EFT stands for "Emotional Freedom Technique" which is the method that I study and practice both on humans and animals. I'm convinced that "study" will always remain in the present tense no matter how long I pursue this fascinating procedure, because it continues to be a learning experience in progress as I work with more people and animals.
EFT was developed by Gary Craig and Adrienne Fowlie based on the discoveries of Dr. Roger Callahan in 1980. You can go into much more of the details of the technique than I can possibly cover here by viewing their website http://www.emofree.com/. Therein is a lot of information and education including a free downloadable manual, so if after you read my article and are interested in learning more I encourage you to go for a visit on your computer (or contact me) . You will learn much and I can assure you will be entertained as well.
I became interested in EFT when I learned that it can be used to help all animals, not just human animals be it with compromised health, emotional problems or behavioral issues (even performance improvement. I am using it to help with my piano playing and for Buddy with learning new tricks!). In fact, the problems or issues may be related and sometimes addressing one of them will heal the rest as well. Let's start with the premise of the whole thing. To quote my teacher, Gary Craig, who entitles this the Discovery Statement:
"The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."
The body's energy system is the vital force - that flow of subtle electrical energy in the body which keeps the heart pumping, the brain functioning, and consciousness happening, to name a few. In Chinese medicine blocked energy ("Ch'i or Qi ") is unblocked by stimulating certain acupuncture points along the body's meridians with the use of fine gauge needles sometimes including electrical stimulation, or heat. EFT borrows much from this energy unblocking technique but instead of using needles one simply uses the fingertips (an energy source in themselves) to tap along certain key points of the energy meridian creating a vibration to unlock the blockage or imbalances and therefore allowing the energy to flow as it should.
Got a minute?
The interesting thing about EFT is that it can work so rapidly when used correctly albeit with some persistence. Sometimes the results are immediate with just a single round of the tapping procedure, sometimes several rounds are needed. The procedure itself takes only a minute or two, so if necessary to repeat the process in order to eliminate ”aspects” or residual blockage, it might add up to several minutes, not long at all.
Here’s what you do:
1. First is The Set Up: With your index and middle fingertips together use firm, but gentle pressure to tap the “karate chop” point on your opposite hand. This is the fleshy part of the side of your hand below your little finger and the crease in your palm if you make a fist. Using continuous tapping you are going to say aloud the Set Up Phrase three times. This phrase first acknowledges the issue / problem and then counterbalances it with a statement of self-acceptance. For instance, someone with a fear of thunder might say, “Even though I have this fear of thunder, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” Use your intuition when phrasing so that you feel it is meaningful to you and your problem. The idea is that the phrase acknowledges a problem and then neutralizes it with a statement of self-acceptance. I.E. “Even though I have this _____ (state issue)….I deeply and completely accept myself.” You can alter it as needed as you do more rounds of tapping to remove the issue. Its best said aloud and with feeling, but if you are somewhere you don’t want to call attention to yourself, it can be whispered or thought.
2. Next is The Sequence: Tap about 7 times on each one of the following energy points while repeating the Reminder Phrase at each point. The Reminder Phrase is a shortened version of the Set Up Phrase. I.E. Using the above issue it would be simply “this fear of thunder”. Here are the points to tap:
Beginning of eyebrow closest to the nose. (EB)
Side of eye, on the bony place near the outside corner of the eye (SE)
Under the eye, on the bony rim about an inch below the pupil (UE)
Under the nose, above the upper lip (UN)
Under the lower lip, above the chin (Ch)
The end of the collarbone closest to breastbone (CB)
Under the arm, on the thorax about 4 inches below armpit (UE)
Outside edge of the thumb about at the base of the nail (Th)
Side of index finger, base of nail (IF)
Side of middle finger, base of nail (MF)
Side of baby finger, base of nail (BF)
Karate chop point (KC)
(Note, the side of the finger points are always on the side closest to your thumb)
3. Continuing with the Reminder Phrase…Tap the 9 Gamut Point
The Gamut Point is on the back of your hand, about ½ inch behind the midpoint between the knuckle at the base of your ring finger and the little finger. There’s a little indentation that will be noticeable on the back of your closed hand.
Tap this point continuously while doing the following:
v Close eyes
v Open eyes
v Holding your head steady, look hard down to the left
v Holding your head steady, look hard down to the right
v Roll your eyes in a circle as though following the hands on a clock face
v Roll your eyes in the opposite direction
v Hum 2 seconds of any song
v Count quickly from 1 to 5
v Hum 2 seconds of a song again
Note: I know, I know, this whole sequence seems a little odd, but the idea is to “fine tune” the brain. The eye movements and the humming and counting do this by connecting or stimulating certain nerves in the brain.
4. Lastly, repeat The Sequence tapping with the Reminder Phrase again.
That’s it! It takes only a minute or two once you get the procedure memorized.
