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Touch in any form has been shown to boost the immune system. When it is done in a loving environment with experienced healing hands it can be very powerful. It has a healing potential. The power of touch is miraculous in its simplicity. It is a necessary gift of nature, without which a human being cannot thrive. In the New Testament (Mark Ch5:25-34) we read of a woman with a blood problem for twelve years and had seen many doctors to no avail. She knew the power of touch and the transfer of energy for healing. The great healer, Jesus, was in town and the sick lady decided to make her way with the intention of touching or being touched by Him with the intense expectation of being healed. In her mind she had formulated her set up statement thus: “If only I could be touched by Him, I will be healed.” At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she was freed from her suffering. In the ancient scriptures the Vedas, touch has been used in ceremonial rituals with healing properties. Healing by touch and the repetition of the mantras (the problem statements) have been used by the ancient seers and healers. Among the Hindus the swamis are also healers using touch to provide relief, physical and psychological to their followers. The word Veda comes from the Sanskrit root word "VID" which means "to know". Veda means "pure knowledge". This knowledge is given at the time of creation for the entire humanity. Hence it is universal. It is the most precious intellectual wealth of everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, sect, colour, creed or country. Havan is known in Sanskrit as Agnihotra. In English Agni means Fire and Hotra means healing, so Agnihotra means healing-fire. At the yaj or havan or fire ceremony the Hindu priest (therapist) is actually using a form of healing/cleansing/clearing the meridian (acupuncture) energy points. The therapist or priest conducting the ceremony sits round a fire vessel with participants near and thinking about their individual problems and repeating certain mantras at the instruction of the priest/therapist. Then he asks them, using the index and the middle finger together, to dip these fingers in some water in the cupped hand of the other hand and touch the various energy points from eyebrows, near the eye, under nose, below the lip on the chin, the collarbone, the knees etc about three times. In those ancient times possibly the participants did not realize they were carrying some form of treatment for healing but the therapist would know as they were aware of the secret knowledge. Even today, among the Hindus very few would realize that they are participating in a healing ceremony; to many this is simply a religious ritual. It would be in the interest of all concerned if they were made aware of this healing approach. This form of touching or tapping rituals is now called EFT (emotional freedom techniques) founded by Gary Craig. This has been further studied and researched by clinical psychologist, Dr Roger Callahan. Today this approach is being used by many health professionals including psychotherapists. |
How does EFT work?
EFT is based on the Discovery Statement:
"The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system"
This is quite a change from the idea that our thoughts cause our emotions. Yes if you think about something upsetting you will feel upset but that is not a permanent disruption in your system. Instead, intense emotional experiences cause a disruption in energy system that is stored there and we experience as a recurring pattern or emotional state for years on until it is cleared. In EFT, clearing these disruptions is done by gentle tapping with the finger tips on easily accessible points on the face and upper body. While focusing on an emotion such as stress, fear, or anxiety, you tap on the acupressure points while repeating a phrase to keep you focused on one issue, enabling a fresh perspective and forward movement.”
Emotional Freedom Techniques
Gary Craig said “We have long known that the mind and body are one. Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT effectively forms the bridge between talk therapies and body therapies, from the premise that negative emotions are the conscious experience of a disturbance of body mind energy.”
EFT is a simple and powerful therapeutic tool that uses words to tune into an emotional disturbance which is then balanced and cleared using acupressure tapping. EFT is a permissive technique that can be used with a therapist/coach or by you to empower self-help. Derived from Thought Field Therapy, EFT uses a unified approach that does not require diagnosis. This simple tool for emotional healing was developed in the early nineties by Gary Craig, a personal performance coach with a fascination for the human potential, a clear spiritual calling, a background in business and a university education in engineering. I can not tell you how EFT works because I do not know. Modern science has not yet caught up with EFT. There are differing schools of thought regarding possible explanations. One school offers the Energy Psychology meridian based explanation derived from the relationship of "energy" and emotions and the study of acupuncture and kinesiology.
So, EFT is a therapeutic tool whereby someone taps on their face and body and repeats a form of words about their problem and the problem is no longer a problem. It used to be held in psychotherapy that a negative emotion was caused by a negative or traumatic memory or event. Every time this memory was accessed as a result of a thought or an environmental reminder of some sort the negative emotion was experienced. Thought Field Therapy Dr Callahan, however, discovered that there was a simple step in between the memory/thought and the negative emotion; and this was a disruption in the smooth flowing of the energy through the meridian system. Instead of the memory or thought causing the negative emotion, explained Dr Hartmann, according to the discovery statement, the process is more like this: “A thought or memory triggers a disruption in the body’s energy system which is experienced a physical or psychological pain.” Consequently, instead of trying to undo the thoughts or memories in some way, which has been tried in therapy for many years with unpredictable results, the energy based therapies directly intervene in the intermediate step. When the disruption in the energy system has been calmed and relieved, the person/sufferer experiences no more pain or negative emotions from the original memory or thought. Scientific Backing Einstein demonstrated that everything is energy (E=mc2); Thought Field Therapy is based on the premise that even thought is energy, which in the brain can be measured by EEG. TFT draws upon Eastern tradition and its understanding of the presence and importance of energy in the body. This energy system has not been disregarded by Western scientists who have applied hard science to this ancient knowledge (Callagan, pp26-27) Heart Rate Variability (HRV) The positive effects of TFT can be shown by a device long used in cardiological research to measure heart rate variability. The test quantifies variations in the intervals between heartbeats, which in turn are a window to the all –important autonomic nervous system. HRV has become a key to TFT; it shows TFT can directly influence the heart and balance the ANS thereby producing profound physical and psychological changes. Dr Callahan notes: “As HRV improves, so do physical and psychological well-being. This finding has enormous implications for enhancing our overall health.” Dr Callahan asks: “In a psychotherapeutic tradition that emphasizes talk therapy and/or drugs to treat emotional problems, what could be more peculiar than accessing energy systems by tapping specific points on the body- and, in the process, providing healing in just minutes?” TFT has been described the “power therapy” for the new millennium. We have a lot to learn from our ancestors. Only now and gradually will science provide supporting evidence of their practices. Further reading EFT in Your Pocket by Isy Grigg, 2005 Tapping The Healer Within by Roger Callahan, PhD, 2001, McGraw-Hill Adventures in EFT by Silvia Hartmann, PhD, 2003, DragonRising.com.UK Energy Tapping by Fred.P.Gallo,PhD et al,2000, New Harbinger Publications, inc.