And it basically does 1 thing.

It removes negative emotions.

Now, that might not seem so impressive at first. But consider how often flashes of negative emotion have gotten you in trouble in any area of your life.

If you feel discouraged, angry, frustrated, overwhelmed - it's easy to reach for food to calm down. (Food cravings are often driven by emotions.)

If you feel tired, you reach for food to try to get more energy ("I'm tired and I just want to eat.")

It's the easiest thing in the world to *become* overweight. But it's not easy to *be* overweight. And stress just adds to the problem, making it doubly hard to lose the extra pounds.

When we feel angry in our relationships, we say and do things we regret later.

When we feel scared, we don't think things through and often overreact based on our first impulse.

Feelings drive emotional eating, addictions, decision making and conflict in relationships. These emotions set off stress reactions, and stress hormones flood the body.

How often have you made a decision in an emotional state that you regret later?

Bitter resentments and the inability to forgive and/or move on emotionally can keep loved ones distant for years.

Fear of being alone can keep you in a bad relationship for years.

We all have challenges in life where we need to make good decisions. Relationships are tricky. Finances are challenging and stressful. Jobs are laden with pressure and uncertainty.

Imagine for a moment that you could make every decision free of the emotions that burden you now?

Imagine that you could think clearly and respond with your best judgment every time, even in difficult circumstances?

Without the heart pounding, sweaty palms, foggy thinking or headaches?

Imagine that you just received some bad news and you can handle it calmly without your heart sinking or feeling pressure to know exactly what to do?

Imagine that you feel calm and assured, confident in your ability to make the best decisions.

Imagine that you have a sudden food craving and can tap it out in less than 60 seconds . . .

It's not that all emotions and stress are bad. In many cases, they alert us to danger and let us know that something needs to change.

But in situations that require a clear mind and good judgment, excessive emotions can cloud your thinking. You can miss or distort important pieces of information or react too quickly. Acute stress can cause some people to feel paralyzed, not knowing what to do and unable to act.

And it's not that you don't feel ANY emotion. EFT just helps to eliminate the excess emotion - the part that interferes with you being you at your best.

I've heard EFT described as a combination of mental focusing and acupressure. Yes, you do have to focus. But it's a lot easier when you have a tool to use that is useful in just about any stressful situation . . . whether it's a criticism from your spouse or a craving for chocolate.