eft for painChapter One:The word world is appropriate because in the last ten years, Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT has become a global phenomenon. Our free manual, which has beentranslated by EFT practitioners into19 languages, has been downloaded by over half a million people, and another 5,000 to 10,000 download it every month. Whilemost EFT practitioners live in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada the technique is being taught and used in dozens of countries around the world. If youd like to study EFT in Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German Greek, Gujarati (a language of India), Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Persian (Farsi) Polish, Portuguese (from Brazil), Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, or Turkish, simply download the manual in translation.When I created EFT in the 1990s, my goal was to develop a procedure that is notonly effective but easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to demonstrate, explain,and share.The experiences of tens of thousands of people just like you prove that EFT is all of these and more. It is also amazingly versatile, as the many reports from students and practitioners presented here and on our website demonstrate.My original goal was to overhaul psychotherapy. That goal has been achieved, forEFT has dramatically reduced the time needed to treat almost all psychologicalissues. What used to take months or years now requires just a few minutes or hours. The procedure is painless and its results are lasting. If EFT did nothing but alleviate fears, anxieties and phobias, I would have been pleased. But along the way, we kept noticing that profound physical healings were also taking place.Vision improved, headaches disappeared, cancer pains and symptoms subsided, andso on.Western physicians pay no attention to the bodys energy and its flow along the invisible channels called meridians, and they give little credence to the emotional causes of illness. These emotional factors and the energy blocks they produceare the centerpiece of EFT. By combining focused thought and emotions with the release of meridian energy blocks, EFT produces benefits in cases where the medical profession has given up. The reason is simple. We take aim at causes others have disregarded.The EFT Manual, which is freely downloadable from www.emofree.com, was written before I realized or understood how effective EFT can be in the treatment of physical symptoms such as back pain. Accordingly, it stresses emotional healings anddoesnt cover physical healings in the dramatic fashion in which they occur. Because the manual has proven to be such an effective teaching tool, I have decidedto leave it as is rather than modify it to emphasize the treatment of physical symptoms. It is the emotional and energetic factors that we need to understand, and those are profusely illustrated in its pages while physical symptoms are onlybriefly mentioned. For example, only two of the EFT Manuals case reports describe physical pain.Case history #11 - Physical pain.Lea attended one of the workshops I did for hypnotherapy students. She told me before the workshop that she had a lot of tight muscles and physical pain. I walked her through EFT for relief of the pain around her neck and shoulders. It subsided within two minutes. About an hour into the three-hour workshop, I asked herif the pain in her neck and shoulders had come back. She said no and then saidthat the rest of the pain in her body had subsided as well....This is an example of how we address one problem with EFT and discover that other healings occur along the way. In Lea s case, the relief we gave to her neck and shoulder pain spilled over to the rest of her body. We then did another roundof EFT and the balance of the pain went away, and it stayed away for the rest ofthe workshop. Pain like this is often caused by emotional distress and that s why EFT can be so effective in addressing it. However, new emotional stresses maybring the pain back. If so, repeated uses of EFT will likely give relief.Case history #12 - Low back pain.Donna is another example along these lines. She, too, attended one of my worksho

ps and had such severe lower back pain that she didn t think she could stay forthe entire one-day workshop. "I just can t sit that long," she said. I helped her with EFT and her back did not bother her for the entire day.These examples hint at whats possible, but the full story of EFT as a treatment for back pain deserves a book of its own.Please keep in mind that all of the EFT techniques, approaches, formulas, and procedures described here apply not only to back pain but to all types of pain. They work equally well on migraines and other headaches, joint pain, arthritis, broken bones muscle sprains, bruises, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, sportsinjuries, eyestrain foot pain, toothaches, menstrual cramps, and indigestion. These same methods also work on all aspects of emotional pain. Its no exaggerationto say that the more you use and practice EFT, the easier it will be to apply it to any type of pain or discomfort quickly and with a minimum of effort.EFT is a do-it-yourself treatment method that combines acupressure (tapping on key acupuncture points, which are also called acupoints) with focused thought.Its underlying premise is that the cause of all negative emotions, and most of ourphysical symptoms, is a disruption in the bodys energy system.At its most basic, EFT combines a short description of a problem with an Acceptance Phrase, a short Reminder Phrase, and tapping. The entire treatment usually takes less than a minute.My interest in self-improvement tools goes back several decades, and by studyingand experimenting over the years, I discovered several helpful techniques thatI used myself and taught to others. One that I found very helpful was Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP. I became a Master Practitioner of NLP and used it with many people.Then I discovered Roger Callahan, Ph.D., a Southern California psychologist whoused a new kind of energy healing to eliminate intense fears and phobias in minutes. His method consisted of tapping on acupuncture points with the fingertips.It sounded too far out to take seriously, but I took a look at some of his videos and was stunned to see that this unusual form of acupressure relieved even themost intense emotions in just a few minutes with permanent, lasting results.I was trained as an engineer at Stanford University and, like most engineers, Iman experimentalist at heart. Theories are interesting, but results are what matter. I took Dr.Callahans training and became a practitioner of his techniques, and I never ceased to be amazed at the results. Thats when I began to appreciate the connections between the mind, the physical body, and the bodys energy system. Medical doctorsstudy the electrical activity of our brains with electroencephalograms (EEGs) and our hearts with electrocardiograms (ECGs or EKGs) all the time. Electricity flows through us from the moment were conceived until we die.Just where and how it flows is a fascinating study. Thousands of years ago, Chinese physicians mapped the bodys energy paths, the meridians, which are connectedby hundreds of key points. They perfected a system of pulse diagnosis, in whichpulses coursing through the wrist reveal whether a meridians energy is moving smoothly and in the right direction or is blocked, slowed, or moving incorrectly. When a meridians key points are stimulated with the incredibly thin needles used in acupuncture, with burning herbs held just above the surface of the skin (called moxibustion), or by fingertip massage (called acupressure), the blocks that interfere with the free flow of Chi, or energy, are removed. As soon as that happens, energy flows and the action or efficiency of the organ linked to the affected meridian improves. In this way acupuncturists routinely treat all types of disease and discomfort.In EFT, gentle fingertip tapping on key acupuncture points clears energy blocksalong the bodys meridians. That by itself would improve health and well being. But EFT does much more. When tapping is combined with focused thought, especiallyemotional thought about physical symptoms or past events that are in any way linked to them, the symptoms clear up and so do the emotions that contributed to them.

