How to Overcome Any Fear in Minutes with EFT
October 31st, 2007 by RyanHave you ever experienced crippling fear? Perhaps it made it hard for you to speak, move or otherwise function. You logically understood there was nothing to fear, yet it seemed like your fear took control of your body and there was nothing you could do to stop it.
Others may tell you to just push through it, and you want to, yet that feeling of fear can be so powerful that you are overwhelmed. It's like the fear is rooted deep inside you and there is little you can do to overcome it.
In some cases, fear may dictate a person's lifestyle, making their life much harder than it has to be (such as in the case of the fear of flying or the fear of approaching women).
When I was younger I had a fear of public speaking. My palms and forehead would get sweaty, my stomach tense and nervous, my throat dry, my voice would waiver; it was not fun. I just kept pushing through and little by little I gained the confidence to become a very good public speaker. It took years of practice to overcome that fear.
If I had used EFT, I could have overcome that fear in days or even minutes.
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique. It is a revolutionary technique of tapping on various acupuncture points in order to balance your body's energy. The theory behind EFT states that "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system." So by balancing your body through tapping, you can clear out any negative emotions stored deep within you.
Watch this introduction video about the effectiveness of EFT and some of the incredible success stories, then read my guide on EFT below.
The acupuncture points are located along your meridians, which are your body's energy pathways. By tapping on the various points, your meridians balance themselves out which allow for the energy to flow properly. Once the disruption is removed, the negative emotion is also removed.
This is how negative emotions are caused:
- You think of a distressing memory or experience a specific situation.
- This triggers a disruption in your body's energy system.
- You feel a negative emotion (fear, sadness, anger, etc).
Through the use of EFT, you treat #2 (the disruption), which prevents experience #3 (the negative emotion). This goes against conventional psychotherapy which attempts to treat #1 by addressing either the memory or the situation in the hopes that it will stop the negative emotions from happening.
So if you have an extreme fear of flying, people may explain to you all the safety precautions and statistics of airplanes, yet you still feel the fear. It's not until you clear out your energy system that your fear goes away. It can take many years of retraining your body using the traditional methods or a few minutes with EFT.
So how do you perform EFT?
There are four steps to EFT. Once they are memorized, a full run through can be completed in about 1 minute.
- The Setup
- The Basic Recipe
- The 9 Gamut Procedure
- The Basic Recipe again
The Setup
The setup is used to properly orient your body's energy system for healing. Sometimes we experience Polarity Reversal, which is like a self-sabotage effect that the ego creates with problems it doesn't know how to handle properly. Through the use of the setup, we temporarily remove this polarity reversal long enough for EFT to fix the disruption. This step is crucial to success because, in some cases, the polarity reversal is so strong that nothing will work unless the setup is done first.
To do the setup, simply rub your lymph area on either side of your chest about 2 inches above your nipple. This is known as the Sore Spot. You will know you hit the right area when you feel a very sensitive twinge. (You may alternatively tap the karate chop point instead of this sore spot).
While you are rubbing, you say an affirmation statement three times. "Even though I have this ________, I deeply and completely accept myself." In the blank, you fill in the fear or problem you are experiencing.
So for the fear of flying you would say, "Even though I have this fear of flying, I deeply and completely accept myself." Say this three times while rubbing the sore spot and you've completed The Setup.
The Sequence
The sequence is the set of acupuncture points which you tap to balance your energy system. Simply tap each point about 7 times with your index and middle finger. You can use either hand, though your dominant hand is preferable.
The list of points is as follows:
- Eyebrow – Located just above the nose where the eyebrow starts, slightly to the side.
- Corner of the Eye – Located on the bone alongside the corner of the eye.
- Under the Eye – Located an inch under the pupil.
- Under the Nose – Located in the area between your nose and upper lip.
- Under the Mouth – Located below your bottom lip and above your chin.
- Collar Bone – Located where your collarbone and first rib meet. To find it, locate the U shaped indentation at the top at the bottom of your throat (where a man knots his tie), then move down 1 inch and to the side 1 inch.
- Under the Arm – Located about 4 inches below the armpit.
