EFT is the acronym for Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as meridian tapping, which is a powerful stress relief technique, combining the principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology.

This approach aims to get to the root of the problem, to understand what may be causing the discomfort and then apply the treatment through the meridian points.

“It’s all connected”, Miriam, EFT practitioner in the Algarve, started to explain. In fact, when we have a certain feeling it can have a physical reaction, like when we are angry we might feel tension in our muscles or when we are sad we might cry.

“So in EFT what we combine is the ancient acupuncture that we have been using for thousands of years and the modern psychology, because the brain, the mind and the body are all connected and have enormous influence on each other.
For example, “when you are sick you feel emotions, you feel frustrated or sad, anger or, when you have emotions you can feel the physical reactions, you can see that communication”.

Not everyone likes needles, some people just hate them. With this technique it is intended to use the same meridians (in which the needles are placed in acupuncture), but without resorting to the needles that so many people fear.
“In EFT we don’t use the needles, we just use the tapping points, and meridian points to get the energy to flow again”, Miriam told The Portugal News.

Which is amigdala? When you think of the amigdala, you should think of one thing: fear. The amigdala is the reason we are afraid of events outside of our control. It also commands the way we react to certain situations that we see as potentially threatening or dangerous. “If you’re in the woods and sp a tiger, the amigdala gives you a sign – run! Or you freeze and you just cannot move” (there are two likely reactions when different people face fear).

This small little organ that should be very useful to us, as it allow our brain to know when it is in danger; nowadays it is activated all the time, as if we were always in danger, which impacts our well-being.

Therefore, “we are experiencing a lot of stress nowadays. In the old days, when you saw the tiger, you ran away from it and then the amigdala calms down again. Nowadays the amigdala is always on but with the tapping we are able to send a signal to amigdala so it can calm down”.

According to Miriam: “Scientific researches by the Harvard Medical School has proven that by applying EFT, a calming signal is sent to a part of the brain called the amigdala and lowers the cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the body”.
Especially in times of a pandemic, knowing how to manage stress and anxiety seems to be key. “There is a lot of stress due to this pandemic and it’s so nice if you can take control of relaxing your body because if you are holding on to so much stress or negative feelings from the past, it can eventually create a disease”.

Modern psychology & Tapping

The part of EFT linked to the modern psychology is concerned with exploring the negative patterns we form around our uncomfortable thoughts or disturbing memories.

After trying to figure out what is behind the negative mental patterns, we start tapping while saying some words focusing on the problem we found out - in order to accept the old pattern and then destroy it and replace it with a better and more positive one.

Do we all have traumas to deal with? Well, it seems likely, even if we’re not aware of it. The truth is that we all experience life. “Maybe something happened at school, maybe the way your parents treated you, perhaps you’ve heard that money doesn’t grow on trees. In fact, 95 percent of how we act is programmed from our subconscious, only five percent is what we are aware of. We are like an absorbent sponge”.

“While focusing on the core issue of the problem, we gently tap with the fingers on certain meridian points, mainly on the face and hands. This tapping activates the energy system and helps to release stagnant emotions and pains that are trapped in the body. The results are often astonishing and fast”, explained Miriam.

The technique is gentle, has no side effects and it’s easy to learn and apply to ourselves, which is one of the benefits of having an online session.

Yes, an EFT session can also be done online and it works very well. Although Miriam admits that she prefers face-to-face contact with people, she recognises that both ways are equally effective, with online having an advantage.

The patient easily learns the technique and can apply it on their own. This is because, during a face-to-face session, it is Miriam who is touching the patient, whereas in the Zoom session it is the patient who is tapping themself, following Miriam’s movements, in addition to repeating the phrases that Miriam keeps saying during the session.

In other words, in addition to being a good alternative now in times of pandemic, the online session is also a way to empower people with EFT tools.

Are you interested in finding out more about EFT? For further information or to book sessions, please mail efttappingalgarve@gmail.com or call 914 810 371.

Author

Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252

Paula Martins