Back Pain Relief: Use the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) have taken Einstein's discoveries (that everything is energy, including the human body) and married them with the ancient tradition of acupuncture.

The success of EFT lies in the balancing of the body's subtle energies that flow through the body, in much the same way as blood flows through veins. This balancing is done with an elegant sort of emotional acupuncture. Instead of using needles, specific points on the body are stimulated by tapping with the fingertips.

EFT is so simple that it can be easily learned by anyone and self-applied. Some cases are more complex, however, and may require assistance from an experienced EFT Practitioner.

EFT is done by using your fingertips to tap on easily found acupressure points on the body. These points are shown in the pictures below and are described in detail here. The points are the same on both sides of the face and body.

Please note that the points used here are considered a 'shortcut' method to the original EFT Basic Recipe described in the free EFT Manual.

The tapping is done with the same firmness as you might type on the computer keyboard. Use the middle three fingers of either hand when tapping so that you don't need to be worried about the exact location of the points. Use both hands and tap on both sides at the same time is preferable.

The tapping is combined with a focusing phrase that keeps your mind on one problem at a time, in this case, your back pain. When we focus on the problem and tap on the acupressure points, the energy system in our body is balanced giving physical and emotional relief.

Example focusing phrases for your back pain might be:

• this dull lower back pain
• this sharp pain behind my left hip
• this throbbing pain between my shoulder blades

The more specific you can be about the location and feel of the pain the better. Use something simple to start with.

Before starting the procedure, take a reading of how bad the back pain is now so that you can tell if there is any change. You do this by picking a number on a scale from 0 - 10, where 0 is pain free and 10 is the very painful. If you are unsure of the number then guess, as this will usually be the correct number. Write the number down so that you can compare it after applying a few rounds of EFT.

1. On a scale of 0-10, where 10 is the worst, how bad the back pain is now? Write down this number.


2. Start and continue tapping on the Karate Chop point while saying your focusing phrase followed by "...,I deeply and completely accept myself". For example:
   "Even though I have this dull lower back pain, I deeply and completely accept myself."
   Repeat this phrase two more times while continuing to tap on the Karate Chop point:
   "Even though I have this dull lower back pain, I deeply and completely accept myself."
   "Even though I have this dull lower back pain, I deeply and completely accept myself."


3. Move on to the remaining tapping points, from the head down, tap a few times while saying your focusing phrase. So, for example, start tapping on the top of the head and say "this lower back pain" Then move to the eyebrow point, start tapping, and say "this lower back pain". Continue until you have tapped on each of the illustrated tapping points. Remember to use a phrase that describes the location and feel of your specific pain. Do 5 or 6 rounds on all the points then move to the next step.


4. Take another reading of the back pain on a scale of 0-10 and compare this to the questions (a), (b), and (c) below:
   
   
   
   1. Is the new number lower than the one you wrote down in Step 1 i.e. has the back pain reduced? Great! Repeat the steps 1-4 until the number is at zero or doesn't go any lower.
   
   
   2. Is the number the same but the pain has now moved or changed in some way? Awesome! You're making progress. Make up a new focusing phrase to describe the new feeling and repeat steps 1-4.
   
   
   3. Is the new number the same or higher than the number you wrote down in Step 1 i.e. has the feeling intensified in some way? STAY CALM. While you might think you have done something wrong, you have not. You are actually getting closer to the resolving the real issue behind the feeling. Please read the Advanced Notes below before repeating the procedure.

If, after a few rounds of tapping, the pain stays the same or intensifies then its time to put on your detective's hat and delve deeper into the problem. It is very likely there is an emotional memory related to the pain that you need to find. To aid in identifying the emotional issues behind the pain, ask yourself the following questions:

• When did the pain first start? What was happening in your life at that time?
• What time in your life does that pain remind you of?
• Who does the pain remind you of?
• Did you have an accident that caused the pain initially? What was it?
• If the pain had a colour, sound, shape, or feeling what would they be?

If you have trouble coming up with something, try guessing what this could be about as this will usually be the right thought.

Now that you have some answers, make up a new focusing phrase integrating your answers to the questions e.g. "this car accident back pain", or "this divorce back pain", or "this stress at work pain", or "this red sharp anger back pain". Repeat the tapping steps 1-4 with this new focusing phrase. Do 5 or 6 rounds with this new focusing phrase and then again evaluate your results.

With persistence and artistry, EFT will often achieve lasting results when nothing else has worked!

EFT is the most successful health innovation in the last 100 years and works for every emotional and physical issue you can name including:

trauma or abuse, stress or anxiety, PTSD, fears or phobias, depression, addiction, allergies, ADD/ADHD, anger management, headaches, back pains, or breathing difficulties

Even though EFT appears simple, correctly and artfully applied, EFT often gets results when nothing else has worked.

Find out more about EFT and Tap4Health.