This is a brief history and underlying theory of Emotional Freedom
(and related) Techniques, upon which, in great part, Emotional Balancing Process is based. This material is taken from EFT creator, Gary Craig’s web site, emofree.com. I encourage you to visit it and learn about this incredible healer and his amazing techniques and theories. I am most indebted to him. I also bow in gratitude to Larry Nims, PhD, who developed the Be Set Free Fast technique, which is the second phase of Emotional Balancing Process. I am so grateful that these talented, generous healer-teachers have allowed us to partake of their wisdom, experience and knowledge. Thank you, thank you. Now, here’s the skinny on one of the most powerful processes I do in my practice.

The basic underlying theories and techniques of EFT were discovered over 5,000 years ago. A collection of brilliant people discovered, and mapped the centerpiece of EFT, namely, the subtle energies that course throughout the body. These subtle energies are also the centerpiece of acupuncture and, as a result, EFT and acupuncture are cousins. In more recent times, some other dedicated souls have advanced our use of these ancient techniques. Principal among them is Dr. George Goodheart and his many fine contributions to the field of Applied Kinesiology, a forerunner to EFT.

Dr. John Diamond’s work gets exceptional applause because, to Gary’s knowledge, he was one of the first psychiatrists to use, and write about, these subtle energies. His many pioneering concepts, together with the advanced ideas from Applied Kinesiology, are a part of the foundation of this technique.

Dr. Roger Callahan, from whom Gary received his original introduction to these procedures, deserves all the credit history can give him. He was first to bring these techniques to the public in a substantial way and did so despite open hostility from his own profession. As you might appreciate, it takes heavy doses of conviction to plow through the ingrained beliefs of conventional thinking. Without Roger Callahan’s missionary drive, we might still be sitting around theorizing about this “interesting thing.” It is upon the shoulders of these giants that Gary claims to humbly stand. His contribution to this rapidly expanding field has been to reduce the unnecessary complexity that inevitably finds its way into new discoveries. EFT is an elegantly simple version of these procedures that professionals and laypersons alike can use on a wide variety of problems.

EFT (and other energetic psychology techniques) is based on the discovery that imbalances in the body’s energy system have profound effects on one’s personal psychology. Correcting these imbalances, which is done by tapping on certain body locations, often leads to rapid remedies. By rapid, I mean, most of the problems vanish in minutes!!! (This is especially so when you reduce the problems to specific negative events in your life.)

This process is predicated on the following belief about the source or cause of our emotional problems, which Gary offers in the form of The Discovery Statement:
*“The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.

So this means that it’s not the traumas nor even the memories of the traumas that are the cause of suffering; it’s the disruption in the energy system caused by the trauma that we must address if we are to relieve our client’s (or our own) suffering.

Gary’s argument in support of this assertion is this: …if (a) memory does not cause a disruption in the body’s energy system then the negative emotion cannot occur.
That is why some people are bothered by their memories and others are not. The difference is that some people have a tendency for their energy systems to become imbalanced under the influence of certain memories, while others do not.

This is also why some people tend to get worse when conventional psychology aims for the memory and not its cause (the energy disruption). Requiring someone to vividly relive a distressing memory serves to induce more disruption in the energy system. And that means more pain, not less. It can, and often does, aggravate the problem. If the energy disruption were addressed then there would be relatively little pain. With EFT, the energy system is re-balanced (by appropriate tapping) and internal calm replaces the negative emotion. This results in rapid relief because the true cause is addressed. This is what happens repeatedly with EFT.

Now back again to the “Discovery Statement.” Please notice that it is all-inclusive. It says, “The cause of ALL negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.” This includes fears, phobias, anger, grief, anxiety, depression, traumatic memories, PTSD, worry, guilt and all limiting emotions in sports, business and the performing arts. That’s a comprehensive list and covers just about every restrictive emotion we can experience. Differently stated, this means that all these negative emotions have the same cause. It also means they can all be relieved in a similar manner. This list sounds an awful lot like what hypnotherapy can help with, which is why I have added Emotional Balancing Process to my repertoire of interventions to assist my clients to heal their hurts as quickly and efficiently as possible!
Following is a description of the “general issue approach”, which I do when a client is unable to describe a specific incident related to the problem area. It works and is not to be dismissed as too basic, although we have found that the more specific one can be with a disturbing issue, the more effective the process is. But the “basic recipe” works & is what we did for many years, before Gary discovered about the benefit of specificity.

