Acupoints: the shortened name for acupuncture points, which are points located along the energy channels or pathways in the body, called meridians in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupoints can be stimulated by acupuncture needles or, in acupressure, by massage or tapping. EFT is an acupressure tapping technique.
Affirmation: the second half of EFT’s Setup Statement: … I deeply and completely accept myself. This is the part that deals with self-acceptance, thus it is called an affirmation. Unlike the conventional use of affirmations, however, EFT doesn’t try to induce you to positive thinking. You don’t tell yourself that things will get better, or that you’ll improve. You simply express the intention of accepting yourself just the way you are.
Apex Effect: a term coined by Roger Callahan, founder of Thought Field Therapy (TFT), to refer to a phenomenon frequently observed in energy psychology practice, which is the tendency to dismiss the effectiveness of tapping because, once the problem is solved, it may be difficult to believe or remember that the problem was severe.
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Aspects: “issues within issues,” or different facets or pieces of a problem that are related but separate. When new aspects appear, EFT can seem to stop working. Actually, the original EFT treatment continues to work while the new aspect triggers a new set of symptoms. In some cases, many aspects of a situation or problem each require their own EFT treatment. In other cases, only a few do. (See Generalization Effect.)
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Basic Recipe: EFT’s basic protocol, which consists of tapping on the side of the hand point or rubbing the Sore Spot while saying three times, “Even though I have this ____ [problem], I fully and complete accept myself” (Setup Statement), followed by tapping the Sequence of seven or eight EFT acupoints in order, with an appropriate Reminder Phrase(s). See also Full Basic Recipe.
Being Specific: Focusing on specific events is central to success in EFT. In order to release old patterns of emotion and behavior, in most cases it’s vital to identify and correct the specific events that gave rise to those problems. When you hear people say, “I tried EFT and it didn’t work,” chances are that they were tapping on generalities instead of specifics. Examples of generalities, or global issues, are “self-esteem” or “depression.” Beneath these generalities is a collection of specific events. Tapping on those events to clear the associated emotional charge is key to clearing the global problem.
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Borrowing Benefits: the phenomenon that watching someone else do EFT on their issues and tapping along with them can help reduce the emotional intensity of your own issues.
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Chasing the Pain: one of the three “gentle techniques” in EFT. After applying EFT, physical discomforts can move to other locations in the body and/or change in intensity or quality. Moving pain is an indication that EFT is working. Keep “chasing the pain” with EFT and it will usually go to 0 or some low number. In the process, emotional issues behind the discomforts are often successfully treated.
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Choices Method: an EFT technique developed by Patricia Carrington, PhD, which involves inserting positive statements and solutions into Setup and Reminder Phrases, such as “Even though I don’t believe this arthritis pain will ever go away, I fully and completely accept myself and I choose to be open to the possibility that this tapping might work and I can be free of pain.”
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Clinical EFT: the science-based EFT method that has been validated by dozens of clinical trials. There are variations on EFT, but Clinical EFT is the original EFT method, that is, the Basic Recipe as detailed in The EFT Manual.
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Collarbone Breathing Exercise: a technique developed by Roger Callahan, founder of Thought Field Therapy, consisting of a sequence of specific tapping combined with breathing; used in cases in which the Full Basic Recipe is not producing a reduction in the SUD level.
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Collarbone Point: an acupoint used in tapping rounds. To locate this point, place a finger in the notch between your collarbones. Move your finger down about an inch to feel a hollow in your breastbone, then move it to the side about an inch to a deep hollow below your collarbone–the collarbone point.
Constricted Breathing Technique: a method of using EFT to increase the depth of the breath, demonstrating in the process the effectiveness of EFT. Many people have some degree of constriction in their breathing, which is often caused by underlying emotional issues. By focusing on the breath while doing EFT, it is possible to clear or greatly reduce the emotional contributor preventing the individual from having full or deep respiration.
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Core Issue: a deep emotional factor underlying the problem being addressed. A core issue is the crux of the problem, its root or heart, and was usually created in response to a traumatic event or series of events. Core issues are not always obvious, but careful detective work can often uncover them and, once discovered, they can be broken down into specific events and handled routinely with EFT.
