Emotional Freedom Technique
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'''Emotional Freedom Technique''' (EFT) is a [[psychotherapy|psychotherapeutic]] [[alternative medicine]] tool based on a theory that negative emotions are caused by disturbances in the body's [[Energy (spirituality)|energy field]] and that tapping on the [[meridians]] while thinking of a negative emotion alters the body's energy field, restoring it to "balance." There are two studies which appear to show positive outcomes from use of the technique, but another study has suggested that it is indistinguishable from the [[placebo effect]]. Critics have described the theory behind EFT as [[pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] and have suggested that its utility stems from its more traditional cognitive components, such as distraction from negative thoughts, rather than from manipulation of energy meridians.
==Background==
EFT was created by Gary Craig in the mid 1990s, and is meant to be a simplification and improvement of Roger Callahan's [[Thought Field Therapy]] (TFT) techniques. Craig trained with Callahan in the early 1990s. In 1993, Craig was the first person Callahan trained in his most advanced procedure, a proprietary procedure known as Voice Technology. Craig found through his experience that the sequence of tapping points did not matter and that special proprietary procedures were therefore unnecessary, so by the mid 1990s he had simplified Callahan's procedures.
==Theory==
Proponents of EFT claim it relieves many psychological and physical conditions, including [[depression (mood)|depression]], [[anxiety]], [[post-traumatic stress disorder]], [[stress (medicine)|general stress]], [[addiction]]s and [[phobia]]s. More extreme claims have been made for [[multiple sclerosis]] and one proponent claims that "you can also use it for everything from the common cold to cancer.'" The basic EFT technique involves holding a disturbing [[memory]] or [[emotion]] in mind and simultaneously using the fingers to tap on a series of 12 specific points on the body that correspond to [[Meridian (Chinese medicine)|meridians]] used in [[Chinese medicine]]. There are 15 points, if one includes points nicknamed the "karate-chop point," "gamut spot," and the "sore spot," used to enhance the effectiveness of treatment. The theory behind EFT is that negative emotions are caused by disturbances in the body's [[Energy (spirituality)|energy field]] and that tapping on the meridians while thinking of a negative emotion alters the body's energy field, restoring it to "balance."
The theory states that negative emotions are built in the following stages: A negative experience occurs; negative emotions are felt in response to this negative experience, leading to inappropriate programming inside the body; and then the body's energy system gets disrupted due to these negative emotions. The contention of EFT is that in order to remove the negative responses, tackling the negative experience is not enough, because doing so cannot correct the energy imbalance. Rather, the energy imbalance must be restored along with curing the negative emotions.
The main difference between EFT and TFT lies not in principles, but in application. In TFT, a specific sequence of tapping points (known as an ''algorithm'') is used for a particular problem. This sequence is determined using [[muscle testing]], a procedure also used by [[applied kinesiology]].
In EFT, the order and sequence of tapping points is deemed to be unimportant, and therefore there are no individual algorithms for different problems. Instead, a comprehensive algorithm is used for all problems, and no diagnosis or muscle testing is required.
==Effectiveness==
EFT has been the subject of three [[peer-review]]ed publications as of 2007.
The first study, published in the ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' in 2003 (indexed in the ''Medline'' database) and funded by the [[Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology]], involved 35 patients with a [[phobia]] of small animals receiving a single treatment with EFT. The authors concluded that their findings were "largely consistent" with the hypothesis that EFT can reduce phobias of small animals in a single treatment session, but that methodological limitations in the study prevented any firm conclusions being drawn.<ref name="wells">{{cite journal |author=Wells S, Polglase K, Andrews H, Carrington P, Baker A |title=Evaluation of a meridian-based intervention, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), for reducing specific phobias of small animals |journal=J Clin Psychol |volume=59 |issue=9 |pages=943–66 |year=2003 |pmid=12945061 |doi=10.1002/jclp.10189}}</ref>
The second study, published in ''The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice'' in 2003 (indexed in the ''PsycInfo'' database), was conducted by Waite and Holder on 119 University students who reported specific fears or phobias.<ref name="smmh">{{cite journal | url=http://www.srmhp.org/0201/emotional-freedom-technique.html | title=Assessment of the Emotional Freedom Technique: An Alternative Treatment for Fear | author=Wendy L. Waite and Mark D. Holder | journal=The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice | year=2003 | volume=2 | issue=1 }}</ref>
This study compared four groups: A group that received a single-round regular EFT; a second group that received the same treatment except that they tapped on points in the arm that are not part of the standard EFT protocol; a third group that received the same treatment except that they tapped on the corresponding meridian points on an inanimate object (a doll) and a fourth group that was asked to make a toy. The participants were asked to self-report their fears before and after ''treatment'' on a [[SUDS]] scale.
