Energy Psychology Tool Cuts Tension Headache Frequency and Intensity
by More Than Half
April 04, 2013
Story at-a-glance
After eight weeks, people suffering from tension headaches who
had been taught how to do EFT on their own and tapped twice a
day reduced the frequency of their headaches by 62 percent and
the intensity of the headaches by 60 percent
EFT is a form of energy psychology technique that is basically a
form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy
meridians used in traditional acupuncture but without the
invasiveness of needles
Using EFT can help free you of the need to use toxic
prescription and over-the-counter painkillers for headache pain
Many studies now support EFT to benefit not only physical pain
but also anxiety, phobias, food cravings, depression and more
By Dr. Mercola
The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), one of my long-time
preferred energy psychology tools for managing your emotional
health, is finally receiving the recognition it deserves.
More than any conventional or alternative method I have used or
researched, EFT has the most potential to literally work magic.
Clinical trials have shown that EFT is able to rapidly reduce the
emotional impact of memories and incidents that trigger emotional
distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, your body can
often rebalance itself and accelerate healing of both emotional
and physical problems.
EFT Reduces Frequency of Tension Headaches by 62 Percent
These dramatic results were demonstrated by Greek researchers,
whose study involved 35 people receiving treatment for frequent
tension headaches at a headache clinic.
After eight weeks, those who had been taught how to do EFT on
their own and tapped twice a day reduced the frequency of their
headaches by 62 percent and the intensity of the headaches by 60
percent.1
This was from performing EFT on their own; it’s likely that if they
worked with a skilled EFT practitioner the results may have been
even more impressive.
If you are currently struggling with headaches, please realize
that using EFT and other mind-body tools to relieve the pain can
help free you of toxic prescription and over-the-counter
painkillers.
EFT Can Help You Break Free From Pain-Relieving Drugs
Aside from significantly increasing your heart risks (such as a
two to fourfold increase in the risk of heart attacks, stroke or
cardiovascular death), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs), which are taken by millions of Americans, are linked to
serious gastrointestinal risks, like bleeding of the digestive
tract, increased blood pressure and kidney problems.
Remember, this applies not only to prescription medications like
Celebrex, but also over-the-counter drugs like aspirin, Advil and
Motrin.
As for the opioid painkillers like OxyContin, they are among the
most commonly abused prescription drugs and are a leading
contributor to the rising rates of fatal prescription drug
overdoses.
Many become addicted after using them to treat conditions like
headaches, back, or neck pain, and research has shown that using
these drugs for even a short period leads to structural and
functional changes in reward- and effect-processing circuitry in
your brain.
Any of these medications can also lead to rebound headaches,
which can occur any time you frequently use a headache medication
(possibly because the drugs alter pain receptors in your brain).
With a natural option like EFT showing such dramatic results for
headache relief, this offers a far safer, not to mention less
expensive, method of treatment.
EFT is Scientifically Proven to Benefit Multiple Health Conditions
Another benefit to using EFT to relieve your headache pain is
that it may offer simultaneous benefits to other parts of your body
as well. EFT is actually a subject of intense research and has been
studied in more than 10 countries, by more than 60 investigators,
with results published in more than 20 different peer-reviewed
journals.
Last year, a critical review in the American Psychological
Association's (APA) journal Review of General Psychology2
found that EFT "consistently demonstrated strong effect sizes and
other positive statistical results that far exceed chance after
relatively few treatment sessions."
This brought EFT one step closer to meeting the criteria for
evidence-based treatments proposed by the APA, an important step
toward EFT’s acceptance by the wider professional community, and one
that will bring its benefits to a wider group of people. The review
found statistically significant benefits in using EFT for the
following conditions:
Anxiety
Athletic Performance
Depression
Pain & Physical Symptoms
Phobias
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Weight Loss
Food Cravings
What Exactly is EFT … and How do You Use It?
In the video above, EFT practitioner Julie Schiffman shows how
you can use EFT to relieve your pain. EFT is a form of psychological
acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional
acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over 5,000
years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple
tapping with the fingertips is used to transfer kinetic energy onto
specific meridians on your head and chest while you think about your
specific problem -- whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction,
pain, etc. -- and voice positive affirmations.
This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing
positive affirmation works to clear the "short-circuit" - the
emotional block -- from your body's bioenergy system, thus restoring
your mind and body's balance, which is essential for optimal health
and the healing of physical disease. Some people are initially wary
of these principles that EFT is based on -- the electromagnetic
energy that flows through your body and helps regulate health is
only recently becoming recognized in the West.
But because of its very high rate of success, the use of EFT has
spread rapidly, and
medical practitioners employing EFT can now be found in every
corner of the country and world. My
free EFT manual provides an
overview on how and where to tap, and the proper affirmation
techniques, so that you can begin using EFT immediately to help
yourself and others. It also provides an introduction to some
advanced EFT techniques and principles you can employ for a variety
of health challenges.
More Natural Options for Relieving Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache, impacting
more than 70 percent of adults at one time or another.3
They typically cause pressure or tightness in your head that lasts
for several hours up to several days.
As their name implies, most tension headaches are stress-related,
although they may also be related to musculoskeletal problems in
your neck (which can also be caused by tense muscles related to
stress). Treatments that help you manage and relieve stress are
therefore incredibly effective. Aside from EFT, the following
stress-relief methods have been proven effective for the relief of
tension headaches:
Chiropractic care
Massage therapy
Tai chi
Meditation
Guided imagery, biofeedback, visualization and other forms
of relaxation training