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Daisy Chaining: the pattern of moving from issue to issue in an EFT session. The center of the daisy represents each memory or event and the petals around each center are the related aspects of that memory or event. The resolution of one problem calls to mind another problem, offering the individual a rapid healing transit through a long “daisy chain” of problems.
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Dissociation: separating yourself from your emotions. The habit of dissociation often forms in childhood as a means of escaping from unbearable trauma; in that way, it is a useful coping mechanism. In adulthood, however, the continuation of the habit can be the source of problems in personal performance and relationship. When a person is dissociating, it is as though that person has emotionally left the room.
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Energy Medicine (EM): the field of medicine that focuses on the energy aspect of illness and healing, employs a whole-body approach in the assessment of the function of the body’s electromagnetic and subtler energies, and uses energy-based methods (e.g., acupuncture and acupressure) to correct imbalances and dysfunctions.
Energy Psychology (EP): a subdivision of energy medicine. EP comprises psychotherapeutic and self-help methods that accomplish positive changes in the individual through the blend of cognitive techniques (such as imaginal exposure and reprogramming the brain to eliminate limiting emotions, beliefs, and behaviors) and somatic techniques (such as acupressure via tapping, as in EFT). EFT is the most popular form of EP.
Fight-Flight-Freeze Response: the mobilization of the body in the presence of a stressor to fight, flee, or freeze as a survival mechanism; also known as the “fight-or-flight response” or the “stress response.” When fighting or fleeing doesn’t seem to be an option, an animal (which includes us humans) will freeze, in hopes of being overlooked by the predator or somehow surviving the perceived danger. In the midst of a traumatic event, the freeze option is often what occurs, especially in childhood traumas. Recalling that event triggers the stress response because the brain does not distinguish between a stressful thought and a stressful event. EFT halts the body’s mobilization in response to the stressor by signaling to the body that there is no danger. See Stress Response.
Fight-or-Flight Response: see Fight-Flight-Freeze Response; Stress Response.
Floor to Ceiling Eye Roll: a technique developed by Roger Callahan (founder of Thought Field Therapy [TFT]) that can rapidly reduce high emotional intensity. To do the eye roll, repeat the Reminder Phrase for your problem while tapping continuously on the Gamut point and, without keeping your head still, move your eyes slowly from looking down at the floor to looking up at the ceiling. See Gamut Point.
Full Basic Recipe: a four-step treatment consisting of Setup Statement, Sequence (tapping on acupoints in order), 9 Gamut Procedure, and Sequence. This was the original EFT protocol.
Gamut Point: an acupoint on the Triple Warmer acupuncture meridian, located on the back of the hand in the depression between the third (ring) finger and little finger. The Gamut point is tapped on during the 9 Gamut Procedure and the Collarbone Breathing Exercise.
Generalization Effect: When related issues are neutralized with EFT, they often take with them issues that are related in the person’s mind. In this way, several issues can be resolved even though only one is directly treated.
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Gentle Techniques: techniques that allow the tapper to proceed without severe emotional upset; useful for highly disturbing events and particularly helpful in cases of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The three gentle techniques are Tearless Trauma, Chasing the Pain, and Sneaking Up on the Problem (see glossary entries for each).
Global: Though the term “global” usually refers to something universal or experienced worldwide, in EFT it refers to problems stated in vague and nonspecific terms, especially in Setup Statements. A basic principle of EFT is that being specific in stating problems leads to better results than stating problems in general terms. See Being Specific.
Intensity Meter: the 0-to-10 scale that measures pain, anger, frustration, and other physical or emotional symptoms; also known as the SUD scale. Intensity can also be indicated by gestures such as hands held close together (small discomfort or distress) ranging to wide apart (large discomfort or distress). See SUD Scale.
Karate Chop Point: See Side of the Hand (SH) Point.
Limiting Belief: a belief, usually learned in childhood from parents, teachers, or other important people in our lives, that unconsciously holds us back or sabotages us in adult life. Often we are not aware of these hidden beliefs or their effects on us. Examples of limiting beliefs are “No matter how hard you work, you will never get ahead,” “Happiness is a luxury,” and “I’m hopeless at sports so there’s no point in trying.”
