eft for pain

Chapter One:
The word world is appropriate because in the last ten years, Emotional Freedom T
echniques or EFT has become a global phenomenon. Our free manual, which has been
translated by EFT practitioners into19 languages, has been downloaded by over h
alf a million people, and another 5,000 to 10,000 download it every month. While
most EFT practitioners live in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia
, and Canada the technique is being taught and used in dozens of countries aroun
d the world. If youd like to study EFT in Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch
, Finnish, French, German Greek, Gujarati (a language of India), Hungarian, Ital
ian, Norwegian, Persian (Farsi) Polish, Portuguese (from Brazil), Russian, Slove
nian, Spanish, or Turkish, simply download the manual in translation.
When I created EFT in the 1990s, my goal was to develop a procedure that is not
only effective but easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to demonstrate, explain,
and share.
The experiences of tens of thousands of people just like you prove that EFT is a
ll of these and more. It is also amazingly versatile, as the many reports from s
tudents and practitioners presented here and on our website demonstrate.
My original goal was to overhaul psychotherapy. That goal has been achieved, for
EFT has dramatically reduced the time needed to treat almost all psychological
issues. What used to take months or years now requires just a few minutes or hou
rs. The procedure is painless and its results are lasting. If EFT did nothing bu
t alleviate fears, anxieties and phobias, I would have been pleased. But along t
he way, we kept noticing that profound physical healings were also taking place.
Vision improved, headaches disappeared, cancer pains and symptoms subsided, and
so on.
Western physicians pay no attention to the bodys energy and its flow along the in
visible channels called meridians, and they give little credence to the emotiona
l causes of illness. These emotional factors and the energy blocks they produce
are the centerpiece of EFT. By combining focused thought and emotions with the r
elease of meridian energy blocks, EFT produces benefits in cases where the medic
al profession has given up. The reason is simple. We take aim at causes others h
ave disregarded.
The EFT Manual, which is freely downloadable from www.emofree.com, was written b
efore I realized or understood how effective EFT can be in the treatment of phys
ical symptoms such as back pain. Accordingly, it stresses emotional healings and
doesnt cover physical healings in the dramatic fashion in which they occur. Beca
use the manual has proven to be such an effective teaching tool, I have decided
to leave it as is rather than modify it to emphasize the treatment of physical s
ymptoms. It is the emotional and energetic factors that we need to understand, a
nd those are profusely illustrated in its pages while physical symptoms are only
briefly mentioned. For example, only two of the EFT Manuals case reports describ
e physical pain.
Case history #11 - Physical pain.
Lea attended one of the workshops I did for hypnotherapy students. She told me b
efore the workshop that she had a lot of tight muscles and physical pain. I walk
ed her through EFT for relief of the pain around her neck and shoulders. It subs
ided within two minutes. About an hour into the three-hour workshop, I asked her
if the pain in her neck and shoulders had come back. She said no and then said
that the rest of the pain in her body had subsided as well....
This is an example of how we address one problem with EFT and discover that othe
r healings occur along the way. In Lea s case, the relief we gave to her neck an
d shoulder pain spilled over to the rest of her body. We then did another round
of EFT and the balance of the pain went away, and it stayed away for the rest of
the workshop. Pain like this is often caused by emotional distress and that s w
hy EFT can be so effective in addressing it. However, new emotional stresses may
bring the pain back. If so, repeated uses of EFT will likely give relief.
Case history #12 - Low back pain.
Donna is another example along these lines. She, too, attended one of my worksho

ps and had such severe lower back pain that she didn t think she could stay for
the entire one-day workshop. "I just can t sit that long," she said. I helped he
r with EFT and her back did not bother her for the entire day.
These examples hint at whats possible, but the full story of EFT as a treatment f
or back pain deserves a book of its own.
Please keep in mind that all of the EFT techniques, approaches, formulas, and pr
ocedures described here apply not only to back pain but to all types of pain. Th
ey work equally well on migraines and other headaches, joint pain, arthritis, br
oken bones muscle sprains, bruises, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, sports
injuries, eyestrain foot pain, toothaches, menstrual cramps, and indigestion. T
hese same methods also work on all aspects of emotional pain. Its no exaggeration
to say that the more you use and practice EFT, the easier it will be to apply i
t to any type of pain or discomfort quickly and with a minimum of effort.
