Freeing Physical Pain with EFT

Posted by Ron Ball

Jun 08, 05

Until yesterday, I didn’t realize that I hadn’t posted any articles about using EFT to relieve physical pain. The main reason is the focus of this blog is using EFT for everyday life. Also, I’m not a medical or health care professional. However, when I was speaking with one of my neighbors, it struck me that dealing with body pain is something that many people have to cope with, often daily. EFT can be a surprisingly effective way to relieve physical pain. Let’s get started learning how to use EFT for pain relief.

(Before you read any further, please read this disclaimer.) I’ll begin by telling you about my experiences using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) for relieving pain. Although my focus is on teaching EFT for stress relief, here’s what a few of my clients say about using EFT for pain.

“As an elderly person, I suffer from a medical problem. Whenever I walk on hard surfaces such as concrete or hardwood floors, it feels like walking on pins and needles. After doing three rounds of EFT over the telephone, my feet were back to feeling normal. I’m puzzled about how EFT works and grateful for finding something so simple and effective. More people, especially the elderly, need to know about EFT.”
–Robert B.

“In exchange for about five minutes of my time, the brief introduction to EFT eliminated shoulder pain that had plagued me for months. It certainly was easier and less time consuming than the surgery I’d been told I might need.”
–Judy C.

“I used the method for two issues. The first was for resolving something I was angry about. I went from feeling angry to being calm in just a few minutes. Secondly, I used EFT for a back pain that has troubled me for years. Even though I have tried acupuncture to no avail, and I take strong medication each day, the pain is constantly there. Using EFT, I was surprised to go from an intense pain to almost no pain within a few minutes. Now, I am confident I have a way to tap away my pain whenever it shows up in my back or body.”
–Larry Z.

“I used EFT for a stress headache that I had on the right side of my head. I was fascinated when the pain vanished so quickly.”
–Susan C.

“I snickered at the idea of EFT and tapping. Then one day, I had excruciating back pain. It felt like having an ice pick stuck in my back. I was ready to try anything. I did EFT. I was dumbfounded. The pain vanished almost immediately. Now, I’m a proponent of EFT.”
–Chad A.

My wife has rheumatoid arthritis. One morning in preparing for our daughter’s bridal luncheon, the arthritis in her arm and shoulder flared up. She had pain and inflexibility. Emotionally, she was stressed and worried about all of the things she had to get done. We did a couple of rounds of EFT and the relief was immediate. She was mystified that the pain disappeared and her arm felt good again.

Another time, she was shopping and tripped over a grocery cart on the way to the car. In casual conversation, my neighbor, a talented and compassionate doctor, said it could be a torn rotator cuff. Since I recommend trying EFT on everything, that afternoon we did EFT. Within a few minutes, the pain diminished and the range of motion in her arm dramatically increased. The next day, it was as if she’d forgotten there was ever a problem with her arm.

In my opinion, what many healthcare professionals miss is there’s more than a physical issue involved. There’s stress, emotional trauma, and a shock to the system when a person trips over a cart, falls off a ladder or gets hurt in an accident. There could be embarrassment, shame or any number of emotional factors. Along with emotions, there’s a release of adrenaline and other body chemicals.

EFT can be beneficial in addressing the emotional causes that might be behind physical pain. Does EFT always work for relieving pain? No. And, I’d suggest that the main reason is that it depends on the skills of the EFT Practitioner, especially in pinpointing any core emotional issues that might be behind the pain.

I’ve provided a glimpse of my experiences using EFT for physical pain. Now, here’s the good stuff. I highly recommend visiting Gary Craig’s EFT Website page titled, Using EFT for Pain Management. You’ll find a wealth of information, including case stories on ways doctors, healthcare professionals and laypeople have used EFT as a safe, gentle way for pain relief without drugs or other uncomfortable procedures.

According to a study released at an American Psychiatry Association meeting, 72 percent of depressed patients did not know physical pain was a common symptom of depression. The reason why EFT can be particularly effective is that it addresses both depression and physical problems. Our Western cultural beliefs recognize drugs and surgery as the primary ways to relieve pain. In the last decade, more people have become aware of other healing modalities, including acupuncture. Many people still don’t know about EFT.

If you suffer from physical pain, what I’ve mentioned may be hard for you to believe. It’s fine to be skeptical. Just try EFT anyway. Set aside your beliefs and experience whether EFT does or doesn’t work for you. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Quite often, yet not always, EFT is a surprising and wondrous way to free pain.