However, even after training in it, many are still confused as to how and why EFT really works. Indeed one of the most common questions is still ?will EFT work for (insert your complaint)??, and ?how do I apply eft for (insert your complaint)??

Let's clear these up immediately. EFT works for any and every emotional or physical complaint. The process for every single complaint is exactly the same. The secret is in how to apply it.

In every case EFT works by uncoupling associations ? associated responses. In other words, it unpairs a stimulus-response reaction. It works in this way in every case, regardless of the issue, and it does so either on a situation that's happening now, or on a situation that happened in the past. Something now could be a physical complaint or pain I have in this moment, like a headache. Something in the past could be a traumatic memory of an incident that happened to me, or it could be a longer-term issue that is now manifesting as a constant physical issue, or even disease. Many times this could be an addiction, compulsion, or learned fear.

Applying EFT for something in the here and now is fairly straight forward. Focus your thinking on the issue that bothers you, and tap round the usual tapping points on the body.

Applying EFT on a long standing issue or something from the past is the same, but the key is in finding the memories or contributing issues to tap on. The problem behaviour we're trying to overcome is really just our adaptation, or coping mechanism, we intuitively put in place at the moments when that past emotional hurt is triggered again in current daily life, e.g. many times we may unexplainably feel overwhelmed by emotion, sadness, anger, etc and we don't know why. Something in our daily life has triggered an old emotional issue that's not available to us on a conscious level. It is our unconscious flagging up to us an emotional hurt that needs to be resolved.

To deal with that pain we can engage in all sorts of destructive behaviour, drug-taking, over-eating, alcohol abuse, and so on. And most of us don't know why we're doing it. We know it's destructive on a conscious level. It is our best attempt to feel better. And, ultimately, the priority of the unconscious mind is simply to ensure you survive?regardless of the social un-acceptability or un-usefulness of your coping mechanisms.

So, can you understand now why EFT works on every issue? Every issue is really a stimulus-response association to a past or present issue that needs to be resolved on an emotional level. By focussing on the right events, and collapsing each in turn, a good EFT therapist will help you unravel and take aim with your tapping at the underlying memories, associations, and traumas that will collapse the core issue and leave you with a new, lighter, fresher, emotional future in store.