- Under the Nipple – Located about 1 inch below the nipple.
- Fingers – Located on the outside tip of each finger where the nail and the skin meet.
- Karate Chop – Located on the fleshy, outside part of the hand between the top of the wrist and the bottom of the pinkie finger.
Tap all points in any order about seven times each (The under the nipple point can be skipped for ladies in social situations). You can use either the right or left side for any of the points.
Each time you tap you say a reminder phrase. The reminder phrase is a shortened version of the Setup affirmation. For the example we used above, the reminder phrase is simply, "fear of flying." So in this case we would simply say "fear of flying" once for each point during the tapping. This reminds the body to fix it's energy system for that specific fear or issue.
The 9 Gamut Procedure
The 9 Gamut Procedure is used to engage various parts of the brain while tapping on the Gamut Point. The point is located on the back side of either hand between the knuckles of the ring finger and the pinkie and about an 1/2 inch back (toward the wrist). 
Simply tapping the Gamut Point by itself can be very effective in reducing fear, so when it's combined in this procedure, it's even more powerful.
To perform the 9 Gamut Procedure, simply tap the Gamut Point WHILE performing these 9 steps:
- Close your eyes
- Open your eyes
- Look hard down right (don't move your head)
- Look hard down left (don't move your head)
- Roll your eyes in a clockwise circle (imagine your nose is the center of a clock and you are looking at each of the numbers, without moving your head)
- Roll your eyes in a counter-clockwise circle (without moving your head)
- Hum 2 seconds of a song such as "Happy birthday to you"
- Count rapidly from 1 to 5 out loud
- Hum 2 seconds of the song again
After the 9 Gamut procedure, simply do the entire sequence again (while saying the reminder phrase for each point).
Sometimes after doing one round of EFT, the fear or negative emotion will be gone forever. Other times you may need to do multiple rounds of EFT for it to subside. Also, there may be various "aspects" that you need to get through before negative emotion is completely gone.
For example, a person who is afraid of flying may need to do multiple rounds of EFT like this:
The first round they can say "Even though I have this fear of flying, I deeply and completely accept myself" for the setup, then do the sequence with the reminder phrase "fear of flying," then do the gamut, then the sequence again with the same reminder phrase.
The second round they may do the exact same thing except change the phrase to fear of takeoff. For the third round, they can change it to fear of heights, or fear of tight spaces and so on. (They may even use a past traumatic event such as "Even though I was in a very scary plane ride, I deeply and completely accept myself").
Many times our emotions get entangled with each other and what seems like a simple fear of flying could actually be many fears that are triggered all at once. By doing rounds of EFT on each aspect, you become closer and closer to completely overcoming that fear.
I have personally used EFT hundreds of times on many things. I've used it before I gave business presentations, before I played in sports, and even when I was feeling nervous about surfing in big waves.
The results are so subtle and instantaneous that I often look back and think "Was I really afraid of that, no way." It's like I can't even relate to being afraid anymore.
EFT can also be used for
- pain
- trauma
- chronic illness
- addictions
- allergies
- weight loss
- anger
- sports
- and anything you can think of
Think of something that you're afraid of or that you feel uneasy about and use EFT on it right now.
Be sure to download the Free EFT Manual from http://www.EmoFree.com
Stumble it!
October 31st, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Wow Ryan,
This is a very detailed and intelligent look at fear and how to overcome it. I love the details. Especially looking at altering your emotions using physical changes. You are a very thoughtful writer, I love that.
Thank you again for posting just a thoughtful comment on my blog regarding “Self Loving”.
Here’s a related article of mine that you may enjoy on the same topic, where I share a personal story of dealing with fear: “How to Fight Your Fears”
Love & Gratitude,
Think Simple. Be Decisive.
~ Productivity, Motivation & Happiness
November 1st, 2007 at 3:10 am
Hey how would you compare EFT to Stephane’s Karma cleansing (Moving Beyond AA) program?
November 1st, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Thanks for the good words Tina Su. I’ll check out that link and I’m sure some of my readers will find it useful as well.