EFT is a do-it-yourself treatment method that combines acupressure (tapping on k
ey acupuncture points, which are also called acupoints) with focused thought.
Its underlying premise is that the cause of all negative emotions, and most of o
ur
physical symptoms, is a disruption in the bodys energy system.
At its most basic, EFT combines a short description of a problem with an Acceptan
ce Phrase, a short Reminder Phrase, and tapping. The entire treatment usually tak
es less than a minute.
My interest in self-improvement tools goes back several decades, and by studying
and experimenting over the years, I discovered several helpful techniques that
I used myself and taught to others. One that I found very helpful was Neuro Ling
uistic Programming or NLP. I became a Master Practitioner of NLP and used it wit
h many people.
Then I discovered Roger Callahan, Ph.D., a Southern California psychologist who
used a new kind of energy healing to eliminate intense fears and phobias in minu
tes. His method consisted of tapping on acupuncture points with the fingertips.
It sounded too far out to take seriously, but I took a look at some of his video
s and was stunned to see that this unusual form of acupressure relieved even the
most intense emotions in just a few minutes with permanent, lasting results.
I was trained as an engineer at Stanford University and, like most engineers, Im
an experimentalist at heart. Theories are interesting, but results are what matt
er. I took Dr.
Callahans training and became a practitioner of his techniques, and I never cease
d to be amazed at the results. Thats when I began to appreciate the connections b
etween the mind, the physical body, and the bodys energy system. Medical doctors
study the electrical activity of our brains with electroencephalograms (EEGs) an
d our hearts with electrocardiograms (ECGs or EKGs) all the time. Electricity fl
ows through us from the moment were conceived until we die.
Just where and how it flows is a fascinating study. Thousands of years ago, Chin
ese physicians mapped the bodys energy paths, the meridians, which are connected
by hundreds of key points. They perfected a system of pulse diagnosis, in which
pulses coursing through the wrist reveal whether a meridians energy is moving smo
othly and in the right direction or is blocked, slowed, or moving incorrectly. W
hen a meridians key points are stimulated with the incredibly thin needles used i
n acupuncture, with burning herbs held just above the surface of the skin (calle
d moxibustion), or by fingertip massage (called acupressure), the blocks that in
terfere with the free flow of Chi, or energy, are removed. As soon as that happe
ns, energy flows and the action or efficiency of the organ linked to the affecte
d meridian improves. In this way acupuncturists routinely treat all types of dis
ease and discomfort.
In EFT, gentle fingertip tapping on key acupuncture points clears energy blocks
along the bodys meridians. That by itself would improve health and well being. Bu
t EFT does much more. When tapping is combined with focused thought, especially
emotional thought about physical symptoms or past events that are in any way lin
ked to them, the symptoms clear up and so do the emotions that contributed to th
em.

This is why EFTs results can be so lasting. Once pain-causing emotions are cleare
d they no longer trigger physical symptoms and youre free from debilitating emoti
ons as well as debilitating pain.
There are several ways to learn EFT. You can start with reading the freely downl
oadable EFT manual from www.emofree.com. It describes the science behind EFT, it
s basic procedure, tips for applying it, case histories, how to correct factors
that can interfere with EFT, shortcuts, and recommendations for improving result
s. You can read the entire manual on your computer, but most students print it o
ut or have it printed at a copy center, then place it in a three-ring binder or
have it bound for convenience.
Some add blank pages for note taking, or they use Post-It notes and highlighters
to mark important sections for review.
My favorite way to learn EFT is to watch our DVDs, which show EFT in action in a
variety of settings, from a hotel swimming pool (Daves Fear of Water) to a Veteran
s Administration Hospital where Vietnam War veterans used EFT to treat their Pos
t- Traumatic Stress Disorder, to live seminars in which people with all kinds of
problems volunteered to be treated onstage. To help spread the word about EFT,
these DVDs are economically priced, and they come with my written permission to
make up to 100 copies of each and every disc to give away.