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Meridians: invisible channels or pathways in the body through which vital energy (chi) flows. According to traditional Chinese medicine, there are 8 primary meridians that pass through five pairs of vital organs, and 12 secondary meridians that network to the extremities. Stress, including emotional upset, disrupts the flow of energy along one or more of the meridians, contributing to physical, emotional, and psychological problems. EFT, by halting the stress response, alleviates the presenting problem. (See Stress Response.)
Movie Technique, or Watch the Movie Technique: In this process, you review in your mind, as though it were a movie, a troublesome specific event. When intensity comes up, you stop and tap on that intensity. When the intensity subsides, you continue in your mind with the story.
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9 Gamut Procedure: a technique consisting of nine actions performed while tapping an acupoint known as the Gamut point, which is located on the back of the hand in the depression between the third (ring) finger and little finger. The procedure includes eye movements, tapping, humming, and counting. The eye movements include tracing a slow circle at the extreme periphery of vision. The 9 Gamut Procedure is believed to engage parts of the brain involved in the nonverbal resolution of trauma.
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One-Minute Wonder: refers to achieving rapid results with EFT tapping, when a round or few of tapping resolves the problem. Phobias are one area in which one-minute wonders often occur. Other psychological conditions and serious diseases usually require more persistence and further tapping.
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Personal Peace Procedure: an exercise in which you clear problems and release core issues by writing down as many troublesome events from your life as you can remember and then tapping on each, thus removing old emotional baggage. Eliminating at least one uncomfortable memory per day (a very conservative schedule) removes at least 90 unhappy events in 3 months. If you work through two or three per day, it’s 180 or 270.
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Psychological Reversal: a term used in energy therapies to refer to the concept that when your energies are blocked or reversed, you develop symptoms. The way Psychological Reversal shows up in EFT and other energy therapies is as a failure to make progress in resolving the problem. It is especially prevalent in chronic diseases, addictions, and conditions that resist healing. EFT’s Setup Statement is designed to correct for Psychological Reversal.
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Reframing: changing the frame through which you see an event. You can’t change past events, but you can see them through different lenses. People often spontaneously reframe an old event after tapping. An event that previously seemed traumatic may be placed in a neutral emotional frame.
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Reminder Phrase: a word, phrase, or sentence that helps the mind focus on the problem being treated. The Reminder Phrase is repeated during acupoint tapping. The aim is to bring the problem vividly into your experience, even though the emotionally triggering situation might not be present now.
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Secondary Gain: a term from psychology that refers to the benefits of being sick or having a problem; examples of such benefits are receiving disability income, getting extra attention from loved ones, or having an excuse for avoiding unpleasant people or tasks.
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Sequence: the series of tapping points used in EFT’s standard round of tapping after the Setup Statement. The points in order are: (1) at the start of the eyebrow, where it joins the bridge of the nose; (2) on the outside edge of the eye socket; (3) on the bony ridge of the eye socket under the pupil; (4) under the nose; (5) between the lower lip and the chin; (6) the collarbone point (see Collarbone Point); and (7) the under the arm point (about four inches below the armpit; for women, this is where a bra strap crosses).
Setup Statement, or Setup: an opening statement said at the beginning of each EFT treatment that defines and helps neutralize the problem. In EFT, the standard Setup Statement is “Even though I have this _____ [problem], I fully and completely accept myself.”
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Side of the Hand (SH) Point: formerly known as the Karate Chop point, this acupoint is located on the fleshy outer portion of the hand. The EFT protocol calls for tapping on the SH point or rubbing the Sore Spot while repeating the Setup Statement.
Sneaking Away from the Problem: a technique for concluding an EFT session when it is apparent that the work is incomplete. It names and describes the problem so as to honor the client’s process and affirm that there will be time later to address the problem fully.
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Sneaking Up on the Problem: one of the “gentle techniques” in EFT aimed at minimizing the level of distress when doing EFT. In cases of a devastating personal experience that is too intense to relive, this is a gentler approach in that the individual refers to the trauma only in general terms in the Setup and Reminder Phrases, such as “that awful event.” Note that the specificity usually recommended in EFT is intended to reconnect a person with the emotions of an event and thereby assist the process of EFT, but in cases of great distress even at the idea of thinking about the event, this is not necessary.
