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Emotional Freedom and the Yogic Path
The word yoga means to connect, or yoke. But another way of looking at it I’ve learned is that yoga is the process of disconnecting – disconnecting from the obstacles that prevent us from uniting with the divine (God, Spirit, Flow, whatever word you choose). Once the obstacles are removed, the uniting comes naturally. One of the things that can get in our way are the emotions we carry that do not serve the end yogic goal of mind, body, spirit connection.
One of the ways I support people in releasing toxic emotions is through an energy psychology process called Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as”EFT” or “Tapping”.
EFT is a process of tapping on specific meridian acupressure points in the body (the same points acupuncturists use, but without the needles) along with verbal statements that express what you’re feeling as you are guided by a practitioner to progress toward releasing the difficult emotions you’re experiencing.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, meridian points are part of an intricate energy system of the body. The purpose of tapping the meridian points is to encourage energy, that may be stuck in some places, to move more freely. There are said to be many meridian points, but in the EFT process, we only tap on some of those points. There are too many points to easily access them all.Individual meridian points are said to relate to different organs and energy lines in the body and affect different emotions that we carry. It is believed that by tapping these points, along with speaking about the negative thoughts and emotions we are experiencing, the energy will move through the body, helping to release the negative charge these emotions produce. Even if the meridian point for your specific emotion isn’t tapped, simply moving the energy through the body is said to help relieve the stress associated with all these emotions.
What I find most helpful about EFT is the ability to get down underneath a difficult feeling and gain insight into the problem it resulted from – and that can bring a sense of understanding, and therefore peace. The experience of the tapping itself seems to bring down the charge around troubling emotions. And it’s believed that releasing the charge will allow you to shift your focus, like to the positive intentions you have for you life, leaving you feeling relaxed and inspired. And this has often been my experience of EFT, which is why I want to share it with you!
There are many forms of EFT. I am professionally trained as a Level II ProEFT Practitioner. ProEFT stands for Progressive Emotional Freedom Technique. This theory uses the basic “recipe” of EFT and adds to it in a way that progressively moves you toward a release of emotion. Some believe this makes the experience more effective.
EFT is a powerful tool that can be used with a wide range of situations. And what’s great about it is that after you learn it with a practitioner, you can practice it on your own. The value in having a practitioner is the same value you find in employing a coach – someone who can support you by asking insightful questions, helping you identify and shift negative beliefs and behavior patterns, sharing another point of view, and providing encouragement, support, and accountability. So a combination of working with a practitioner and practicing on your own is the ultimate combination.
You may experience this technique as part of our sessions together, or request sessions to practice EFT exclusively. Sessions are provided in-person, online, or by telephone.
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