“Coming Out” as an EFT practitioner

Emotional Freedom Techniques Forges Ahead

I have to admit, in spite of the benefits that I have observed in myself and my patients (see previous post) as a result of using EFT, I still, sometimes, feel a bit sheepish “coming out” to others as an EFT practitioner. Emotional Freedom Techniques is considered a CAM, Complementary and Alternative Modality. Although many strides have been made over the past few years in demonstrating the effectiveness of EFT in helping people deal  with many different psychological/emotional issues, there are still many who view the strange-looking tapping techniques with skepticism. It is difficult for many to believe, even when they witness or experience it, that long-held psychological/emotional issues can be rapidly vanquished where other, more conventional, approaches have failed. When I added “Mindfulness-based” as descriptor of my professional orientation to my web site a few years ago, I thought that was moving a bit out on the limb of credibility. At the time, little did I know that I would be exploring a modality that is, sometimes affectionately and other times derisively, referred to as “Wo0-W00.”

Research Supports EFT Efficacy

The support for the efficacy of EFT has been steadily increasing over the past few years. Many professional organizations of the therapy community, including the National Board of Certified Counselors, Association of Social Work Boards, National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors and, most recently,  the American Psychological Association have all approved the study of energy psychology techniques, including EFT, for continuing education credits. These organizations that work to maintain the integrity of the mental health professions have deemed energy psychology to be worthy of consideration and further study.

The psychological community is slow to embrace new methodologies. Thankfully, before a modality is accepted, it must undergo stringent studies. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a very widely used modality, was not fully accepted until after about 20 years of scrutiny. EFT was introduced in 1995 with many years passing before anyone considered researching it. Here is an article that discusses a new study that validates EFT’s effectiveness stating, “EFT has actually met the criteria for evidence-based treatments set by the American Psychological Association for a number of conditions, including post-traumatic distress syndrome (PTSD).”

More and more I am receiving calls from prospective patients who have found my profile among those of other energy psychology practitioners on the Gold Standard EFT and Association For Energy Psychology web sites. It is exciting to me when someone calls and, specifically, asks about EFT.

I’ll continue to be a pioneer in the area of energy psychology, after all, pioneering is in my blood. Several years after moving to Utah from the east, I learned that my maternal grandfather had spent time working on the railroads in the west. As a young man, he had left Greece on a steamer ship, crossed the Atlantic and, then, traveled across the continent, looking for a place to land, a true pioneer.

If you’d like to know more about EFT, visit my tapping web site or contact me . I’ll be happy to talk about it.

Working way too hard

There’s a story that I first read in one of Steven Covey’s books about a lumberjack.  It goes something like this:

An old lumberjack labored at the side of the road. He had a huge stack of large logs that needed to be cut into more manageable pieces. He had been at it for a while, his dull saw getting bound up in the logs as he struggled to cut. The old lumberjack was cursing and sweating when a young man came walking down the road.

“It looks like you’ve been working hard.” the young man said. “Why don’t you take a break in the shade, drink some water and sharpen your saw?”

“Can’t you see how much work I have before me? If I take time to sharpen my saw, I’ll have to stop working.” replied the lumberjack.

“But you could work so much more efficiently if your saw were sharp,” advised the young man.

“I’m much too busy to stop working. Now, please leave me to my work.”

Sharpen the saw for a smoother cut

Of course, stopping to sharpen the saw in this story represents being present enough in our lives to be able to recognize and respond to the need to take care of ourselves. I

Thrive by caring enough about yourself to keep your saw sharp.

often wonder what the world would be like if we were all more skilled at recognizing our inherent value to the point that we would acknowledge when our saws were dull and to tend to them. We wouldn’t be “too busy” to exercise or “not have the time” to meditate.

Hidden Energy Killers

Steven Covey says, “Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you.”  Here’s a good article, Do You Know the Hidden Energy Killers in Your Life?  It offers some sound suggestions for managing our energy through engaging in self-enhancing behaviors and avoiding the behaviors that deplete us of our life force. Here’s to moving along the path of valuing ourselves enough to stop and sharpen our saws.