EFT or tapping has rapidly been gaining momentum in the press recently and is fast becoming a popular therapy for those suffering from a wide range of symptoms including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD , as well as physical symptoms. The tapping technique which was once only practiced by holistic practitioners on their clientele, is now being used extensively by counsellors in counselling centres, teachers and students in schools, stressed staff in offices and even inmates in prisons- with some amazing results taking place.

What is EFT and how does it work?

The acronym of EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique. According to Gary Craig, who developed it in the 1990s, all negative emotions and pain are caused by a disruption in the energy system. The concept is not new and is borrowed from the ancient traditions of Chinese medicine. Meridian points are thought of as areas the body energy flows through. The pathways help balance the energy and any imbalance in this energy is said to influence disease or sickness. Regarded as a form of psychological acupressure, emotional freedom technique works similarly to the 5000 years treatment of Chinese acupuncture but without the use of needles.

There are 12 major meridians and each one corresponds to a different internal organ. EFT focuses on nine of these meridians. During the process each meridian is gently tapped about five to seven times on specific tapping points. The following is a list of all the points used with the EFT method and their corresponding organs:

• Karate chop - small intestine
• Top of head - governing vessel
• Eyebrow - bladder meridian
• Side of the eye - gallbladder meridian
• Under the eye - stomach meridian
• Under the nose - governing vessel
• Chin - central vessel
• Beginning of the collarbone - kidney meridian
• Under the arm - spleen meridian