The first three groups did statistically better than the fourth group, but there were no significant differences between the three tapping groups. That is, the groups that tapped on sham points and on the doll did just as well as the EFT group, but all three groups did better than the [[placebo|no-treatment]] group. Since the group that used the doll was not tapping on meridian points yet still benefited equally, the authors suggested this as a [[falsifiability|falsification]] of the theory that EFT works because of the body's energy meridian system. Proponents do not know why EFT works, and the common explanation is based on an ancient Chinese theory for [[acupuncture]].
The third study, published in ''Counseling and Clinical Psychology'' in 2005 (an erratically published journal not included in either the ''PsycInfo'' or ''Medline'' databases), a psychological test called the [[SA-45]] was used to test the levels of psychological distress on 102 participants of an experiential Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) workshop and to examine the long-term effects. The SA-45 was given before the workshop, after the workshop, 1 month after the workshop, and 6 months after the workshop. There was a statistically significant decrease in all measures of psychological distress as measured by the SA-45 from pre-workshop to post-workshop which held up at the 6 month follow-up.<ref>[http://www.psychologicalpublishing.com/ccpj/contents/v2_i3.htm Jack E. Rowe, The Effects of EFT on Long-Term Psychological Symptoms.] Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Volume 2, Issue 3 September 2005, (pp. 104-111), ISSN: 1545-4452 (online)1931-2091 (print)</ref>. This study, however, does not show that EFT ''in isolation'' yielded positive effects, and lacked valid controls.
==Criticism==
EFT has been labeled as [[pseudoscience]] in the ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' magazine, based on what the journal describes as its lack of [[falsifiability]], reliance on [[anecdotal evidence]], and aggressive promotion via the Internet.<ref name="csicop">{{cite journal | url=http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-07/thought-field-therapy.html | title=Can we really tap our problems away? | author=Brandon A. Gaudiano and James D. Herbert | journal=Skeptical Inquirer | year=2000 | volume=24 | issue=4}}</ref> Gary Craig, the developer of EFT, has argued that tapping anywhere on the body will manipulate "energy meridians". Skeptics have asserted that such an argument renders EFT untestable via the [[scientific method]], and therefore a pseudoscience.<ref name="csicop"/><ref name="gaudiano">[http://www.geocities.com/pseudoscience_2000/eft.html#14 TFT's Pseudoscience Cousins]. Accessed 5 Feb 2007.</ref> This argument is also addressed by the Waite and Holder paper, in which the participants tapped on a doll, rather than themselves. Waite and Holder have suggested that EFT's successes are likely to stem from "characteristics it shares with more traditional therapies", rather than manipulation of energy meridians via tapping. The 2003 study showed EFT, a modeling treatment and a placebo all produced a significant decrease in anxiety and fear over a control group.<ref name="smmh"/> A recent article in the [[The Guardian|Guardian]] suggested that the act of tapping parts of the body in a complicated sequence acts as a distraction from, and therefore can ''appear'' to alleviate the root distress.<ref name="Burkeman>{{cite news | author=Oliver Burkeman | title=Happy Talk | url=http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2009525,00.html | publisher=Guardian Monthly | date=March 2007}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Further reading==
* Fred Gallo (2000). ''Energy Psychology''; CRC Press.
* David Feinstein, [[Donna Eden]], Gary Craig (2006). ''The Healing Power of EFT and Energy Psychology: Revolutionary Methods for Dramatic Personal Change''; Piatkus Books.
* [[William A. Tiller]] (1997). ''Science and Human Transformation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality and Consciousness''; Pavior Publishing.
* Gillian Tarawhiti(2006). ''Gain Back Your Life with EFT;.
* Phillip Mountrose & Jane Mountrose: (2000) Getting Thru to Your Emotions with EFT; Holistic Communications
==External links==
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* [http://www.emofree.com Official site (run by Gary Craig)]
[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[Category:Energy therapies]]
[[Category:Manipulative therapy]]
[[Category:Emotional issues]]
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