Feb

EFT – a well known form of psychotherapy for Golf

Put simply, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is an exciting breakthrough in therapy and personal development. It is a new treatment tool for anxieties, fears, trauma, procrastination, addictions, weight loss and much more. It uses an easily learnt process to transform any issues blocking emotional happiness or personal achievement.

It is one of the new Energy Psychologies people are developing primarily from the ancient Chinese meridian energy system. EFT uses a form of acupressure often referred to by its advocates as “acupuncture without needles” and is based by its creator on the premise that all negative emotions are the result of a disruption in the body’s energy system.

The practitioner clears blockages or disruptions in the body’s energy systems by directly tapping with the fingers on the client’s head and upper body at key end points of the body’s energy meridians while focussing the client’s thoughts on the specific psychological issue they wish to change. The tapping sends pulses of energy to rebalance the body’s energy system in relation to the client’s thoughts and specific issue. Shifting energy changes the way the brain processes information about a particular issue, and so tapping while tuned in to the issue is in effect rewiring or rerouting the brain’s conditioned negative response. This is generally very liberating for a client suffering conditions like a phobia or traumatic memory. EFT also works in the same way to release the limiting thoughts and beliefs that obstruct the client’s success, happiness, health and inner peace.

EFT is the work of Gary Craig, an engineer by training, resulting from his interest in the success of Thought Field Therapy, a complex set of processes that Dr Roger Callahan developed in California. He took the complexity of TFT and simplified it into a straightforward “one size fits all” process to create EFT.

The “basic recipe” of EFT is very straightforward and consists of the

Setup – the client repeats a tailored affirmation three times while rubbing or tapping a specific point
Sequence – the client taps several times of each of 13 sequential points on the head and upper body while repeating a reminder phrase from the affirmation
“9 Gamut” Procedure – a short series of 9 physical and verbal actions carried out while tapping a key meridian point on the hand
Sequence – a repeat of the earlier sequence.

The key ingredient of the process is the affirmation, which is generally something like “even though I have this problem, I completely and utterly accept myself” with this problem replaced by a simple description of the client’s lowest-level problem or issue. The accurate definition and diagnosis of the problem is very important to the success of the process. The NLP Meta Model questioning techniques can be very helpful in getting down to the real issue behind the client’s presenting problem.

Although Gary Craig originally developed EFT as a tool for psychologists and psychotherapists, medical practitioners are increasingly using it for the alleviation of pain and other physical ailments.