity rating, brings the emotion into the present moment. The emotion can then be safely felt and expressed, while making the distinction that though the emotion or problem may not be acceptable, we are. Focusing on the problem brings up the negative emotions and energy disruption underlying it. In this way, the timing of the tapping coincides with the energy disruption and can push the energy through, to restore the flow of energy. We are able to observe emotions as they diminishes and changes with the tapping process. This clears the way to recognizing ourselves as the observer and not under the control of the emotion. This makes it easier to let it go.

How does EFT work with painful traumas? Emotions are packed with energy. It is easy to feel their "charge" (if we allow it), whether it be positive or negative. EFT discourages submerging yourself into these strong currents of unreleased pain. It is not necessary to jump into the deepest part of the pain to release the charge. With EFT, the intensity of the charge surrounding the issue is first diminished, before continuing step by step with the other emotions and going deeper. It's approach is like peeling an onion. We start with what is on the outside and go layer by layer. Please note, sometime we are unexpectedly taken into the center of a deep trauma or emotion. These new memories or emotions may take us by surprise, having forgotten about them or believing they were already resolved. This process can happen so quickly we are not able to "sneak up on it". Continuous, quick tapping through all points is done until the emotions subside.

Wondering how does EFT work with severe trauma like PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)? Buy the DVD and watch EFT in action for yourself in The Answer.

The Answer: EFT and PTSD


How does EFT work at a deeper level? As we begin clearing one issue with EFT, we find that other emotions or issues unexpectedly show up. EFT acts like a dredger, pulling sand and muck from the river bed that we were not aware of. As it begins clearing emotional debris stuck in our rivers of energy, more debris is pulled up to the surface of our consciousness. To beginners, this can feel overwhelming, like a never ending process. Just as you thought you were finished, up come more issues to tap on. But rest assured, that with practice and persistence, you will learn to find the "core issues" that anchor the pile of debris. Once these are dismantled, the current will be free enough to clear the rest of the debris (specific events) on its own. Deep emotional freedom follows.
How does EFT work at the Spiritual level?
EFT helps us see that things are not always as they appear. It corrects perception and opens the way for new possibilities. Major changes in thinking and life experience become possible.

As our perceptual system receives information from an event in our life, that information is already distorted. Think of it as running clean water through a dirty filter you did not know was there. The water that we get is not pure--but because we didn't realize there was a filter, we have become accustomed to the taste. We don't remember what pure water tastes like. We just assume that what we got is pure water because that is what we've been drinking for so long. These dirty filters that pollute our perception are the old unexamined beliefs and self images of ourselves and others that no longer serve us. They guide our perception to selectively find information that supports them.

Gary Craig calls our dirty filter, "writing on our walls". Much of this writing was given to us in childhood by our family, teachers, schools, religions, culture, even our ancestors. This writing may have served us well at one time. However, upon examination of these teaching, we may find that many conflict with one another and actively work against our well being.

It can be very difficult to change these non-serving beliefs, attitudes and images for several reasons. First, we may not even be aware we have them. Second, they are anchored down by past experience/trauma that has not been cleared. These antiquated energy systems of belief are hard to detect because all we see of them are their effects on our lives. They act like old computer programs that react to new events with automatic pilot reactions. Sometimes we might find ourselves confused about why we acted in a particular manner. Often we assume that anyone else in the same situation would have reacted in the same way--but would they?

How does EFT work in these situations? Pretend you are driving, there are "rules of the road" written on your walls, put there by driver's education, by law enforcement, by your parents, and by other drivers. Think of a situation where you feel violated because your "rules of the road" are broken by another driver. Maybe they cut you off or ran a red light when you had the right of way. What are your reactions? Anger? Indignation? Fear? These negative emotions can arise anytime someone doesn't follow the "writing on our walls". Imagine an awkward social situation where you feel someone was rude to you--they spill your drink without saying sorry, or cut in front of the line at the supermarket. We use the "writing on our wall" to interpret and give meaning to what just happened. The writing on our walls makes a judgment and says, "cutting in line is rude" and we assume that we have been offended by a rude individual. Our anger is fully justified by the judgement because we have been wronged. In short, the "writing on our walls" is a personal filter that interprets and judges our life experiences according to our beliefs, definitions and values.

How does EFT work to help us here? EFT helps to see that the same situation for an individual with different "writing on their walls" will yield a very different interpretation and reaction. By tapping on these painful reactions we release blocked energy, thereby clearing the negative emotions and become free to reinterpret these events and see them differently. It helps us to see that we have a choice in how to feel about things.

According to Joseph Chilton Pierce in a presentation given to a Waldorf school in my area, our heart receives the distorted information, and then sends it to the brain. The brain responds with emotion. It sends negative emotions to the heart with instructions to PROTECT and at the same time releases appropriate chemical and/or hormones into the bloodstream to prepare the body for physical reactions such as fight, flight or freeze(playing dead). If fear takes over, according to Keith Sherwood, in his book, Chakra Therapy For Personal Growth & Healing", it "causes a person to contract on every level, it disrupts the energy system." The heart, receives these negative emotions and broadcasts them as waves of energy back out to the environment. Our negative reactions/experiences themselves further reinforce and attract more experiences that fit in with the distorted information received. This is how dysfunctional patterns of looking at ourselves and life get established, entrenched and reinforced deeply within us.

How does EFT work to create big shifts? EFT chips away at non-serving energy systems of beliefs, cleaning our filters of self-deception ("writing on our walls"). It purifies our hearts so we can see things in a clearer light. This often requires forgiveness. Dr. Wayne Dyer, in his lectures on The Power of Intention, often says, "When we change the way we see things, the things we see change." Gary Craig teaches us to use "re-frames" to help shift stuck interpretation of reality that keeps us in unhappy and unhealthy places. This takes skill, however, because the client's perception has to be ready to make the shift. This requires clearing related trauma and negative emotion first, because these are the glue that keeps our filters clogged up with old self-images and beliefs.

Consistent and persistent use of EFT cleans out our connection to Life. Receiving energy through a clean filter will nourish us with Living Water or Spirit. Feel free to contact me with questions or for an EFT session.