By Steve Wells and Dr. David Lake (used with permission from www.eftdownunder.com )

Emotional Freedom Techniques (or EFT) is an emotional healing technique, which is based on a revolutionary discovery that violates most of the beliefs of conventional psychology. It contends that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system.

Essentially, EFT is a form of "psychological acupressure" - except that we don't use needles. The approach relieves symptoms by tapping on various body locations. This tapping balances energy meridians that become disrupted when we think about or experience an emotionally disturbing circumstance.Once balanced, the upset is usually resolved - the memory stays but the emotional charge is gone. Typically the result is lasting and is also accompanied by positive changes in thinking. The technique is easy to learn and ideal for self-help.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) evolved from Thought Field Therapy, which was created by US clinical psychologist Roger Callahan. Callahan discovered that stimulating acupressure / energy points lead to psychological relief for an anxious client, and through experimentation was able to discover a series of useful points.

Gary Craig , who studied with Callahan, identified a comprehensive set of "all purpose" energy points that could be applied to treat any emotional problem. He called this Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), and achieved excellent results with this approach on a wide range of emotional as well as physical problems.

EFT has been successfully applied to treat a wide range of emotional problems and issues, including anxiety, fears, phobias, trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, grief, anger, guilt, etc. It has also been applied to enhance performance and improve relationships. In relationships, EFT can help us by reducing the emotional upsets towards our partner, many of which have their origins in our past. Using EFT, couples can overcome many of the barriers to friendship and closeness.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about EFT is that anyone can learn this approach and use it to help themselves. While some problems require persistence with the technique over a period of time, and some will require the intervention of a skilled therapist, many ordinary people can learn EFT and apply it successfully to the general problems and stresses of living.

Note: Whilst EFT has achieved excellent results with many physical conditions the technique should not be seen as a substitute for appropriate medical care and should always be used in conjunction with medical consultation and intervention for such conditions.