Depression is a disorder that affects approximately 9.5% of the American population, and its incidence is on the rise. In a fast paced world, where no one has time for their emotions, handling one’s feelings can be a little overwhelming, especially in cases where the situation has the capacity to make one feel sad, bereft and alone. Depression is often treated with antidepressants and psychotherapy, sometimes in conjunction with each other. EFT to overcome depression is gaining popularity due to its usefulness and its lasting impact.
Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT as it is popularly called, is a type of psychotherapy that is being used extensively for helping people with anxiety and depression. EFT is a form of therapy that focuses on desensitization and uses the tapping of acupuncture pressure points while the client is focusing on a certain emotional issue. EFT has been used for a wide range of emotional issues, and is especially beneficial in the treatment of depression and anxiety. It teaches the client to focus energy so as to release tension and deal with triggers of anxiety or depression.
EFT to Overcome Depression: How does it work?
Research has shown that the mind and body have electrical energy running through them. This energy runs through a set of what scientists call meridians. EFT works on the premise of tapping the energy running along these meridians and using it to bring about emotional calm. EFT is a technique that the therapist actually teaches the client, thereby cutting down the client’s dependency on the therapist. Traditional therapy sometimes results in the client becoming dependant on the therapist. Therefore, progress is not made in the state of mind.
EFT to overcome depression works to make the patient independent and able to deal with triggers of depression. Here is how EFT to overcome depression works:
- Assessment of Pain: Pain is mostly perceived by a person. EFT to overcome depression starts with assessing the pain a client is undergoing. Pain does not necessarily have to be physical. It is assessed on a scale of zero to ten, with zero being no pain at all and ten being the worst imaginable pain.
- Tapping: This is a major part of the therapy. While the client talks about the pain or the emotional stress, various points on the body are tapped. While using EFT to overcome depression, the patient talks about what makes him sad. As the tapping takes place, the patient repeats the issue, and as a result, stays connected to the issue. When the tapping is over, the person will find some relief with regard to the emotions associated with the issue.
The beauty of EFT is that once a patient learns what pressure points to tap on, he does not necessarily need the therapist to guide him through a session. In this aspect, EFT to overcome depression works very well. Along with addressing the core issue at hand, EFT to overcome depression also helps to build back the person’s self esteem. In this way, the Emotional Freedom Technique helps a depressed patient on two counts; the actual depression and the resultant lowered self esteem.