Alternative medicine | |
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Claims | Tapping on "meridian points" on the body, derived from acupuncture, can release "energy blockages" that cause "negative emotions"[1] |
Related fields | Acupuncture, Acupressure, Energy medicine |
Year proposed | 1993 |
Original proponents | Gary Craig |
Subsequent proponents | Jack Canfield, Nick Ortner, Joseph Mercola |
See also | Thought Field Therapy, Tapas Acupressure Technique, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing |
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Alternative medicine |
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Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a technique that stimulates acupressure points by pressuring, tapping or rubbing while focusing on situations that represent personal fear or trauma.[2] EFT draws on various theories of alternative medicine – including acupuncture, neuro-linguistic programming, energy medicine, and Thought Field Therapy (TFT). EFT also combines elements of exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and somatic stimulation.[3] It is best known through Gary Craig's EFT Handbook, published in the late 1990s, and related books and workshops by a variety of teachers. EFT and similar techniques are often discussed under the umbrella term "energy psychology."
Advocates claim that the technique may be used to treat a wide variety of physical and psychological disorders, and as a simple form of self-administered therapy.[1] The Skeptical Inquirer describes the foundations of EFT as "a hodgepodge of concepts derived from a variety of sources, [primarily] the ancient Chinese philosophy of chi, which is thought to be the 'life force' that flows throughout the body." The existence of this life force is "not empirically supported."[4]
EFT has no benefit as a therapy beyond (1) the placebo effect or (2) any known effective psychological techniques that may be provided in addition to the purported "energy" technique.[5] It is generally characterized as pseudoscience, and it has not garnered significant support in clinical psychology.[6][7][8][9]
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