Aspects are a key piece of getting results with EFT.  If you tap an issue down to zero but the issue still remains then in many cases there are other aspects of the issue that need to be resolved.

An issue like fear of flying might be addressed and released by just tapping on "Even though I have this fear of flying....."  5 minutes later and the issue is gone.  Great!

But its not always that easy.  Typically there is more depth to the issue.  Or in other words there are more parts of the issue.  We call these parts aspects.

A fear or phobia like fear of flying is usually a group of fears.  In this case there may also be:

• Fear of death
• Fear of takeoffs/landings
• Fear of heights
• Claustrophobia
• Fear of turbulence

Aspects can be other issues/traumas that contribute to the main fear of flying.  If you know of someone who died in a plane crash then that would be an aspect. 

Aspects are different pieces of the puzzle and they all have to be resolved in order to heal the bigger issue which in this case is the fear of flying.  That's part of the detective work of your practitioner.  They need to uncover the aspects by asking questions such as "What else about this issue bothers you?"

One way to uncover the aspects is to go through a movie of your issue moment by moment and see if you get any emotions as step through the scenes.  Anything that pops up is an aspect.

With fear of flying I will have my client start with driving to the airport.  How do you feel?  Check in your luggage.  How do you feel? Go through security.  How do you feel?

Each aspect has to be resolved with EFT however what tends to happen is after you resolve a couple of aspects the rest of the aspects get resolved on their own.  Gary Craig calls this a "generalization effect".

So you resolve a few aspects and before you know it they are all gone. 

This is one reason to work with an experienced practitioner who is skilled at uncovering your aspects.  Its tougher to work on yourself and objectively see your own aspects.

Gary

"Life is suppose to be fun!"

- Jerry and Esther Hicks

This is a brief summary of how to tap during the EFT process using the short version that most practitioners use.  If you are new to EFT I strongly recommend that you download the free 79 page manual in order to understand how EFT works and how to apply it:

Complete EFT Manual

The short sequence goes as follows:

You identify the issue that is causing you distress.  For example, lets say you have a fear of flying. 

You start by repeating the setup phrase: "Even though I have this fear of flying I deeply and completely accept myself." As you repeat this phrase you will tap on the karate chop point which is the side of either hand.

Then you will tap all of the other points saying a quick phrase that reminds you of the issue.  In this case: "Fear of flying" And then tap on the following:

1. Corner of either eyebrow ( just above the nose)
2. Side of both eyes
3. Under both eyes
4. Under the nose
5. Under the mouth
6. The collarbone points (go to your collarbone at the center of your body, tap the points about an inch to either side)
7. Side of the body just under the armpit (either side)
8. Top of the head

That's it!

Cress had a case of the throwing yips in fall ball. It just crept up on him. One minute he was an All-West Valley Region catcher, the next he couldn't throw the ball back to the pitcher.

"Baseball is a mental game, and it gets to you," Cress said. "I didn't know what was going on at first, but I knew I had to find a way to overcome it. I kept throwing the ball over the pitcher's head."

Here's a story seen in AZCentral.com  A highly recruited baseball catcher starts to have problems throwing the ball to the pitcher. He sought the help of a sports performance coach who uses EFT.  A couple of quick rounds of tapping and problem was gone.  People always ask me if the changes from EFT last.  Read the catcher's description on how he performed for the rest of the season:

Read The Full Article

Gary - Editor

"EFT offers great healing benefits"

In a previous post I covered the definition of a meridian.  The other major part of the bodies energy system is the chakras.  Chakra is a Sanskrit word for disk, vortex or wheel which is what the chakras look like.

There are seven major chakras and a bunch of minor chakras.  The major chakras are:

• Crown (Pineal)
• Third Eye (Pituitary)
• Throat
• Heart
• Solar Plexus
• Navel
• Root

If you search on the word chakra you will get dozens of definitions.  There is a lot of theories linking chakras to specific colors, ailments and thought patterns.  For example, the root chakra is typically linked to base human desires like money and it is also considered the grounding chakra.  It is linked to the color red.    

Most descriptions will tell you that the chakras are the energy stations or storehouse as opposed to the meridians which transport the energy.  Chakras are also the interface between us and the outside world - we receive energy from others via the chakras.  So we pull in energy from the environment and store it in the chakra.  Energy moves from there thru the meridians.

Alt health practitioners will help people by energizing and cleansing chakras.  Good examples of this are Qigong, Reiki, Donna Eden disciples, Pranic Healing and many more.