The Basic Recipe: The 100% overhaul concept is EFT’s end run around diagnosis (he chooses not to teach muscle testing etc. in his course due to the complexity of such processes and the time it takes to apply them). So essentially we overdo it. We use a memorized process called The Basic Recipe with which we apply enough tapping procedures to overhaul the whole energy system. This way, our odds of fixing the specific energy imbalance are greatly enhanced, even though we have no ability to diagnose. Therefore it is very practical to do. The 100% overhaul concept requires that you tap near the end points of numerous energy meridians without knowing which of them may be disrupted. In this way you “over tap” and will, in the process, tap on some energy meridians that are flowing normally. You might wonder if this does any harm. The answer is no. No harm is done and you’ll probably fix what’s wrong.

One of the most important parts of the Basic Recipe is “The Set Up”. Here’s a brief description of what it is, why it’s important: The purpose of The Setup is to make sure the energy system is properly oriented before attempting to remove its disruptions.
Our energy system is subject to a form of electrical interference, which can block the balancing effect of these tapping procedures. When present, this interfering blockage must be removed or The Basic Recipe will not work. Removing it is the job of The Setup. Technically speaking, this interfering blockage takes the form of a polarity reversal within your energy system. This is not the same thing as the energy disruptions, which cause your negative emotions. This polarity reversal has an official name. It is called Psychological Reversal and is the reason why some diseases are chronic and respond very poorly to conventional treatments. It is also the reason why some people have such a difficult time losing weight or giving up addictive substances. It is, quite literally, the cause of self-sabotage.
Psychological Reversal is caused by self-defeating, negative thinking, which often occurs subconsciously and is thus outside of awareness. On average, it will be present and thus hinder EFT about 40% of the time. Some people have very little of it (this is rare) while others are beset by it most of the time (this also is rare). Most people fall somewhere in between these two extremes. It doesn’t create any feelings within you so you won’t know if it is present or not. Even the most positive people are subject to it. When it is present it will stop any attempt at healing, including EFT, dead in its tracks. Therefore…It must be corrected if the rest of The Basic Recipe is going to work. Being true to the 100% overhaul concept we correct for Psychological Reversal even though it might not be present. It only takes 8 or 10 seconds to do and, if it isn’t present, no harm is done. If it is present, however, a major impediment to your success will be out of the way.

That being said, here’s how The Setup works:
There are two parts to it…
1. You repeat an affirmation 3 times while you…
2. Rub the “Sore Spot” or, alternatively, tap the “Karate Chop” point (these will be explained shortly).

The Affirmation
Since the cause of Psychological Reversal involves negative thinking it should be no surprise that the correction for it includes a neutralizing affirmation. Such is the case for the basic process and here it is.
Even though I have this _____________, I deeply and completely accept myself. The blank is filled in with a brief description of the problem you want to address. Here are some examples.
**Even though I have this fear of public speaking, I deeply and completely accept myself.
**Even though I have this headache, I deeply and completely accept myself.

We are coming to believe that it doesn’t matter so much WHAT is said as that it’s an expression from one’s heart, from how one really feels that matters most. Therefore, when I perform the process in my office, I do the tapping and I say the words, with the client repeating after me. I say anything that comes to mind, that arises intuitively. The client repeats everything. Sometimes they will “correct” me and of course, I go with what comes to THEM intuitively!
Now here are some interesting points about the affirmation and these hold true for the advanced version of EFT, as well (to be described below).

**It doesn’t matter whether you believe the affirmation or not, just say it and have the client repeat it.
**It is better to say it with feeling and emphasis but saying it routinely will usually do the job.
**It is best to say it out loud but if you are in a social situation where you prefer to mutter it under your breath or do it silently then go ahead. It will probably be effective.