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Sore Spot: the spot on the upper chest just below the point where the collarbone joins the breastbone (one on each side) used as an alternative to the Karate Chop point during the Setup Statement, rubbing on it rather than tapping on it. To locate: from the U-shaped notch at the top of your sternum (breastbone), go down 2 or 3 inches toward your navel and sideways 2 or 3 inches to your left (or right). If you press vigorously in that area (within a 2-inch radius), you will find a spot that feels sore or tender. This happens because lymphatic congestion occurs there. When you rub it, you disperse that congestion.
Story Technique, or Tell the Story Technique: In this method, you narrate or tell out loud the story of a specific event dealing with trauma, grief, anger, and so on, and stop to tap whenever the story becomes emotionally intense. Each of the stopping points represents another aspect of the issue that, on occasion, will take you to even deeper issues. This technique is similar to the Movie Technique, except that in the Movie Technique, you simply watch past events unfold in your mind. In the Story Technique, you describe them out loud.
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Stress Response: the mobilization of the body in the presence of a stressor to fight or flee; also called the fight-or-flight response, or the fight-flight-freeze response. When you’re stressed, the sympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system (ANS) sends you into high alert. Part of this stress response is the release of stress hormones, notably cortisol and adrenaline. Note that merely thinking disturbing thoughts can trigger the stress response because your body can’t tell the difference between a stressful thought and a stressful event. You produce all the neurophysiology of stress in your body while having no objective reason to be on high alert. EFT halts the stress response by signaling to the body that there is no threat. This is why EFT is so effective at calming highly emotional states.
SUD Scale: subjective units of distress (or alternatively, discomfort) scale, a 0-to-10 scale used in EFT to rate the degree of emotional or physical distress (from 0, no distress, to 10, maximum possible distress). A drop in the score signifies that the treatment is succeeding. The SUD scale was developed by psychiatrist Joseph Wolpe in the 1950s.
Surrogate or Proxy Tapping: tapping on yourself on behalf of another person. The person can be present or not. Another way to perform surrogate or proxy tapping is to substitute a photograph, picture, or line drawing for the person and tap on that.
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Tabletops and Table Legs: a metaphor used in EFT to explore and organize the contributing causes of a problem. The tabletop represents an overriding issue such as “self-esteem” or “procrastination.” The specific events that contributed to creating that tabletop are the table legs. A presenting problem may contain more than one tabletop.
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Tail-enders: the “yes, but” statements that create negative self-talk and counteract affirmations. For example, you might say, “I effortlessly maintain my goal weight” and a little voice whispers in your ear, “…in your dreams” (that’s the tail-ender). Other common examples of tail-enders are: That’s a laugh. Who are you trying to fool? Like you’ve never done before? Are you kidding? Tail-enders point the way to core issues. When you clear the core issues, the tail-enders disappear.
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Tapping and Talking: the technique of simply tapping (it can be on only one point) while talking about an issue, with no specific Setup Statements or Reminder Phrases. Also called “Tap and Rant,” this technique is useful when an individual is too upset to follow the standard protocol but just wants to rant about the problem situation or event. Tapping while ranting can often clear the problem.
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Tearless Trauma Technique: one of the “gentle techniques” for approaching a highly emotional problem. It involves first guessing as to the emotional intensity of a past event rather than tuning in to it and painfully reliving it mentally, then tapping on the title of the event rather than the event itself. When the intensity of even the thought of the event clears, you can begin to tap on specifics.
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Testing: an integral part of EFT. Testing your results throughout the tapping process is important to determine whether the direction you are taking is working or you should modify it. The basic scale used in EFT is the SUD scale, which works equally well for psychological problems such as anxiety and physical problems such as pain. See SUD Scale; Intensity Meter.
Touch and Breathe (TAB) Technique: a method for tapping the EFT points developed by TFT practitioners. Instead of tapping the points, you use a light fingertip touch on each acupoint accompanied by a breath. TAB is useful when an individual is uncomfortable with tapping due to trauma, illness, skin sensitivity, or another reason.
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VOC (Validity of Cognition) Scale: a scale to rate the degree of truth a statement has for a particular individual. It uses a 0-to10 scale, similar to the SUD scale, but in the case of the VOC scale, 0 represents no belief in the statement being rated and 10 represents unshakable conviction that it is true.
Writings on Your Walls: limiting beliefs and attitudes that result from cultural conditioning or family attitudes. These are often illogical and harmful yet very strong subconscious influences.
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