In energy psychology chakras aren't directly addressed or even discussed but if you are working on energy then you are working on all of its componenets.

My favorite Chakra resource:

The Chakra System: A Complete Course In Self Diagnosis and Healing

From the Washington Times:

"Many people claim expertise on psychic phenomena such as telepathy. But few can boast top-notch scientific credentials.

That's what separates Rupert Sheldrake from the New Age pack. A botanist who earned a doctorate in biochemistry from Cambridge University and later studied at Harvard University, Mr. Sheldrake has earned an international reputation for applying scientific method to quasi-scientific subjects."

Read The Full Article

Rupert Sheldrake's Home Page

Whenever you discuss the bodies energies you will inevitably hear the term meridian.  What is a meridian?

Meridians are pathways that your energy flows thru much like the power grid that delivers our electricity.  There are 12 meridians flowing around the around and in the body with each of the 12 segments corresponding to a particular organ or system that it serves for example the liver meridian and the spleen meridian.

In discussions of the 12 meridians sometimes it is lost that it really is one system.  The 12 segments are connected and energy flows from one to the next.

See Charts Of The 12 Meridians

People can feel the meridian energy, some like Donna Eden can even see the energy. Now we have scientists verify that they exist.

Chinese medicine says that when energy is disturbed on a meridian then the corresponding organ systems will be effected.  In acupuncture they will stimulate the meridian by inserting needles into acupuncture points or hot spots on that meridian restoring the proper flow.  In acupressure or Shiatsu massage they will massage the same points instead of needles.  Many other healing modalities (Reiki, Shen, Donna Eden) will work on the meridians by channeling energy with their hands or even their intent.

Energy psychology works on the same principles but on the mental/emotional levels.   A phobia occurs when a traumatic event causes a  disturbance on a particular meridian.  Later when you think of an issue the disturbance is activated and you get the negative emotion.  When there is no fear or anxiety your energy flows naturally however when a phobia like fear of flying comes up then the energy is disrupted. 

Gary Craig repeatedly says "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."

Clear the energy disturbance then you clear the negative emotions and/or anxiety which then clears the related mental/emotional and even physical problems. 

Check out this in-depth article by Fred Gallo & Gary Craig:

Evidence of Energy Meridians

The bible of your bodies energy systems and how they effect your health:

Energy Medicine by Donna Eden

Other good books related to this subject:

Energy Tapping by Fred Gallo

Touch For Health

Good website to visit for meridian info:

www.acupunctureproducts.com

A couple of cool blogs related to EFT:

EFTZone: Ron Ball

I Dare You: Angela Treat Lyon

Tap To The Top

EFT and The Secret With Lindsay Kenny: June 1-2

Improve Your Classroom Environment With Anne Wendt: Four Wednesday's Starting May 9

Teachers From "The Secret": June 17

In an earlier post I wrote about the beginnings of EFT from my perspective and from the stories I have heard.  Now I would like to post the history of EFT as told by Gary Craig.  This is courtesy of emofree.com and it is what Gary puts in his standard brochures.  Enjoy:

Foundation of EFT

EFT was introduced in 1995 by Gary Craig, a Stanford Engineering graduate in lifelong pursuit of personal well-being.

“I have been intensely interested in personal improvement via psychology since my age 13. That was when I recognized that the quality of my thoughts was mirrored in the quality of my life. Since then I have been self taught in this field, seeking only those procedures that, in my opinion, produced results. EFT is my latest finding, the core of which I learned from Dr. Roger Callahan. I also have high regard for Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in which I am a Certified Master Practitioner.”


Gary Craig is neither a psychologist nor a licensed therapist. He is an ordained minister through the Universal Church of God in Southern California, which is non-denominational and embraces all religions. He is a dedicated student of A Course in Miracles, and approaches his work with a decidedly spiritual perspective. However, there is no specific spiritual teaching connected to EFT or its Practitioners.

“I've been doing energy healing work since 1991 and my jaw still drops at the results. I've lost count of the number of phobias, panic/anxiety attacks, traumatic memories, guilt, grief and physical ailments that have been elegantly relieved (often in minutes) by this procedure. Even though EFT violates just about every conventional belief out there, the results remain remarkable. EFT isn't perfect, of course. We don't get 100%. But it usually works well and the results are sometimes spectacular. It often works where nothing else will.”

Gary Craig, Founder of EFT

This is a follow up to the previous post about Dr. Oz and Oprah touting the arrival of energy healing methods. 

