How to Find Inner Peace Using Emotional Freedom Technique

How do I keep a calm mind?

If you have issues that you want to release, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can help you do away with them. It’s excellent for ridding yourself of things you no longer want and allowing you to acquire what you do.

EFT works on the same ancient Eastern healing belief as acupuncture, but, you use fingertips instead of needles. The belief is that we have a system of meridians within us, like our veins, except that these meridians transport our life energy (our Qi, Chi, or Prana). Whenever you have a problem, it’s because there’s a blockage somewhere along these meridians, and your life energy isn’t flowing. Tapping on endpoints along the meridians while focusing on the problem clears the blockage which allows your energy to flow again.

Frances O’Brien, Certified Hypnotherapist

EFT was discovered in 1980 by Dr. Roger Callahan, a clinical psychologist. He’d been working with a patient who was severely phobic to water for eighteen months with no success. During one session, she mentioned that, anytime she was near a body of water, she got the worst feeling in her stomach. Dr. Callahan, familiar with the ancient Eastern healing belief, knew that the stomach meridian ran below the eye. He had his patient continue to talk about her phobia while tapping on that point, and she was cured in that session. Dr. Callahan called the method Thought Field Therapy. Gary Craig streamlined and renamed it so that it’s much easier to learn and repeat.

What are the benefits of Using Emotional Freedom Technique?

There are numerous Emotional Freedom Technique benefits. It’s natural, so, if you’re receiving treatment, like medication, surgery, or therapy, you can still use it without fear of adverse effects. It’s also very successful. If you’ve had difficulty fixing problems using other methods, you’re far more likely to achieve what you want with EFT. Whether your issue is with your health, your wealth, a difficult relationship, sleep, weight, or anything else, EFT can help. You can use it if you have to do something that makes you nervous, like a job interview or a public speech, and it will help reduce your nerves. If you’ve been unsuccessful stopping a bad habit, EFT can help you rid yourself of it. If you’re upset by something, EFT can help with inner peace. It’s free to use and doesn’t require any special equipment or clothing. It can be done anywhere, limited only by any inhibitions you may feel utilizing it out in public. It is also user-friendly. You can use your left hand or your right or you can use both. You’ll reap benefits either way.

What is Using Emotional Freedom Technique?

Here is Emotional Freedom Technique explained. First, write a few words or phrases about what you’d like to work on as specifically as possible. If you have a pain, include its location, what caused it, and when it started. If you don’t know all of the specifics, that’s fine, but, if you do, write them all down. As you utilize EFT, you make statements about the issue. You’ll use the phrases you write down, and it’s very helpful to have them in front of you so you don’t have to think of them while you’re tapping.

Next, choose a number from one to ten that represents how distressed you are about the problem, with ten being the worst. This is the SUDs (Subjective Units of Distress) number. If you’re considering tapping to release a problem, chances are pretty good that it’s higher than a five. If it doesn’t feel like much of a problem when you’re ready to tap, but it was worse in the past, try to remember how that felt so you start with as high a number as possible. Be honest, but, the higher the number you start with, the more you accomplish in any given session. Note that this is an emotional assessment, not an intellectual one. It’s how distressing the problem is to you.

Then, write a Setup Statement. It’s a specific version of “Even though I have this problem, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.” For example, “Even though I have this pain in my left shoulder, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself,” or “Even though I’m terrified of the speech I have to give, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.” You’ll use this statement three times. You can write it three times, or, if there are different aspects to your issue, utilize them in your statements. “Even though I’m afraid of flying, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself,” “Even though I fear the plane will crash, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.” and “Even though I fear I may vomit, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.”

When you’re done, start tapping. First, you tap the outside of your hand (the Side of Hand point) long enough to say your Setup Statement three times. Then you tap the other points while saying reminder statements. The other points are: Eyebrow (just over the beginning of your eyebrow), Side of Eye (the bone on the side of your eye), Under Eye (the bone under your pupil when you look straight ahead), Under Nose (just below your nose in the little divot), Chin (just below your bottom lip), Collar Bone (about an inch below and out from your clavicle knob), Under Arm (about a hand’s width below your armpit), and Top of Head (the crown of your head). Tap each point about five to seven times while saying reminders of the problem. Look to your notes for phrases.

Following is an example of an Emotional Freedom Technique Exercise to
quit nail biting.

Side of Hand:

Even though I bite my nails too much, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.

Even though I’ve been biting them since I was a kid, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.

Even though I feel like I can’t stop, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.

Eyebrow: I have a nail-biting problem.

Side of Eye: I really want to stop biting my nails.

Under Eye: But I just keep on biting them.

Under Nose: Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m doing it.

Chin: I hate the way my nails look.

Collar Bone: At times, I bite them until they bleed.

Under Arm: I’m so embarrassed I haven’t been able to stop.

Top of Head: I really wish I could just stop biting my nails.

Keep tapping rounds until you begin to feel calmer about the situation. When you do, take a deep breath and reassess your SUDs number. It should be lower. If it isn’t yet, just keep tapping. If you think of more aspects of the problem as you’re tapping, write them down and tap on them as well.

For the second round, your Setup Statement becomes a specific version of, “Even though I still have some of this problem, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.” Your reminder statements acknowledge that as well. For example, “I still have a nail-biting problem.” “I still really
want to stop biting them.” When you feel calmer, stop tapping, take a deep breath, and reassess the SUDs number.

If your number is not yet low enough for you, do a third round with a Setup Statement “Even though I have some of this problem remaining, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.” Your reminder statements will also reflect that. For example, “This remaining nail-biting problem.” “I remain wanting to stop biting them.”

If you feel like you’re not making any progress, make sure you’re well-hydrated; water conducts energy. Make sure your statements are specific. Also, feel free to contact me for coaching through this site. Most people get better results when working with a practitioner than they do alone.

Where can I learn more about using Emotional Freedom Technique?

For more information about using Emotional Freedom Technique, sign up for one of the EFT class taught by me through this site, either live or on-demand. Either one will help you get benefits from using EFT. Also, please visit my website for explanations, as well as videos and tips.

How does Using Emotional Freedom Technique differ from meditation?

EFT differs from meditation in that it is a physical activity. You use your fingertips to tap on the various endpoints while speaking the statements aloud. Meditation is a mental and emotional experience, during which you go within yourself to find what you seek. They can both be quite helpful to you in finding inner peace; they just go about it differently.

I sincerely hope you’ll consider using EFT to help you be rid of things that don’t work for you so that you can have the life you truly desire. I would love to work with you either in one of the aforementioned classes or one-on-one in a coaching session. It can be difficult for us to rid ourselves of things because our subconscious minds resist change, even when that change is an improvement. Utilizing EFT to accomplish what you want allows your subconscious a voice, which causes it to begin to release the things that no longer serve you.

If you need any extra assistance in making your mind calm, contact me for some hypnotherapy and/or Emotional Freedom Technique sessions.

Frances O’Brien