EFT for Addiction Treatment

EFT for Addictions
Emotional Freedom Techniques Training
Masha Bennett
Neurolinguistic Psychotherapist
Advanced EFT Practitioner & Trainer AAMET
www.practicalhappiness.co.uk
www.eft4addictions.co.uk

EFT: Definitions & Claims
“Acupuncture without needles”
“Emotional form of acupuncture”
“Acupressure combined with
cognitive therapy”
“A New Age fad”
“Power therapy”
“Universal healing aid”
“One-minute wonder tool”
“A placebo”
“Another form of quackery”
“Tapping therapy” “Pseudo –science”
A fad or a valuable tool?
www.practicalhappiness.co.uk

Brief History of EFT
Traditional Chinese Medicine / Acupuncture : < 5000 years ago
Thought Field Therapy (TFT): developed in the USA by Dr Roger Callahan , 1980s
Thecase of Mary
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT): developed in the USA by Gary Craig, 1990s

EFT Applications for Addictions
Reducing / eliminating cravings
Alleviating withdrawal symptoms
Managing anxiety, fear, grief , anger, guilt
Relieving physical pain and tension
Addressing irrational & negative thinking
Healing past trauma
Enhancing sense of control
Reducing risk of relapse
Stress management & personal development tool for therapists

How does EFT work?
No proven explanation of mechanism
Popular view: balancing of the body’s energy system in relation to a specific issue?
High concentration of mechanoreceptors in areas of skin associated with acupoints
Signal produced by stimulating the points appears to reach the limbic system in the brain and reduce arousal
Stimulates endorphin production
Dual attention / Adaptive information processing? - Effects comparable to those of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing)

Main EFT Acupressure Points
EFT Point Meridian point
CR – Crown Several points
EB – Eyebrow Bladder 2
SE – Side of Eye Gall Bladder 1
UE – Under Eye Stomach 1
UN – Under Nose Governing Vessel 27
CH – Chin Central Vessel 24
CB – Collarbone Kidney 27
UA – Under Arm Spleen 17
TH – Thumb Lung 11
IF – Index Finger Large Intestine 1
MF – Middle Finger Pericardium 9
RF – Ring Finger Triple Warmer 1
LF – Little Finger Heart 9
KC – Karate Chop Small Intestine 3
SS – “Sore Spot” (not an acupressure point, but a neurolymphatic area)

ABC of EFT
Awareness of the problem/issue
Specific description
SUD (Subjective Units of Distress) – for emotions/physical sensations, or VoC (Validity of Cognition) – for beliefs, rating on the scale of 1 – 10
Balancing
Stimulation of the Karate Chop point, or the “Sore Spot”
“Set-up” statement to include description of problem and a positive affirmation, the latter usually about self
Clearing
Stimulation of the sequence of points
Focus on problem emotions, physical sensations, thoughts, images
“Reminder phrase” (naming the problem) at each point to maintain focus

Awareness of the problem
Specific description, e.g.
General More Specific
“I feel stressed at “I am worried about not
work” finishing my report on time”
“I am in pain” “I have a sharp stabbing pain in my left shoulder“
“I am fed up” “I am annoyed with my friend for not ringing me on time”

Awareness-Balancing-ClearingAwareness of the problem cont.
Rating/Scaling the problem
SUD (Subjective Units of Distress) 0– 10
VoC (Validity of Cognition) 0 – 10
where 0 is no intensity, and 10 is maximum intensity
Alternative scaling methods, e.g. for kids
Use arms to show how “big” the problem is
Traffic light system Red – high intensity
Amber – medium intensity
Green – calm

Awareness-Balancing-ClearingAwareness of the problem cont.
What to pay attention to in the client’s language in description of the problem
Mental images, e.g. “I can still see those scary eyes”
Emotions, e.g. “I feel sadness”
Thoughts, e.g. “I don’t know why it’s upsetting me so”
Physical Sensations, e.g. “churning in my stomach”
Belief Statements, e.g. “I should be able to cope better”
Sounds/Voices, e.g. “I can hear him say ‘It’s your fault’…”
Smells, e.g. “I can still smell her perfume”
Taste, e.g. “metallic taste in my mouth”
Metaphors, e.g. “heavy burden on my shoulders”

Awareness-Balancing-Clearing Awarenessof the problem cont.
Non-verbal cues to pay attention to:
Facial expression, e.g. sad, smiling, confused, scared
Breathing, e.g. fast, slow, deep, shallow, (ir)regular etc
Muscle tone, e.g. tense, relaxed
Skin colour, e.g. pale, red, blotchy
Eyes, e.g. gaze fixed or moving, bright, dull, tearful etc
Voice tone & pitch
Speed/rate of speech e.g. fast, slow
Use of emphasis, e.g. “…and then IT HAPPENED..”
Posture, e.g. upright, slumped, open, closed
Gestures, e.g. their location, fast, slow, small, large
Sweating, e.g. sweaty palms

Psychological Reversal 1
Psychological Reversal can be defined as Self-Sabotage on both psychological and energetic levels.
Psychological Reversal can be assumed to be always present in:
eating disorders
serious addiction
clinical depression
serious chronic illnesses
and may be present with other issues/conditions

Psychological Reversal 2
If uncorrected, Psychological Reversal is likely to stop the treatment (EFT or any other) from working
Can be detected through muscle testing (as in kinesiology) – however, this requires skill and often takes longer than the EFT Set-up / Balancing, so testing is usually unnecessary.

