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Something you’ll hear a bit about in
hypnotherapy circles is EFT.
Sometimes, EFT is offered in
conjunction with hypnosis and
sometimes it is used alone (as is
hypnosis). But what is EFT anyway and
what does it stand for?
You’ll turn in vain to the dictionary to
find a definition for EFT, unless you find
a rather old dictionary, which will
confidently inform you that an eft is a
young newt.
You might start wondering if someone
who offers EFT is going to give you eye
of newt and toe of frog or whatever it is.
But rest assured: EFT is simply short
for Emotional Freedom Techniques
and is nothing to do with amphibians.
There is another counselling technique
that is sometimes referred to as EFT.
This is Emotionally Focussed Therapy.
This is usually used in marriage and
relationship counselling, and is rather
specialised. This isn’t what we’re
talking about here.
We’re talking about the
Emotional Freedom Techniques,
which can be used in a range of
counselling and therapy situations and
is less specialised.
So what is EFT and what is the whole
idea of it? EFT has quite a lot in
common with acupuncture, reflexology
and massage, and uses the concept of
meridians and energy flows (known as
Chi or Qi in traditional Chinese
medicine).
It’s part of the field of
alternative/complementary medicine
known as energy medicine, which aims
to balance, unblock and redirect the
energy flows within the body.
It also ties in with what a lot of us do
instinctively. It’s to do with touch and
using touch to soothe and calm
emotions.
The idea is that this will stimulate and
redirect the energy in the body along
favourable channels rather than
pouring along negative ones.
A lot of us already know about the
soothing power of touch to calm and
steady negative emotions. Just pause
and think what you instinctively do if
you’ve had a sudden shock, especially
if you’re female (guys are less likely to
make this gesture, but that might be a
matter of early conditioning and
culture).
Probably, you raise your hand to your
mouth, neck or throat. Just try this for a
moment: put your hand on the base of
your neck. It doesn’t matter which hand
you use, but you probably feel centred,
more self-aware and more secure.
Partly, this is a matter of basic instinct,
as you have used your hand to protect
the vulnerable throat area. But you can
also feel your heartbeat.
If your heart is racing, touching this part
of your chest probably sends a “calm
down” message through your body and
you find yourself almost willing your
heart rate to slow down to normal.
Let’s take another example of how we
instinctively touch ourselves to
manipulate our emotions and thoughts.
If you are confronted with a situation
that seems overwhelming, the chances
are that you will touch your forehead
and/or the bridge of your nose (a bit
harder to do if you wear glasses!). This
often has the effect of calming and
clearing your thoughts.
In bygone days, other gestures were
quite common. Tapping the chest
(usually phrased as “beating one’s
breast”) was often used to help release
grief and sorrow, especially the grief
and sorrow associated with guilt.
Similarly, “wringing the hands” –
massaging the hands and wrists – was
commonly done during moments of
anxiety and worry, and this action often
helped stave off a full-blown panic
attack, known back then as hysterics.
We also instinctively use touch to
soothe and comfort others. Often, a
touch on the shoulder is used to
reassure a friend or family member
who is in distress.
If you’ve been on the receiving end of
this sort of touch, you probably know
that it certainly does help.
EFT and Hypnotherapy go hand-in-hand
in helping people overcome a range of
emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual
disturbances.
If you want to know more,
visit
positivetranceformations.com.au