Whattup Bigsend. Honestly I forgot what he talked about in that audio track its been so long since I listened to it. I’ve seen the most powerful changes happen after I’ve been using all methods of releasing fear I can find.
The best ones so far have been EFT, TAT, the tuning fork meditations, and the heart meditation and affirmations. For each person they will react a little differently, so give it a try and see what works best for you. Personally, I love eft and use it all the time.
November 17th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
AWESOME!!!!! EFT sounds great!!
November 28th, 2007 at 12:49 am
[…] that you are a pro at using EFT to overcome fear , TAT to let go of traumatic memories, and the 7 Chakra's program to improve your inner game, […]
November 30th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Yeah, EFT really cleans everything away. The Moving Beyond AA is all about going deeper and deeper into your fear, feeling it, labeling it, just being with it. Then you extract the wisdom and let it go. That and EFT have worked wonderfully every time I use them.
December 3rd, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Hey Glenn, thanks for the added info on the moving beyond AA…it’s all coming back to me now 🙂
December 6th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
[…] body to clear its meridians and release trapped energy. You can read more about each on my blog: EFT – How to Overcome Any Fear in Minutes with this Emotional Freedom Technique TAT – Use the Tapas Acupressure Technique to Let Go of an Emotional Trauma These are KEY. Do them […]
February 13th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Dude. Your awesome. EFT sounds cool. Thanks for the advice!
February 20th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Rebel, no prob man. Good to hear you liked it. And cool t-shirts on that site of yours.
March 1st, 2008 at 6:18 am
Wow, great tutorial there! You have natural teaching ability…thanks! Mike
March 6th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Thanks Mike, good to see a fellow eft fan.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Have you guys seen the free videos at http://www.tapping.com?
They’re really good.
April 24th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Hansel, thanks for the link. I’ve seen a couple of his short videos and they seem great, don’t know too much about him though. Definitely worth a look for guys in the seduction and pick up community.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
This is very good intro to EFT.
I was introduced to energy psychology techniques from a friend. He treated me for endometriosis and the symptoms are much better, so I can attest to how well these techniques work.
He has now gone beyond EFT and I get treatments from him. . . the issues just go away, no tapping, just focus on what you feel and then the energy is moved.
It all comes down to having the energy flow freely with whatever thoughts you have in mind. Anything else is a blockage and will result in some type of pathology.
Great post! Great site!
Fu
Acupuncture-N-Herbs’s last blog post..Treating Hot Flashes with Acupuncture
May 12th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Hey Fuyiu, thanks for the comment. That’s a good point as EFT is a great introduction to energy healing but there are higher and better methods once one starts making progress. Also, I like your site; it looks like it has a wealth of useful information.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
[…] be of great help. Here is a post that summarizes how to do it along with a video of how it works: EFT – How to Overcome Any Fear in Minutes with this Emotional Freedom Technique Also, another POWERFUL tool you can use to get through a trauma is TAT, which stands for Tapas […]
May 12th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
[…] I had some emotional and mental blocks. I found great success using tat and eft to overcome them: EFT – How to Overcome Any Fear in Minutes with this Emotional Freedom Technique TAT – Use the Tapas Acupressure Technique to Let Go of an Emotional Trauma Now as I keep clearing […]
May 13th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
[…] May 13, 2008 by Johnny I’ve written reviews on “energy psychology” topics and if you seen any of them you know that I think EFT is one of the better things going. Well, I found a site that give a very nice introduction to eft. […]
May 15th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Since I last posted, I’ve been directing people to this post since you give a fantastic synopsis of EFT. Also, Ryan, thanks for the comment about my site 🙂
Acupuncture-N-Herbs’s last blog post..Make an impression with your business cards
May 16th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Thanks Fuyiu, that’s really cool of you 🙂
July 4th, 2008 at 9:05 am
I have just being doing some research into acupuncture due to a bad knee I have had for some time. It has been on and off, but from Feb – April it was really bad. Do you think acupuncture could be a good treatment? I waited about 6 months on the British Health Service only to be told it is best to just leave it. Over two years later its still a problem.