The official EFT website, www.emofree.com, offers many resources including my on
line tutorial, which is a series of instructions, explanations, and exercises th
at can help you move from the most basic and fundamental EFT techniques to what
I call the art of delivery, the combination of skill and talent for presenting E
FT that comes with experience and imagination.
Over 50 books about EFT have been written by practitioners, students, health car
e professionals, and other experts, providing instructions and all types of exam
ples.
Still another way to learn EFT is to attend a workshop or demonstration conducte
d by an EFT instructor or practitioner. These are held in libraries, adult schoo
ls, restaurants private homes, clinics, conference centers, offices, meeting roo
ms, and wherever people gather. You will get the most out of these workshops if
you have first seen the DVDs.
And there are many opportunities to learn EFT and hone your skills online. My EF
T Insights Newsletter is called The Heartbeat of EFT because it features breaking
news reports from users on every topic imaginable, tips from our website, and li
nks to practitioners. In addition, dozens of EFT practitioners have their own we
bsites with helpful reports, and there are several EFT-related forums and chat g
roups whose members support each other with questions, answers, recommendations,
and suggestions.
My purpose in writing a series of e-books about EFT is to expand on the manual a
nd explore, in depth, EFTs application to common conditions. Many who are new to
EFT understand its basic formula but arent sure what to do with it. They may have
a hunch that their back pain or the back pain of someone they are trying to hel
p has something to do with an emotional issue or past event, but they dont know h
ow to uncover or utilize that information. Most of all, they have no idea what w
ords to use for best results.
This book is designed to help you learn EFT and immediately take it to a new lev
el.
Throughout its chapters, youll find explanations, examples, ideas, forms to fill
out, and scripts you can borrow. Best of all, the reports shared by EFT practiti
oners and students are actual examples of EFT in action. Among other topics it c
overs:
Why EFT often works where nothing else will.
How to use EFT for simple pain relief from any source whatsoever.
How to use EFT when emotional issues contribute to pain.
How to know what words to use to define, describe, and address your pain.
How to discover what conditions might contribute to the pain.
How to use that information in your EFT session for fast and lasting results.
How others have used EFT to eliminate their back pain.

Recent medical discoveries about what causes back pain.

And everything you need to take control of your life and your very healthy back.
EFT approaches pain much differently than does conventional medicine and that is
why it frequently provides major relief where drugs, surgery, and radiation fai
l miserably.
Medical schools train physicians to look at our bodies as bags of chemicals and
body parts with little or no emphasis on their energetic nature. Instead, doctor
s examine X-rays, blood tests, and brain scans to discover why we have pain.
Interestingly, I have spoken with medical doctors who routinely examine X-rays,
MRI scans, and the like, and they report that patients often have pain when ther
e is no apparent cause while others have no pain where they should have it.
This is one of many Medical Mysteries. However, the mysterious veil lifts if we
include the energetic and emotional nature of our bodies within the picture. Any
seasoned EFTer can tell you story after story about healings that occurred when
nothing was done except a simple balancing of the bodys energy meridians.
Albert Einstein told us over 100 years ago that everything, including our bodies
, is composed of energy. That is what his famous E=mc2 formula is all about. It
has had a profound impact on science over the last century. Nonetheless, Western
medical schools basically ignore this and continue to focus on the bodys chemica
l nature.
That is an astonishing oversight. Why did we turn our backs on this most importa
nt scientific discovery? Was it because theres not much money in it? Was it due t
o the influence of the drug companies? Who knows?
Our bodies abound with energy. Subtle amounts of electricity (energy) circulate
throughout our bodies and are vital for brain, heart, and organ function. Withou
t this essential energy our bodies would come to an instant halt. Every physicia
n knows this yet the medical folks merely measure these energies via EEG, EKG, a
nd other medical equipment. They dont use them for healing.
While Western medicine has not yet determined how or why acupuncture works sever
al medical studies conducted in the United States and Europe have shown that it
does, and one of the most recent, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine
on September 24, 2007, proves its effectiveness for back pain. The most intrigu
ing part of this study, which was conducted by physicians and researchers at lea
ding German medical schools, is that it tested both real and sham or pretend acupunctu
re. This patient- and observer-blinded randomized controlled trial involved 1162
patients age 18 to 86, all of whom had a history of low back pain lasting sever
al years.