It helps to first begin with measuring the intensity of your issue. For instance what number would I give my “fear of thunder” on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most intense? After I complete the tapping procedure I would then ask myself what is the number or the intensity if I think about my fear? If it hasn’t gone all the way to a “0”, I could go through the whole procedure again, but this time using the Set Up Phrase, “Even though I still have some of this fear of thunder remaining, I deeply and completely love and accept myself”. Then rate the intensity again. Keep doing the rounds of tapping with the issue in mind until you get it all the way to a “0”. The ultimate test will be during the next thunder storm. If there is still fear, start tapping!
Sometimes other aspects of the problem might pop up. For instance, the flashing lightening is scary, too. Then you get to tap on those, too! This is where patience and persistence pays off.
Direct tapping on your animal:
You can go ahead and try tapping directly on your companion animal if he or she will allow it. Try the same meridian point listed above for yourself as best you can translate it onto your companion. Remember, our animals are often much more sensitive than ourselves, so tap more lightly and maybe with just one finger. Their meridians are a bit different than ours, so you can also just tap the top of the head, along the muscles on either side of the spine and down the outside of the legs.
As you tap your animal for let’s say the fear of thunder, use the same phrasing as above, only this time you are speaking for your loved one: “Even though I have this fear of thunder, I am an awesome dog and I am safe and loved.”
If your animal friend likes the process, go with it. He or she will let you know when they are done by simply walking away. Respect that and consider the following…
Tapping for another (Remote or Surrogate technique):
Fortunately, in the case of working with animals remote or surrogate tapping works just as well. This concept was first discovered by a woman who was familiar with the technique. She sat by the incubator of her premature infant wishing she could comfort and help him when it occurred to her that she might try tapping herself for him. She discovered that the baby did indeed respond and thrive with her surrogate tapping. This experience led the way to tapping for animals without having to even touch them.
The surrogate tapping is so very useful as it is possible to be persistent and more precise with the physical aspect of the procedure than an animal (or infant or extremely sensitive individual) would generally be comfortable with.
Use your imagination. I like to feel I am embodying the animal I am working with, looking out from behind her eyes, feeling what she might be feeling. Then I tap my own meridian points while speaking for her. Your Set Up Phrase will be in first person like you are speaking as the animal herself. I.E. “Even though I have this fear of thunder, I am an awesome dog and I deeply love myself and I am safe.” Do the tapping on yourself all the while repeating the reminder phrase. You can try placing one hand on your animal friend while you tap on yourself and see how that works. However, your animal does not even need to be present for this to work just as well. In fact your subject can be in another State and you’re still good to go.
After a session of tapping for someone else, I usually have a distinct tingling feeling, especially in my hands. You may feel something different, or maybe nothing in particular, that’s okay. At the end of the process I like to put my hands together in prayer fashion and say a thanksgiving and send a blessing to my tapping subject. Then I disengage from her in my imagination.
Working with Buddy’s touchy mouth:
My dog, Buddy, is very wary about having his mouth touched. Many years ago, before he was rescued and came to live with me he was injured by a delivery truck accidentally backing into him, apparently clipping him in the face. He needed minor surgery and some teeth were removed. He must have retained that traumatic memory as he would resist most attempts to touch his face around his lips or to clean his teeth or massage his gums. I've done a lot of work over the years to help desensitize him in this regard and it has gotten a little easier with a lot of patient coaxing. However EFT seems to have resolved the issue totally and relatively quickly. After doing a couple rounds of tapping myself on behalf of Buddy's fear of being touched around or in the mouth ("Even though my mouth is very sensitive and I don't like to be touched, I am an awesome dog and I am safe", "Even though I am afraid of having my mouth touched, I deeply and completely accept myself"), Buddy now easily accepts my gauze-covered finger gently wiping his teeth from front to back every morning. He now likes having his gums massaged and even holds still to have his beard trimmed. I credit this change in his attitude to EFT.
If it had been necessary to actually tap on Buddy himself, I'm pretty sure he would have politely exited from the room at the earliest opportunity. I can't imagine that he would like me tapping on the facial points, especially beneath his nose and above his chin. I do notice that Buddy enjoys the gentle but firm tapping I do on his head, down his paraspinal muscles and legs. He sits or stands patiently as though listening to something important while I tap away. Nevertheless, I prefer to return to the surrogate tapping for him in the long run for its convenience. Surrogate (remote) tapping can also be done for animals that are not in the vicinity, in fact miles away, with great success (read some of the newsletters on the EFT website for testimonials from others). It can also be done for wild animals that would not allow you to come close enough to touch them.
Some examples of issues that can be addressed with EFT:
Here is a list from "The AnimalEFT Protocol" by Silvia Hartman suggesting the many issues that might successfully be addressed with EFT:
v training problems
v house training
v health problems
v temperament problems
v relationship problems
v relationship problems with other animals, jealousy, aggression
v attention seeking behaviors
v fears, phobias, self esteem
v lack of social skills
v grief, unhappiness
v allergies, pain
v past traumas
As Gary Craig's motto states: "Try it on everything!" It’s not guaranteed to work on everything, but there is evidence of so many things responding well that it’s worth the try.
Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions, please contact me.
Sending love and blessings to you all...
Becky at Noodlenose
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