Emotional Freedom Technique and PTSD

EFT Energy Healing Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Emotional Freedom Technique case records from around the world contain thousands of files about people who successfully used EFT therapy for stress relief of their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), regardless of cause. This is accomplished with simple tapping on the classic EFT acupressure points while holding the PTSD stressful thought or memory in mind.

Any one who uses EFT for PTSD sees this much differently. Posttraumatic stress disorder can occur when an individual is subjected to stressful events and a high state of anxiety and fear continues long after. Examples are: violent assault, a single abusive event, extreme mental and physical duress such as torture or anything perceived as torture by the individual, natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or tornadoes, war or terrorist bombings, automobile or plane crashes, road accidents, or any event accompanied by extreme fear and a sense of helplessness.

Those who use EFT to provide relief of PTSD find that results are often prompt and permanent, even though the traditional medical attitude is that posttraumatic stress disorder is a chronic mental disorder, for which it is often very difficult to determine the exact cause or a good treatment using the existing standard medical paradigm. PTSD is conveniently treated with energy psychology easily and quickly in a conventional office setting or while doing EFT by phone. Most especially in PTSD cases, EFT telephone sessions make considerable sense since this stress relief technique works best in the familiar, calm and comfortable at-home environment to reverse negative emotions associated with a phobia. All of this is easily available when doing EFT on phone while at home. After perhaps a few EFT telephone sessions, most phobic individuals should notice their typical phobic responses to be noticeably and clearly more appropriate and controlled.

Using EFT therapy to help PTSD can be like peeling an onion, with many layers to treat. After reaching an issue that appears to be a core belief of the PTSD, meaning one that supports the distressing sensations and helplessness, there is sometimes resistance to intrusion upon the fearful and painful memory or deeper earlier events that caused the PTSD reaction. Yet, it is easy to move deeper with EFT therapy variations such as the “Tearless Trauma Technique,” developed by EFT founder, Gary Craig, that seems almost made for posttraumatic stress disorder therapy. Using the standard concepts of simplicity and gentle movement into core issues of greatest emotional distress, it is usually a simple matter to peel the many-layered onion of PTSD. Not only asking simple and obvious questions, but actually listening thoughtfully to the dialogue these questions provoke, will lead to the core issues of PTSD when persistence and determination are used.

In my ten years using EFT therapy to provide stress relief for PTSD clients, I have learned to enjoy the challenge of posttraumatic stress disorder because the results can be spectacular and always improve the quality of life so clearly. After a client witnesses the elimination of the negative energy of PTSD, they are dramatically made aware of the power of EFT tapping as an energy healing therapy. It can be that extraordinary.

Key to PTSD success is the root issue

Determining the basic or root issue of PTSD is the key to success when using EFT therapy, as it is with all emotional stress issues. Clients often believe they are aware of the actual event or events that created their posttraumatic stress disorder, but not always. It is common for someone to start EFT thinking they understand the origin of their challenge with PTSD, only to find there are yet actually deeper issues below the obvious. This is always the challenge of treating PTSD – to not get side-tracked by the “obvious.” Careful attention to details is the hallmark of a good EFT therapist and it is critical in any EFT therapy session for PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder, at times, can be surprisingly easy to handle with EFT. Many cases only require that the presenting traumatic event or memory be broken down into its underlying specific aspects and events. After this point, it is a matter of using the standard process of applying EFT tapping to each and every negative memory until the PTSD loses all negative charge. Often, after several of the negatively charged memories have been neutralized, a "generalization effect" occurs that serves to further reduce the untreated memories without addressing or working with them directly.

While not every PTSD situation will respond with stress relief in this classic fashion, many do. With the careful, gentle, detailed application of EFT principles, the formerly intense PTSD memories are transformed into positive energy in moments.

Start Stress relief using EFT therapy

Successful elimination of the negative energy of fear and helplessness associated with PTSD requires a broad level of experience with EFT technique, and its many variations. Posttraumatic stress disorder is often not an appropriate condition for a novice to begin learning the EFT process.

The best way to approach posttraumatic stress disorder with EFT is to take advantage of its easy and gentle therapeutic approach. Never push or rush into the memory of the suspected traumatic event. It is best to proceed gently, slowly and carefully, for the fastest recovery to occur. Even more than with other stress- and fear-related challenges, PTSD requires what is known as “pre-work.” All of this begins by finding a safe starting point for EFT treatment, using a very general set-up statement that is only vaguely suggestive of the suspected traumatic event. From that point forward, all movement toward the core issue is dictated by what is comfortable and safe for the client, as determined by the classic “zzzzzt” reaction.