"We're witnessing the globalization of medicine." With those simple words, Dr. Mehmet Oz may have brought acupuncture and Oriental medicine one step closer to worldwide public acceptance. The setting: "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Feb. 13, 2007. The context: a demonstration of acupuncture by Daniel Hsu, LAc, MSTOM. Oprah herself received a wellness treatment while a guest, Angela, received specific treatment for her chronic shoulder pain.

The Full Article:  With Oprah and her worldwide audience learning about the benefits of acupuncture, is mainstream public acceptance far behind?

Gary

"All great truth passes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Second it is violently opposed.  Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

Energy healing methods invoke all three responses depending on who you talk to however I think on average we are passing through the violently opposed stage on to acceptance.  I remember in the 80's when chiropractors were considerend quacks but now they have pretty broad acceptance.  My Blue Cross now covers 20 sessions a year.

Dr. Oz is a vice chair of surgery and professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University, and is a founder and director of the complementary medicine program at New York Presbyterian Columbia Hospital.  In other words he is a serious well trained doctor.  He is more widely known for his entertaining lectures on the Oprah show.

Recently he talked about energy healing and this was very eye opening:

"Alternative medicines, Dr. Oz says, deal with the body's energy—something that traditional Western medicine generally does not. "We're beginning now to understand things that we know in our hearts are true but we could never measure," he says. "As we get better at understanding how little we know about the body, we begin to realize that the next big frontier … in medicine is energy medicine. It's not the mechanistic part of the joints moving. It's not the chemistry of our body. It's understanding for the first time how energy influences how we feel."

Check it out:  Oprah and Dr. Oz Talk About Energy Medicine

Gary

Interesting article in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society.  This was a study conducted by UCLA of 112 adults and it showed a remarkable positive effect on their immune systems.

Tai Chi, a popular style of Chinese Kung Fu or martial art, may help protect against shingles, a condition commonly experienced by older people in the  United States according to a new study published in print this week in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Check it out:

Tai Chi may help prevent shingles

Gary

Amazing introduction to the potential of EFT!  A cure for MS?

Rebecca Marina always cracks me up.

This is chilling to say the least.  The FDA is exploring the idea of regulating our access to vitamins, herbs and alternative therapies. Imagine having to go to a doctor in order to buy vitamin C. 

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/April/17/local/stories/01local.html

Let's all keep our eye on this as it evolves.

Earlier we discussed the history of TFT and that leads into the genesis of the Emotional Freedom Technique more commonly known as EFT.

Gary Craig was a successful in the fields of engineering and finance.  He started to move into a new path as personal performance coach and therapist.  He studied TFT under Callahan and started to modify the TFT approach.  (This was around the early 90's)  One thing an engineer likes to do is build a better mousetrap.  Take an existing process and simplify it and/or add more functionality.  He put that mindset on TFT, expiremented, reworked it and the end product is EFT.

Go to his website www.emofree.com and search on "TFT" and read an article on the "Scientific Evolution of EFT From TFT".  A great article that sheds great insight on how EFT grew out of TFT and and some of the reasoning behind how EFT works

TFT to this day works and gets dramatic results just like EFT. However TFT can be cumbersome with multiple algorithms for different issues.  (Keep in mind that this is nitpicking TFT in a way since it is still much easier and much more effective than most forms of therapy). Gary Craig experimented and looked for a common algorithm to use on all issues.  Or in other words what if we tap the same meridian points for EVERY issue.   He found a series of 12 points that work on most issues and to this day we still use those same 12 points.

Ultimately EFT has grown tremendously due to three reasons:

1. It works!!!
2. It is relatively simple to learn and apply
3. Gary Craig has made it very inexpensive to learn

On the last point - I am always amazed at the humble and giving nature of Gary.  He really loves this field and wants it to spread to the masses and help heal the world.  His detailed intro manual is FREE!  Go here if you want it: Free EFT Stuff. His DVD's are outstanding and he sells them for only $60 when they could easily go for hundreds plus he lets you make copies and give them away for free: Explore The DVD Library. 

Visit the EFT homepage and check out the articles and see the amazing results of EFT: www.emofree.com 

Gary - Editor 

My name is Gary and I am an EFT/TFT practicioner.  I have also trained in Hypnosis, Energy Medicine with Donna Eden, Silva Mind Control, Pranic Healing, TAT, BSFF, traditional psychology and many other disciplines.  My main modality is EFT for a variety of reasons but mostly because it is easy and gets incredible results.