EFT for Stress, Anxiety and Panic Attacks

EFT provides both rapid relief and long-term benefits for stress relief, as well as from panic attacks and anxiety attacks, and often works where nothing else will. Once you have experienced the benefits of using Emotional Freedom Technique at the onset of a panic attack or a high state of anxiety, in most cases, you will find that it can "bring you down" calmly and without drugs, within minutes. All of this is accomplished by fingertip tapping on classic acupressure points while holding the thought related to the stress and anxiety that is bothering your. Those who have endured and suffered the personal discomfort of stress, anxiety and panic attacks using drugs or traditional talk-therapy, they know this kind of stress relief is not the usual situation.

For many people who have daily experience with stress, anxiety and panic attacks, a few well-crafted rounds of EFT are able to rapidly transform the negative and destructive energy of a case of “nerves” to noticeably reduce a current attack, and will often prevent future occurrences. Improvement of these stress issues are usually accomplished easily and promptly when treated with energy psychology in an office environment or while doing EFT by phone. After perhaps a few EFT telephone sessions, most people should notice the typical phobic response is noticeably and clearly calmer and more controlled. Most especially for people who suffer with stress, anxiety and panic attacks EFT telephone sessions make considerable sense since this stress relief technique works best in a known and familiar, calm and comfortable at-home environment that aids to reverse negative emotions associated with their emotional challenge issues. All of this is easily available when doing EFT on phone while at home. Within perhaps one or two follow up EFT sessions, most of the presenting issues are totally gone – usually.

Other stress related challenges, perhaps more severe, will note that such long term results and elimination of future stress, anxiety and panic attacks may require additional sophisticated variations of Emotional Freedom Technique. This can develop when personal challenges are complicated by the presence of the additional emotions of anger, shame, low self-esteem, fear or guilt that lay on top of the stress, anxiety and panic issues. In these cases, EFT stress relief can still be very effective, but rate of recovery would be understandably slowed.

EFT is used equally well for stress, anxiety and panic attacks, because in Energy Medicine  circles it is considered that each challenge has the same fundamental cause as other negative human emotions.  This cause is outlined in the famous EFT discovery statement, “The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system." Within the practice of EFT, it is taught that stress, anxiety and panic attacks originate as an expression of an altered or blocked movement of the energy that animates and sustains life and health. This concept of blocked energy movement is a fundamental tenet of all Alternative Medicine concepts and the 5000-year-old Oriental medicine practice of acupuncture, and the related discipline known as acupressure. Accordingly, these stress, anxiety and panic attacks are treated in much the same way as any other emotional issue.

Those who perform EFT are usually not professionally trained psychologists or psychiatrists, or others with formal emotional therapy training, because none of what is done during an EFT session is remotely related to those professional disciplines. Thus, within the practice of Energy Medicine is it is not necessary to draw a clear distinction between these three conditions as it is necessary in traditional western medicine.

Definitions of stress, anxiety and panic attacks

Stress, by formal definition is, “the sum of the biological reactions to any adverse stimulus, physical, mental, or emotional, internal or external, that tends to disturb the organism’s homeostasis,”   

Anxiety, according to accepted medical definition is “the unpleasant emotional state consisting of psychological responses to anticipation of unreal or imagined danger, ostensibly resulting from unrecognized inter-psychic conflict.”

Panic Attack, when stated to strict medial definition is “the overwhelming acute, extreme anxiety with disorganization of personality and function.” All of these definitions are taken from Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 27th Edition.

It is commonly understood that stress and anxiety tend to be chronic or ongoing problems, usually without much good treatment response, and seldom a cure. In this discussion, it is considered that the frequent and continual use of psychopathic drugs is not a desirable treatment response. For those who believe constant drug use is actually good therapy, then they would not see much difference in a patient staying perpetually drunk with alcohol to relieve the effects of stress, anxiety and panic attacks.

Ongoing symptoms of stress tend to have many forms of expression because the circumstances that create stress and anxiety tend to also be chronic or ongoing. Whether the ongoing initiating factor is poverty, physical illness, an abusive spouse, or a dangerous work environment, this ongoing environment is the cause of the ongoing stress and anxiety. As long as the individual is exposed to the chronic or ongoing problem, the stress or anxiety is inevitable and periodic stress relief will be needed.