Patients underwent ten 30-minute sessions, generally two sessions per week, of a
cupuncture according to principles of traditional Chinese medicine (387 patients
); sham acupuncture, consisting of superficial needling at non-acupuncture point
s (387 patients); or conventional therapy, a combination of drugs, physical ther
apy, and exercise (388 patients).
After six months, the response rates were high for the two acupuncture groups an
d much lower for the conventional therapy group. In fact, the researchers conclu
ded, the positive effect of both real (47.6 percent) and sham acupuncture (44.2
percent) was almost identical and both were nearly twice as effective as convent
ional therapy which brought relief to only 27.4 percent of the patients who used
it.
These are fascinating results, for they strongly suggest that pretend acupuncture
removes energy blocks and improves the flow of chi. EFT can be considered a prete
nd acupuncture, too, and it not only stimulates real acupuncture points; it combi
nes that stimulation with intention or focused thought, which makes the treatmen
t even more effective.
Medical schools provide little or no training in understanding or treating the e
motional causes or illness, disease, or discomfort. They just make an occasional
reference to stress aggravating certain problems, and thats as far as they go.
Yet our emotions have a profound effect on our physical symptoms. We all know th
is intuitively. For example, if I threw a live rattlesnake in your lap, wouldnt y

ou have an instant emotion such as fear that would pump major amounts of adrenal
ine throughout your body?
When you are angry, doesnt your blood pressure go up? Doesnt your heart pound fast
er? Dont the veins in your neck stand out? Doesnt your face flush? During sexual a
rousal an emotion doesnt your body change in profound ways? And dont negative emot
ions sometimes cause your stomach to tighten your throat to constrict your head
to ache?
These are obvious everyday proofs that our emotions profoundly impact our bodies
. Yet how do these clear causes for our various symptoms escape the medical prof
ession?
Why arent energy and emotions the front-running candidates as causes of pain and
disease?
Physicians are taught early on in their training that the brain produces a wide
array of chemicals that depend on our emotional moods. In fact, our brains are o
ften referred to by the medical folks as the worlds most prolific pharmacy".
Negative emotions produce buckets of negative chemicals that circulate throughout
the body causing excess acidity, chemical imbalances, and the like. It doesnt tak
e a genius to predict the effect on our health of this consistent barrage of che
mical insults. It is like putting bad gas in our automobiles. The eventual break
down is both predictable and inevitable.
Positive emotions, on the other hand, generate healing chemicals and serve to pr
oduce balance. Have you ever noticed that love, laughter, and joy tend to reduce
pain?
Perhaps you can now see why, as EFT moves our systems from negative to positive
emotions, it often provides powerful healing.
With these thoughts in mind, we see that the cause of our physical pains and sym
ptoms must include our negative emotions because, without them, the resulting ch
emical imbalances would not occur.
Yet, the medical folks approach this problem AS THOUGH THE UNWANTED CHEMICALS AR
E THE PROBLEM. Thats why they offer drugs additional chemicals to counteract the
effects of the unwanted chemicals. To them, that is the solution.
However, these body chemicals are NOT the problem. They are instead SYMPTOMS of
the problem, and common sense would suggest that long-term, lasting relief comes
from addressing the CAUSE (the negative emotions) and not the SYMPTOMS (the res
ulting chemicals). Thats what this book is about.
I am privileged to count many dedicated physicians as my personal friends. I hav
e endless respect for their many talents and superb training regarding the chemi
cal nature of the body. Many medical discoveries are impressive indeed and my do
ctor friends have countless wonderments at their disposal.
But their approach is limited.
It focuses on chemistry and does little or nothing about the energetic and emoti
onal causes of pain and disease. When, for example, was the last time your physi
cian spent any quality time asking you about your anger, fear, trauma, grief, an
d the like? Doesnt he or she just prescribe drugs or other conventional treatment
s instead?
That is where EFT comes in.
My hope is that by seeing how other people improved their lives and their backs
with EFT, youll develop a new set of strategies for dealing with pain and every o
ther challenge that comes your way.