For the treatment of depression, anxiety, and grief

            This is not a substitute for therapy.  Please see a therapist if you need help managing your mood or anxiety or help with grief.

            The Emotional Freedom Technique(EFT) is amazingly useful in the treatment of depression, anxiety and grief.  It may also be helpful in managing unstable moods.  EFT combines psychotherapeutic tools with Asian Medicine, using the energetic meridians of the body.  In combining these two modalities into one, we are able to let go of stuck energy, relieving the body of discomfort.  Sometimes it even helps relieve pain!

            Sometimes as energy moves, it can feel worse before it feels better.  A classic example is if you’re feeling sad.  As you start the EFT, you may find that you feel even more sad and you have to stop to cry.  When you’re done crying, you can return to the EFT and you will then, likely, be able to let the energy of the sadness go.

            Below I will walk you through the steps of doing EFT.

1. Rate your negative moods on a scale of 1-10, where 1 is no negative mood and 10 is severely negative mood. You could have a list of several here.
2. Some people find it helpful to imagine a metaphorical fruit or vegetable which could encapsulate all their negative feelings, holding the feelings for you.
3. You will create a phrase that addresses your current stressor and relates it to your oldest stressor or trauma. Here is the structure for the phrase:

Even though ________________(current stressors), and I feel _________________ (these are the feelings listed in #1).  This reminds me of _________________ (oldest remembered stressor or trauma), which made me feel ________________ (feelings felt at that time.  Ideally this event goes all the way back to your childhood), I love and fully accept myself.

• Next, you will tap or rub the karate spot with the four fingers of the other hand.  The Karate Spot goes along the outside of your palm from your pinky finger joint to your wrist. While doing this, you will say the phrase in #3, three times out loud.  It is possible to shorten the phrase with images, the second and third times through.
• Tap the top of your head with four fingers.  Imagine that you part your hair and you will be tapping at the back of the part.  While tapping you will say out loud, “I am ________(feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go.
• Tap the third eye spot with 2-3 fingers, saying “I feel __________(feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go”.
• Tap the temple with 2-3 fingers, saying “I feel _______ (feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go”.
• Tap under the eye with 3 fingers, saying “I feel _________ (feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go”.
• Tap under the nose with 3 fingers, saying “I feel _________ (feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go”.
•  Tap under the lip with 3 fingers, saying “I feel _________ (feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go”.
• Tap under your collarbone closer to your shoulder with 3 fingers, saying “I feel _________ (feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go”.
•  Tap under your armpit, about four inches below your pit, near your bra strap if you wear one.  Feel around for a place that feels more tender.  This will tell you that it is the right spot. Tap or rub with 3 fingers, saying “I feel _________ (feelings in #1) and I’m letting it go”.
• Relax and take 3-4 deep relaxing breaths. Visualize the energy of the negative feelings flowing down the left side of your stomach, splitting and flowing down both legs and out your feet (off the ends of your toes or out the bottom of your feet).
• Check in with #1 and see if your feelings have reduced.
• Repeat bulleted points.  If the feelings have reduced a little, change to “I feel ___________ (feelings in #1) but they’re getting better, my body is healing itself.” That phrase could vary in a number of ways as long as it validates the body for healing itself.
• Continue repeating these until your negative feelings are gone.
• If you run through all the points three times and there is no change, the phrase isn’t working.  You’ll need to restructure the phrase in #3.  You’ll have to ask yourself what is really bothering me?  What am I really feeling?  Or you may need to ask yourself, “Was there an earlier stress or trauma?”  “What is the earliest thing I can remember that was really upsetting for me?”
• If you still can’t make it work for you, I would suggest seeking a psychotherapist who can teach it to you in person.

When you manage to get your negative feelings to zero, you’ll want to “program” that into your brain. There are several steps that will help you do this.

1. Look straight ahead and blink.
2. Look down hard right.
3. Look down hard left.
4. Look ahead and circle your eyes clockwise, then counterclockwise.
5. Look ahead and hum out loud for a few seconds.
6. Look ahead and count out loud to 9.
7. Look ahead and hum out loud again for a few seconds. These steps should help to hold this positive feeling for a longer period of time. When the negative feelings return, do EFT again. Over the short term, the more you do EFT, the less frequently you’ll need to do it. You can also rub the points rather than tapping them. Good luck!