Of course, this concept for the cause of stress and anxiety does consider or answer why  otherwise normal, happy, healthy, stress-free and anxiety-free people are engaged in the same or worse poverty, physical illness, abusive spouse, or a dangerous work environment situations. Yet, they do so without every exhibiting any of the stress or anxiety that should occur based on this definition.

Julian Whitaker, M.D., informs us, "As much as 70 percent of all visits to family doctors or general practitioners are related to chronic stress. High blood pressure, stomach problems, headaches, anxiety and depression — all these and many more medical conditions are caused or exacerbated by chronic stress. Stress can be associated with both good and bad circumstances — getting married, having a baby, going through a divorce, losing a loved one, selling a home, or retiring — but none of these situations is inherently stressful. It's your response to a situation that defines it as stressful. While a little stress can be useful in keeping us on our toes, problems arise when stress becomes chronic. Eventually, chronic stress takes its toll on body and mind, impairing physical and mental health."

EFT and stress, anxiety and panic attacks

Emotional Freedom Technique does not do away with any of the negative and distressing life circumstances that are supposed to cause or continue stress and anxiety, of course. Those continue, as often times they will in life. Yet, with the introduction of EFT therapy, it is important to note that even though the daily stressful lifestyle issues continue, the person experiences a large and frequent reduction of stress, panic and anxiety. In the usual situation, it might be necessary that EFT will be needed on a frequent or persistent basis for a while, and then eventually the stressful life circumstances no longer evoke the stress, anxiety and panic attacks they once did.

Gary Craig, founder of Emotional Freedom Technique, has a world-wide reputation for exacting and effective energy psychology treatment of stress, anxiety and panic attacks. The growing acceptance of EFT in the traditional medical world was initially based on his outstanding and undeniable success using energy healing therapy.

After perhaps a few sessions of EFT stress relief, most people should notice the typical stress, anxiety or panic attacks that would typically occur in response to difficult events, are noticeably and clearly calmer and more controlled. The person who uses Emotional Freedom Technique appropriately and effectively will notice that the same poverty, physical illness, abusive spouse, or a dangerous work environment issues no longer trigger the usual discomforting and uncontrollable reaction. Life is suddenly less anxious and stressful, panic attacks are less intense, less frequent or perhaps no longer occur.

How do people usually react to EFT?

Within the Emotional Freedom Technique archives are thousands of documented case studies from people all over the world reporting the remarkable benefits they have been received from EFT for treatment of chronic and previously unresponsive stress, anxiety and panic attacks. To sample just a few from this website, please go to EFT testimonials.

Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and trained professional mental health workers who use EFT report that patients whom they treated for stress, anxiety and panic attacks report their patients overcame their problems often in just a few sessions. These same cases would have taken many months, or even years, to resolve previously with conventional medical-based talk therapy. They found that EFT therapy was bringing relief to these patients, even when standard medical treatment was ineffective.

Does EFT always work?

No. Emotional Freedom Technique 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 benefits of EFT therapy increase over time. Even so, EFT is not perfect because no one gets 100% success all the time. However, Emotional Freedom Technique is effective most of the time, closer to 80-90% of the time. Its beneficial effects are usually long lasting, and it often provides stress relief where nothing else has worked.

Are you in control of your life or is life controlling you?

If you are coping with:

• Family or relationship conflicts
• Anxiety
• Marital and sexual problems
• Job stress
• Job loss
• Interview anxiety
• Financial problems
• Feeling stuck in your life
• Unresolved childhood issues
• Stage fright or performance anxiety
• Sexual abuse
• Test Anxiety
• Grief
• Divorce problems
• Creativity blocks
• Inability to lose or maintain weight
• Depression
• Wedding jitters
• Sports performance
• Physical health problems
• Fears or phobias
  • Public speaking
  • Flying
  • Heights
  • Claustrophobia
  • Dental or medical procedures
  • Snakes, rodents or insects
  • Fear of anything

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