Emotional Freedom Techniques
What is EFT Tapping?
EFT is a powerful energy healing modality based on research showing that our emotions greatly affect our physical, mental, and emotional health.
EFT uses elements of cognitive therapy and exposure therapy, combined with fingertip tapping on acupressure/acupuncture points on the body.
One of the most powerful things about EFT tapping is that it sends calming signals to the emotion center in your mind, which then sends this calming energy to the rest of your body.
This allows your body to get out of fight-or-flight mode and into calm and restore mode.
Clinical trials have also shown that EFT tapping is able to reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories and incidents that trigger emotional distress.
Once the distress is reduced or removed, the body is able to rebalance itself and allow healing to begin.
Clinical EFT Has Been Shown to Improve Multiple Markers of Health and Wellness
Over 100 papers published in peer-reviewed medical and psychology journals, including dozens of clinical trials, have demonstrated that EFT is effective in helping with phobias, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, pain, cravings and emotional eating, and weight loss.
A recent study published in the Journal of Evidence Based Integrative Medicine showed that EFT tapping:
- Decreased anxiety by 89%
- Decreased cortisol by 49%
- Decreased cravings by 80%
- Decreased resting heart rate by 8%
- Decreased systolic blood pressure by 6%
- Decreased diastolic blood presssure by 9%
- Increased happiness by 14%
- Increased immunoglobulin A (a marker for our immune response) by 61%
EFT Tapping Works for Cravings, Emotional Eating, and Weight Loss
I started using EFT tapping for weight loss in my clinic because it was heartbreaking to hear so many people say “I know what I’m supposed to do but I just can’t do it!” I knew there had to be more to the story than just “eat right and exercise”.
My study of Emotional Freedom Techniques gave me the answers I was looking for and the tools and techniques to help people stop their cravings and emotional eating and permanently release their excess physical weight.
Let’s use the story of “Susan” to help us understand why it’s crucial to address the underlying causes of overweight and obesity…
As a child, “Susan” experiences trauma in her life (abuse, divorce of her parents, moving, not feeling loved, feeling like she has to be perfect, and so on). She turns to food for comfort. Susan starts to gain weight and is criticized by family members. She goes on a diet, loses weight, but then gains it all back and more. Now she feels even more pressure and judgement about her body.
As Susan gets older and continues to gain weight, she develops insulin resistance, a physical condition that makes it easier to store belly fat. She feels worse about herself, which triggers cravings for carbohydrates to help her feel better by raising her serotonin levels. The serotonin does make her feel better – temporarily – but now she gains more weight from overeating carbs.
As Susan matures into a young woman, she experiences the added stressors that come from college, a job, a spouse or partner, children, financial worries, and more. In response to this chronic stress, her adrenal glands are on overdrive.
The adrenals are largely responsible for our “fight or flight” response, which comes in handy if you are out in the woods and need to run from a bear. However, chronic stress causes the adrenals to secrete excess adrenaline and excess cortisol to keep you going. Cortisol is the stress hormone that helps us store fat, so she keeps gaining weight.
As a grown woman, Susan’s emotional stressors increase (jobs, family, finances, etc.) and her physical problems multiply (high blood pressure, headaches, cholesterol issues, muscle aches and pains, diabetes, etc.). The cycle continues as she gains even more weight and experiences even more disease.
Each of the events described above – childhood issues, moving, being teased, weight gain, chronic stress – are like little “jolts” to our bodies. Not only do they disrupt our energy systems, but they also have profound physical effects, especially when it comes to our weight. They also have a domino effect. One event leads to another and the cycle continues and worsens.
We can take drugs, go on extreme diets, or have surgery to shed excess pounds, but these methods don’t solve the real issues and they don’t correct the energy imbalances.
EFT helps to correct the energy imbalances and activation of the acupuncture points reduces levels of stress hormones like cortisol while also increasing serotonin levels.
To learn more about how EFT tapping can help you stop cravings and emotional eating so you can lose the weight and keep it off, watch my FREE webinar here: https://excelweightloss.com/stop-emotional-eating
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Dawson Church, PhD, is an award-winning science writer with three best-selling books to his credit. The Genie in Your Genes (YourGeniusGene.com) was the first book to demonstrate that emotions drive gene expression. Mind to Matter, (MindToMatter.com) showed that the brain creates much of what we think of as “objective reality.” Bliss Brain (BlissBrain.com) demonstrates that peak mental states rapidly remodel the brain for happiness.
He has conducted dozens of clinical trials, and founded the National Institute for Integrative Healthcare (NIIH.org) to promote groundbreaking new treatments. He shares how to apply the breakthroughs of energy psychology to health and personal performance through EFT Universe (EFTUniverse.com), one of the largest alternative medicine sites on the web.