July 4th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Yes! Acupuncture, if done properly, can help knee pain by improving circulation of qi/chi, blood, fluids, etc, and thus lessening pain and inflammation. We often say that there is a “blockage” of energy flow when there is pain or illness, so the premise of acupuncture is to bring the body back into homeostasis and allow the meridian systems (where the qi flows) to work properly again. By doing so, the pain, discomfort, inflammation and illness can go away, as well as prevent disorders from progressing or coming back if health is maintained.
If there is a structural issue in your knee, acupuncture can relieve the pain and discomfort, and bring “nourishment” to the area, but it cannot easily reverse a structural issue. (I’ve treated a woman who has 60% of her medial meniscus removed, and with acupuncture, she has felt great improvement in how her knee feels after dancing and exercising). If there isn’t a structural issue, then the ability for acupuncture to help is even greater!
Acupuncture approaches treating the body in such a holistic way that it takes into account your whole body’s health (as well as your bad knee) – it works so well because it isn’t supposed to just treat the part, but the whole. (Of course, this also depends on the practitioner!)
I hope this helps a little!
Acupuncture N Herbs’s last blog post..Alternative Medicine Littleton, Colorado Acupuncture Herbs
July 9th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Thanks for the thorough comment response Fuyiu. That makes me want to get acupuncture. I’m sure the long run benefits of acupuncture are even better, although subtle, as well.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 am
[…] and be sure to try EFT to release any negative emotions about the situation: EFT – How to Overcome Any Fear in Minutes with this Emotional Freedom Technique __________________ Practical Spiritual Advice for Men at Yang Town: […]
July 30th, 2008 at 5:22 am
EFT can be used on a multitude of problems. The best rule of thumb is to use it with everything. So even though it can help out with big problems like fears, depression, hunger etc. it can also work on day to day problems like motivation, energy and happiness. It’s a great little tool to experiment on everything.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
[…] life, I can onlylive mine. A practical tool I’ve used to get over my old relationships is EFT. EFT – How to Overcome Any Fear in Minutes with this Emotional Freedom Technique | Yang Town If I were in your shoes, I would ask myself what I clearly want in terms of a relationship with a […]
August 27th, 2008 at 7:20 am
I completely believe that physiology has a lot to do with emotions…
but as with anything I guess you have to experience it yourself to make up your mind about it.
I will definately look further into EFT
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
StyleHabits, yes man, I couldnt agree more. I use EFT daily on any little issue or hangup that pops up. Bobby, yah give it a try and see if it works for you.
November 8th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
YOU”RE A F***ING LIAR, RYAN
It didn’t take minutes or even moments…that shit was instantaneous !!! lol
i’ve had your book about it lingering forever on my harddrive and i was having this issue (i was also aware what it meant; in terms of how my body felt when it hits me or while having it)
So, i stumbled upon your book and i said what the hell ?!
Man, i gotta say even under the influence of what used to stimulate that problem (being an “effect” and giving my power to people so they could please me) i’m not reacting the same way, i looked at a pic of a pornstar and instead of running for the lube…i looked at it for a sec…my body slowly lit up and i was, for the first time, smiling about being turned on 😀
What kinda hit me is that, being self aware, i was aware of how my energy was distorted and when i read what you wrote about it balancing energy it kinda clicked that this is a way to deal with this
Thanks alot man, and all the best. Who invented (discovered) that anyway ?!, they should give him a nobel !
December 17th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Hey Dstructor, thanks man. I’ve noticed you’ve been sticking with this blog for quite a while now, thanks for always believing in me…lol. Yeah, eft looks strange at first, but once you try it out, you realize that it works. I don’t really advocate believing in things, but rather, to just try it out and see whats true for you. Glad to hear that it helped you become more conscious and in your body; that is where your power is. Appreciate the feedback.