Awareness-Balancing-ClearingBalancing/ Set-up
The Purpose of Balancing is to correct for any Psychological Reversal / Self-Sabotage present.
The correction is TEMPORARY, and the Psychological Reversal can “kick-in” again within minutes or even seconds
The Balancing/Set-up is normally repeated at the start every sequence of tapping

Awareness-Balancing-Clearing Balancing/ Set-up cont.
The Balancing or Set-up Phrase has two main components:
Statement of Problem / Issue
Positive affirmation about self
Typical structure of the Balancing Phrase:
“Even though [insert problem]…
…I accept myself.”

Awareness-Balancing-ClearingBalancing/ Set-up 3
Examples of Balancing / Set-up Phrases:
”Even though [problem]….
… I deeply and completely accept myself”
… I love and accept myself”
…I forgive myself”
…I give myself permission to… [heal, relax etc]”
…I am OK”
…I am a good person”
…I am cool”

Awareness-Balancing-ClearingClearing
Tapping through the rest of the points, 7+ times
Reminder Phrase at each point , e.g.
“This [problem]”
“Remaining [problem]”
“This [aspect of problem]”
Important Note:
Reminder Phrase is NOT an affirmation
It’s function is to keep us focused on the problem

The Movie Technique
How long does the movie last?
If longer than a few minutes, it may need to be split into more than one movie
Give the Movie / Memory a title, e.g. “Incident at Sainsbury’s”
What type of movie is it – drama, horror, thriller, tragi-comedy, action film?
Tap on the title of the movie
After one or two rounds check if OK to look at individual scenes.

The Movie Technique cont.
Client to choose one scene & name it
Usually the most emotionally charged scene, though sometimes we may work in chronological order
Tap on the scene until the emotion subsides, then move to the next one
It is important that there is only one emotional “peak” in each scene
At the end get the client to “watch the movie” from beginning to end
Check for remaining intensity, tap more if needed

Shortcut for Cravings
EFT Shortcut for relieving cravings / urges
Tap on the following points (both sides) whilst focusing on the physical sensation, emotions and cognitions associated with the craving:
Under Eye (Stomach 1)
Collar Bone (Kidney 27)
Under Arm (Spleen 17)
Collar Bone (Kidney 27)
Repeat a number of times until craving subsides. Revert to full protocol if required.
Typical effects of EFT on cravings
Intensity of craving / desire decreases, often dramatically
Perceived smell of food / substance changes (usually from pleasant to unpleasant or neutral)
Tension & anxiety reduces

Aspects
Aspect = Emotionally significant component of the issue
Aspects can be
Conscious
Unconscious
Remembered
Imagined
Aspects can emerge
Sequentially
Simultaneously
Both
Aspects can often be broken into smaller aspects
Aspects can be
Emotional
Cognitive
Visual
Kinaestethic
Auditory
Olfactory
Gustatory
Symbolic

Side Effects
Side-effects may include
Tiredness, lethargy, yawning
Light-headedness, dizziness
Temporary increase in emotional charge
Pain/ache moving to another location
Different emotion emerging
Repressed memories surfacing
Feeling of nausea
The best way to deal with the side-effects No.3 to 7 is to continue tapping until the discomfort is alleviated.

Contra-indications
Clients with high blood pressure
avoid tapping on the head
can use any other point instead, e.g. collarbone
Pregnant women
avoid tapping on inside ankle point as it is thought to stimulate uterus
avoid working with core beliefs in the 1st trimester (?)
Client in Pre-contemplation
Avoid directly pursuing the issue which is being denied
Work on any distress experienced by the client
Therapist’s competence & confidence
psychotic symptoms / schizophrenia
manic depression / bi-polar disorder
multiple severe trauma
Only use EFT with the above if you already have knowledge / experience of working with this client group

EFT Survey by M. Bennett in 2008
71 respondents
including 49 practitioners 22 lay users
Table 1. Self-reported frequency of successful outcome with EFT
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Results for self Results for other
Frequency no. % no. % Frequency
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Never 0 0 3 4.2 Never
>25% 1 1.4 2 2.8 >25%
25-50% 5 7.0 2 2.8 25-50%
50-70% 12 16.9 9 12.7 50-70%
70-90% 24 33.8 24 33.8 70-90%
90-100% 29 40.8 29 40.8 90-100%
________________________________________________________________________________________________

EFT Survey cont.
Table 2. Top 10 issues
for which EFT was reported to be effective
__________________________________________________________
no. % Issue
________________________________________________________________________
65 91.5 Anxiety/Panic
55 77.5 Anger
76.1 Confidence/Self-esteem
53 74.6 Relationship issues
51 71.8 Depression
64.8 Pain Management
45 63.4 Trauma/PTSD
42 59.2 Phobias
41 57.7 Addictions
38 53.5 Abuse issues

EFT Survey cont.
Table 3. Comparison of EFT with other approaches by practitioners

Masha’s Contact Details
W: www.eft4addictions.co.uk
W: www.practicalhappiness.co.uk
E: masha@eft4addictions.co.uk
E: masha@practicalhappiness.co.uk
T: +44 (0)7887 617558
A: Practical Happiness, PO Box 142, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 9AD
Skype: masha.bennett
Masha Bennett is based near Manchester, UK and travels nationally and internationally to teach EFT to health professionals and general public

Main References
Bennett, M. (2009) Use of EFT Survey. In preparation for publication in Journal of Holistic Healthcare.
Bennett, M. (2009). EFT: Tapping into New Solutions. Addiction Today, Jan-Feb 2009, pp.30-31
Craig, G. The EFT Manual – downloadable from www.emofree.com

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EFT for Addiction Treatment

by Masha Bennett on Jul 31, 2009

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EFT for Addiction Treatment — Presentation Transcript