Emotional Freedom Technique

I’ve known about EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) for a while, and am well aware of its many benefits (I’ll come to those shortly). For some strange reason I seem to forget about it when I’m feeling stressed or out of balance! There are many helpful EFT videos on Youtube and it’s not difficult to learn the technique for yourself, but working with a practitioner who tailors the technique to your own issues and listens in the process obviously has more of an impact. 

I met Saffron de Menezes a while back at Cloud 9 Cafe in Newcastle and found out that she’s a therapist specialising in EFT. I kept meaning to book in for a session but life speeded up and it slipped my (overcrowded) mind. EFT is used primarily to work on negative emotions by tapping on certain energy points in the body whilst concentrating on the specific issue to be fixed (using focused wording). It’s similar to acupuncture in that it uses meridian energy points, but only uses nine points instead of hundreds used in acupuncture.

Saffron tapping with a client 

EFT can be used to help with pretty much any issue, and is especially effective for anxiety, stress and fear, as well as physical issues. It’s also used to help with performance issues (exams, sports, work). 

I booked a session via Skype with Saffron, and I immediately felt at ease. I was able to tell her what was troubling me (I’ve been suffering from anxiety and insomnia for the past few weeks because I lost all of my clients, but it was good to be able to talk through the reasons behind what was going on). I’ve been struggling with some strong emotions - fear of success, fear of failure and rejection, fear about going back to work (I’ve been self-employed for two years) and caring too much about what people think and comparing myself to others (which usually kicks in when I’m feeling anxious).  Saffron reminded me that all of the overthinking is trying to keep my safe, and stay in my comfort zone.

Saffron

She very quickly and skilfully managed to convert my issues into tapping routines and we worked through four different issues in the hour long session. She also reminded me to thank any distressing feelings I’m having and ask them to move on, instead of getting annoyed with them. I love how tapping routines end with “despite what’s going on…I love and accept myself completely.” It’s about self-acceptance, and neutralising strong emotions before they start to take hold and turn into more serious problems like severe anxiety and depression. Saffron is extremely understanding and reassuring, I felt so calm after the treatment and felt a definite reduction in my anxiety in the following days. A lot of it is about accepting how you feel, as resistance and fighting against it just makes it worse. 

Tapping points 

She also inspired me to add a short EFT routine into my morning routine, which has been really helpful. I’ve written my own routine and I'm changing it around depending on how I feel. I can’t recommend Saffron highly enough and will definitely be making sessions with her a regular part of my self-care routine. She also recommended some oracle cards that were less detailed than the ones I normally use (so I'm not overloaded with information) and a coach who specialises in self-acceptance and blame, guilt and shame. Thank you Saffron for going above and beyond!

EF tapping procedure 

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Check out Saffron's website here 

Contact Saffron by email - saffrondemenezes@gmail.com

Saffron is doing an Introduction to EFT workshop at Cloud 9 Wellbeing on July 29th. It will explain what it is and how it works, and how EFT can help with pain relief, cravings and anxiety. Booking details to follow.