This is why EFTs results can be so lasting. Once pain-causing emotions are cleared they no longer trigger physical symptoms and youre free from debilitating emotions as well as debilitating pain.There are several ways to learn EFT. You can start with reading the freely downloadable EFT manual from www.emofree.com. It describes the science behind EFT, its basic procedure, tips for applying it, case histories, how to correct factorsthat can interfere with EFT, shortcuts, and recommendations for improving results. You can read the entire manual on your computer, but most students print it out or have it printed at a copy center, then place it in a three-ring binder orhave it bound for convenience.Some add blank pages for note taking, or they use Post-It notes and highlightersto mark important sections for review.My favorite way to learn EFT is to watch our DVDs, which show EFT in action in avariety of settings, from a hotel swimming pool (Daves Fear of Water) to a Veterans Administration Hospital where Vietnam War veterans used EFT to treat their Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder, to live seminars in which people with all kinds ofproblems volunteered to be treated onstage. To help spread the word about EFT,these DVDs are economically priced, and they come with my written permission tomake up to 100 copies of each and every disc to give away.The official EFT website, www.emofree.com, offers many resources including my online tutorial, which is a series of instructions, explanations, and exercises that can help you move from the most basic and fundamental EFT techniques to whatI call the art of delivery, the combination of skill and talent for presenting EFT that comes with experience and imagination.Over 50 books about EFT have been written by practitioners, students, health care professionals, and other experts, providing instructions and all types of examples.Still another way to learn EFT is to attend a workshop or demonstration conducted by an EFT instructor or practitioner. These are held in libraries, adult schools, restaurants private homes, clinics, conference centers, offices, meeting rooms, and wherever people gather. You will get the most out of these workshops ifyou have first seen the DVDs.And there are many opportunities to learn EFT and hone your skills online. My EFT Insights Newsletter is called The Heartbeat of EFT because it features breakingnews reports from users on every topic imaginable, tips from our website, and links to practitioners. In addition, dozens of EFT practitioners have their own websites with helpful reports, and there are several EFT-related forums and chat groups whose members support each other with questions, answers, recommendations,and suggestions.My purpose in writing a series of e-books about EFT is to expand on the manual and explore, in depth, EFTs application to common conditions. Many who are new toEFT understand its basic formula but arent sure what to do with it. They may havea hunch that their back pain or the back pain of someone they are trying to help has something to do with an emotional issue or past event, but they dont know how to uncover or utilize that information. Most of all, they have no idea what words to use for best results.This book is designed to help you learn EFT and immediately take it to a new level.Throughout its chapters, youll find explanations, examples, ideas, forms to fillout, and scripts you can borrow. Best of all, the reports shared by EFT practitioners and students are actual examples of EFT in action. Among other topics it covers:Why EFT often works where nothing else will.How to use EFT for simple pain relief from any source whatsoever.How to use EFT when emotional issues contribute to pain.How to know what words to use to define, describe, and address your pain.How to discover what conditions might contribute to the pain.How to use that information in your EFT session for fast and lasting results.How others have used EFT to eliminate their back pain.