January 21st, 2009 at 5:53 pm
[…] has behind it a motive for it, or an emotional void trying to be filled. In one of the EFT training videos, an older woman came to Gary Craig (the founder of eft) and asked for […]
May 19th, 2009 at 4:16 am
Thank you so much for these great videos. It really helped my daughter and I to put this current health scare in perspective, and feel better about ourselves. Keep up all the wonderful work you and Michelle are doing, it is appreciated more than you know. Many blessings from Liz and Sami Williams
August 13th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Thank you and continue doing your great work promoting EFT and other fantastic ways to help people achieve their potential. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Very great work mate! So there are this kind of things about EFT, never knew it till I read this article together with the vids. Thanks and keep up the good work!
December 31st, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Tech Question:
Q
April 30th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Acupuncture helps me in my allergies. I have hay fever ever since i was a kid.-:”
May 23rd, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Thank you
June 4th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Thank you for posting these videos. I was looking for these and was pleased to find them all in one place. Fabulous!
-Britt
.-= BV´s last blog ..Do Antibiotics Cause Bacterial Vaginosis? =-.
June 4th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
To be honest, I had never heard of EFT before, but looks interesting nonetheless.
.-= Tyler´s last blog ..Anxiety and Panic Attack Relief =-.
June 24th, 2010 at 5:49 am
I have tried EFT before for my depression. I gotta know about this via my physician.
.-= readbud expert´s last blog ..Readbud Bot Planned 1.2.0 update! =-.
June 28th, 2010 at 1:26 am
[…] If you want to print out the instructions or review any of the steps or acupressure points, just refer to this post: Learn the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) […]
July 10th, 2010 at 12:08 am
acupuncture is good for a large number of bodily disorders, i use it to help me ease my rhinitis..;.
July 19th, 2010 at 11:42 pm
[…] Emotional Freedom Technique any time you feel yourself slipping back into an old mental story about your ex, and soon you will […]
August 10th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
[…] this shortened “quick and dirty” version of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), can be a great way to clear anxiety and break through inhibitions as they come […]
September 14th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
EFT is considered to be a natural therapy that is why it is appropriate to all people. However, acupuncture is only done by experts.
September 27th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Thank you for this post. I’m going to be exploring EFT a little further in helping with anxiety. I tried it a few years ago but (like many i’m sure) found it to be such a strange looking technique. That’s changed however after hearing so many stories about EFT being a lifesaver.
i did a speech at a church the other day. I was super nervous!! I wish I had read this post a few days ago.
Cheers!
.-= Anxiety Cures Blog´s last blog ..Herbal Anxiety Remedies =-.
September 30th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
This is perfect! Its really great for those who fear everything. A quick and very effective remedy that we all can do.
October 5th, 2010 at 3:11 am
i have panic attacks and my doctor reccomends relaxation exercise’.*
December 24th, 2010 at 6:32 am
Removing blocks and fears is NOT as easy as “123 tap away”. Trust me. I’ve been involved with EFT for 15 years. The concept of removing fear “in minutes” is false and misleading. Getting to the CORE of your fear is the key and that takes a while-in most cases. the concept is good, but in reality most people’s beliefs are so deeply rooted that it can take awhile to get lasting results.
January 20th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Hey Mark,
Yeah that’s a good point about getting deep into it. In my experience though, you CAN clear the Emotion of fear in minutes, but the Reality of fear (subconscious stuff), does take longer as you mentioned. In fact, EFT can be extremely effective at clearing the fear once it arises, but often there is tremendous resistance to allowing the fear to surface enough so that it can be tapped on. I guess you could call this the fear of fear.
November 18th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Dear Yangtown,
Thanks for the info I really had a bad flight years ago where we hit bad turbulence and lasted about 5 minutes, since then I am really tense and in April will be flying overseas and change three flights. Heelp! Any advice?
Keep up the posts!
February 15th, 2012 at 1:58 am
Hello Ryan,
Thank you for such brief guide. This helped a lot but i will try to learn about EFT a bit more.
Thanks again and keep up with good work
December 5th, 2012 at 5:37 am
I tried it once and i felt relaxed if i keep doing this will it help me overcome doing presentations on front of the class? Because i get nervous and turn red, even if i talk to people i dont know i turn red im very shy i guess.
March 19th, 2014 at 4:29 am
Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT Tapping releases negative emotions like stress, fear and anxiety by operating meridian points of our body. It is similar to acupuncture without needles.