To add to the effectiveness of the affirmation, The Setup also includes the simultaneous rubbing of a “Sore Spot” or tapping on the “Karate Chop” point. I use the karate chop point most often as it is less intrusive, and usually less uncomfortable for the client! Gary prefers the sore spot, but uses the karate chop point when teaching, as it’s easier to see.

The Karate Chop Point
The Karate Chop point is located at the center of the fleshy part of the outside of your hand (either hand) between the top of the wrist and the base of the baby finger or stated differently the part of your hand you would use to deliver a karate chop. To stimulate this point you vigorously tap the Karate Chop point with the fingertips of the index finger and middle finger of the other hand. While you could use the Karate Chop point of either hand, it is usually most convenient to tap the Karate Chop point of the non-dominant hand with the two fingertips of the dominant hand. If you are right handed, for example, you would tap the Karate Chop point on the left hand with the fingertips of the right hand.
Now that you have the concept and the basics, let me share with you briefly the more advanced process of the mental movie and borrowing benefits.

The Mental Movie Method
The lack of consistency in response to the basic process was Gary’s motivation to develop an approach that allowed virtually everyone to resolve their emotional traumas.
Initially, he believed that humans are essentially alike at the energetic level, thus application of his process to any person should result in essentially the same response. This, of course, did not happen.
He came to understand that the subconscious (SC) mind in some people, acting as their “internal guardian angel”, prevented people from taking on, in total, their “big deal” (as the basic system asks them to do); it was just too painful, scary, sad; it was just too much. He needed to find a way to whittle down the size of the “big deal” to one virtually everyone/anyone could face and process.His response was to create a two tiered metaphor:
The foundational metaphor


The client’s “big deal” he likens to a table top; depending on how long the issue has been a problem, how big a problem it is etc. determines the size of a person’s table top (doesn’t really matter)
What holds a table top up? The legs: these he likens to each and every specific, individual experience, event, situation, attitude, belief or philosophy that supports “ the big deal”
He believed that if we can neutralize the negative emotions related to a “representational leg” under a person’s table top, in effect “kick the leg out from under the table top”, the SC mind would take care of the rest, kicking out from under the table top any and all other legs that even remotely resemble the “leg” we focus on in the session
If enough legs get kicked out from under the tabletop, what will happen to it? It collapses. This has been my experience with this process.
The functional metaphor


The mental movie: these are the memories, the past experiences that play out in our minds every day, all the time in the form of mental movies. They often serve to stir up our pain, fear, anger etc. and keep us stuck in our traumas. Focusing in on a single, specific “mental movie” proves to be the most powerful and successful way to use this process—and is the most challenging part of it! The SC tends to want to point out ALL the related incidents, but doing so dilutes the effect.

This approach comes from NLP and centers around the concept of sub-modalities.
Typically, an intense memory shows up as a mental movie that is clear, up close, in vivid color with loud, distinct sound and you are actually in the movie (although sometimes people sense that they are “behind the camera”, or can only see parts of themselves, like their arms or the back of their head). These are the aspects we assess in setting up the process.
The emotional intensity is usually in the 7-10 range (on a scale of 0-10) and these are the best movies to work with, as you will perceive the greatest change with them.

It is very important to focus on just one movie at a time. The subconscious has a tendency to generalize and make connections with other, similar movies, as was mentioned. This will tend to “dilute” the perception of change and resolution and so must be avoided to obtain the best results.

I offer Emotional Balancing Process as a telephone technique, if a person lives too far away to come to my office. It’s not as ideal, but clients have obtained excellent results none the less. I send or better, e mail the process forms ahead of time, which show the outline of the technique and have the tapping points mapped out for them to follow as we conduct the session. Emotional Balancing Process can help with almost any problem that arises; I use it with virtually every client who comes to my office, no matter what their issue is. It really is a universally applicable technique and “I won’t leave home witout it!!!”

Once we do a session together, either on the phone or in my office, clients can begin to do the process for themselves, with the forms to refer to and with my support via telephone or e mail.

The way to feel comfortable doing this process and realize its benefits is to do it!!! You cannot hurt yourself, you cannot do damage to your body-mind by doing it. The worst thing you can do, I believe, is NOT do it!!!

Please call or write to me if you would like more information