Always closely listen for, heed, and be true to the emotional reactivity of those fears, sensations and feelings that arise regarding the suspected traumatic event. Never go farther or deeper into a fear than dictated by complete comfort. As the gauge of emotional ease and comfort guide this process, it will limit the speed and direction the PTSD is approached. Never format a set-up statement based on what you think should be said, but only use the truth of the emotional response of the moment. In the spirit of tapping on the emotional truth of the moment, an early PTSD set-up statement should be general and broad. As an example, “Even though I think I have had this problem for so long, and that it is a part of me to feel fear every time I cross a bridge, I will have to just live with it because mumbling some words and tapping on my chest is not going to change anything…” That is a common belief and emotional statement of many clients who begin an EFT therapy session for posttraumatic stress disorder. In other words, work with what comes up.

You can see that this PTSD pre-work is basically doing EFT for the individual’s personal assessment of themselves and their current state of mind and body, their beliefs about EFT, or other related issues that arise during the early phase of tapping into a problem. Yet, this is the key to getting closer to the often-painful root cause of the PTSD issue as the actual causative event or memory is slowly, gently and safely brought into focus. Work in this manner, eventually arriving at a point of calm and comfort, without rushing this initial stage. This approach is critical since the relaxation, trust, and confidence it creates are essential. As always, time is never an issue, repetition and attention to details of the negative energy determine the quality of results when using EFT therapy for PTSD.

EFT Therapy Session for PTSD

The exact words and context of set-up statements are as varied as there are people with posttraumatic stress disorder. Each case of PTSD is continued to completion, just as gently and carefully with EFT therapy as it starts.

A serious PTSD reaction to a traumatic event or memory is never an exercise in doing a single round of EFT, known as a one-minute wonder. It can be assumed that several sessions of EFT tapping must be done to reach that breakthrough moment when the negative energy of PTSD is completely and totally transformed into a positive energy. The key is in relying on considerable experience, respecting the intense fear and feelings that arise during an EFT session, and carefully following the direction the client leads. The key to this is being extremely thorough and listening closely to the thoughts and feelings that are expressed directly or indirectly during a session of EFT therapy.

Posttraumatic stress disorder responds nicely to EFT therapy in a high percent of cases. It is not necessary to live with the ongoing fear and limitation of PTSD in your life.

PTSD and forgiveness

Because the initiating event of posttraumatic stress disorder is often an accident, single or repeated abuse, torture in many senses of the word, and physical injury, it is usually important for the client with PTSD to forgive those involved. It is critical to educate the client that forgiveness is given NOT because the guilty person – the perpetrator – deserves to be forgiven, but because it is necessary and good for the client to do so. Forgiveness is a selfish act in which the person who was wronged is set free of the negative and stressful event. Sometimes the word "forgiveness" is placed boldly and directly into an EFT set-up statement, and other times it is done indirectly by speaking in terms of “understanding “the perpetrator. However it is done, it is often critical for complete recovery of the posttraumatic stress disorder victim.

How do people usually react to EFT?

Within the Emotional Freedom Technique archives are thousands of documented case studies of PTSD being treated successfully, from people all over the world. There are glowing and heartwarming reports of remarkable recovery, sometimes rather rapid, for those who received EFT treatment for the chronic and previously unresponsive stressful emotions of posttraumatic stress syndrome. To sample just a few from this website, please go to EFT testimonials.

Posttraumatic stress disorder responds surprisingly well to EFT, even when chronic and resistant to previous medical interventions. With skillful EFT therapy, the intense feelings from those flashbacks and intrusive memories either vanish or are materially reduced within a session or two of EFT tapping. Repeated use of EFT often permanently eliminates any small carry-over feelings.

For those who do not receive instant relief of their PTSD using EFT therapy, they are still likely to improve or completely resolve the problem. These cases just might require a more sophisticated approach, ideally from an experienced EFT therapist who can unravel the underlying emotional issues that reside below the surface of the traumatic event or memory.

Does EFT always work?

No. EFT is not perfect; or at least it is as imperfect as the people who use it. With continued use, improved EFT technique, greater therapist skill development, the stress relief of EFT therapy increase over time. Even so, EFT is not perfect because no one gets 100% success all the time. However, EFT is effective most of the time, closer to 80-90% of the time. Its beneficial effects are usually long lasting, and it often works where nothing else has worked.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can put you back in control and change your life.