Recent medical discoveries about what causes back pain.And everything you need to take control of your life and your very healthy back.EFT approaches pain much differently than does conventional medicine and that iswhy it frequently provides major relief where drugs, surgery, and radiation fail miserably.Medical schools train physicians to look at our bodies as bags of chemicals andbody parts with little or no emphasis on their energetic nature. Instead, doctors examine X-rays, blood tests, and brain scans to discover why we have pain.Interestingly, I have spoken with medical doctors who routinely examine X-rays,MRI scans, and the like, and they report that patients often have pain when there is no apparent cause while others have no pain where they should have it.This is one of many Medical Mysteries. However, the mysterious veil lifts if weinclude the energetic and emotional nature of our bodies within the picture. Anyseasoned EFTer can tell you story after story about healings that occurred whennothing was done except a simple balancing of the bodys energy meridians.Albert Einstein told us over 100 years ago that everything, including our bodies, is composed of energy. That is what his famous E=mc2 formula is all about. Ithas had a profound impact on science over the last century. Nonetheless, Westernmedical schools basically ignore this and continue to focus on the bodys chemical nature.That is an astonishing oversight. Why did we turn our backs on this most important scientific discovery? Was it because theres not much money in it? Was it due to the influence of the drug companies? Who knows?Our bodies abound with energy. Subtle amounts of electricity (energy) circulatethroughout our bodies and are vital for brain, heart, and organ function. Without this essential energy our bodies would come to an instant halt. Every physician knows this yet the medical folks merely measure these energies via EEG, EKG, and other medical equipment. They dont use them for healing.While Western medicine has not yet determined how or why acupuncture works several medical studies conducted in the United States and Europe have shown that itdoes, and one of the most recent, published in the Archives of Internal Medicineon September 24, 2007, proves its effectiveness for back pain. The most intriguing part of this study, which was conducted by physicians and researchers at leading German medical schools, is that it tested both real and sham or pretend acupuncture. This patient- and observer-blinded randomized controlled trial involved 1162patients age 18 to 86, all of whom had a history of low back pain lasting several years.Patients underwent ten 30-minute sessions, generally two sessions per week, of acupuncture according to principles of traditional Chinese medicine (387 patients); sham acupuncture, consisting of superficial needling at non-acupuncture points (387 patients); or conventional therapy, a combination of drugs, physical therapy, and exercise (388 patients).After six months, the response rates were high for the two acupuncture groups and much lower for the conventional therapy group. In fact, the researchers concluded, the positive effect of both real (47.6 percent) and sham acupuncture (44.2percent) was almost identical and both were nearly twice as effective as conventional therapy which brought relief to only 27.4 percent of the patients who usedit.These are fascinating results, for they strongly suggest that pretend acupunctureremoves energy blocks and improves the flow of chi. EFT can be considered a pretend acupuncture, too, and it not only stimulates real acupuncture points; it combines that stimulation with intention or focused thought, which makes the treatment even more effective.Medical schools provide little or no training in understanding or treating the emotional causes or illness, disease, or discomfort. They just make an occasionalreference to stress aggravating certain problems, and thats as far as they go.Yet our emotions have a profound effect on our physical symptoms. We all know this intuitively. For example, if I threw a live rattlesnake in your lap, wouldnt y

ou have an instant emotion such as fear that would pump major amounts of adrenaline throughout your body?When you are angry, doesnt your blood pressure go up? Doesnt your heart pound faster? Dont the veins in your neck stand out? Doesnt your face flush? During sexual arousal an emotion doesnt your body change in profound ways? And dont negative emotions sometimes cause your stomach to tighten your throat to constrict your headto ache?These are obvious everyday proofs that our emotions profoundly impact our bodies. Yet how do these clear causes for our various symptoms escape the medical profession?Why arent energy and emotions the front-running candidates as causes of pain anddisease?Physicians are taught early on in their training that the brain produces a widearray of chemicals that depend on our emotional moods. In fact, our brains are often referred to by the medical folks as the worlds most prolific pharmacy".Negative emotions produce buckets of negative chemicals that circulate throughoutthe body causing excess acidity, chemical imbalances, and the like. It doesnt take a genius to predict the effect on our health of this consistent barrage of chemical insults. It is like putting bad gas in our automobiles. The eventual breakdown is both predictable and inevitable.Positive emotions, on the other hand, generate healing chemicals and serve to produce balance. Have you ever noticed that love, laughter, and joy tend to reducepain?Perhaps you can now see why, as EFT moves our systems from negative to positiveemotions, it often provides powerful healing.With these thoughts in mind, we see that the cause of our physical pains and symptoms must include our negative emotions because, without them, the resulting chemical imbalances would not occur.Yet, the medical folks approach this problem AS THOUGH THE UNWANTED CHEMICALS ARE THE PROBLEM. Thats why they offer drugs additional chemicals to counteract theeffects of the unwanted chemicals. To them, that is the solution.However, these body chemicals are NOT the problem. They are instead SYMPTOMS ofthe problem, and common sense would suggest that long-term, lasting relief comesfrom addressing the CAUSE (the negative emotions) and not the SYMPTOMS (the resulting chemicals). Thats what this book is about.I am privileged to count many dedicated physicians as my personal friends. I have endless respect for their many talents and superb training regarding the chemical nature of the body. Many medical discoveries are impressive indeed and my doctor friends have countless wonderments at their disposal.But their approach is limited.It focuses on chemistry and does little or nothing about the energetic and emotional causes of pain and disease. When, for example, was the last time your physician spent any quality time asking you about your anger, fear, trauma, grief, and the like? Doesnt he or she just prescribe drugs or other conventional treatments instead?That is where EFT comes in.My hope is that by seeing how other people improved their lives and their backswith EFT, youll develop a new set of strategies for dealing with pain and every other challenge that comes your way.