Should Christians Practice EFT or Avoid It? New Video
EFT is an acronym on for Emotional Freedom Technique. Occasionally, I am asked if EFT is something that Christians should avoid. I first became familiar with EFT about 10 years ago at a book signing event. At that time I had never heard of EFT, but participated in several tapping exercises to reducing sugar cravings. EFT is now taught and practiced world-wide. Just look on YouTube you will find 100s of EFT videos on reducing everything from stress and anxiety to losing weight and people swear by it.
I personally believe that EFT is an effective tool or technique for releasing blocked or suppressed emotions. Many times instead of finding the root cause of distress, negative emotions, or heaviness, we bury it deeper into our subconscious mind. It is kind of like knowing that a mouse ran in my home and instead of finding and getting rid of it, I pretend it doesn’t bother me. And, in order to combat any negative feelings, I distract myself or tell myself that I feel one way, when deep down inside I am fearful, anxious, or worried.
Most people wouldn’t settle for sharing their resident with a rodent and would immediately purchase mouse traps, poison, or call an exterminator. Once that mouse is caught the anxiety lifts and your well-being is restored.
EFT is like the emotional equivalent of acknowledging there is a menace in your subconscious mind and then letting it go. Our emotions let us know immediately when something is wrong. God created us to live with continual peace and wellbeing. Whenever our well-being is being attacked, it’s time to go into battle. The longer we let ill feelings remain, the more effort we will need to get rid of them.
EFT contains a well-establish system for releasing negative emotions. It is often called emotional acupuncture as you tap on emotional pressure points on your body while release negative circumstances and then affirming more positive statements.
In the first part of EFT you do what is called “make friends with the problem.” What this really means is that you bring to the surface and acknowledge that a problem exist. Sometimes we think that if we acknowledge that we are afraid, angry, depressed, or worried that we are not living by faith or we are going to make matters worse. Yet, regardless of having great faith, we all have fears. Having great faith isn’t denying our fears but confronting them head on and giving them over to God.
I believe this is one of the greatest benefits of EFT because it helps people to confront their fears and then change how they will view them in the future. I always tell people that you can’t create a solution until you know the problem and EFT helps you to get to the root of the problem and then release it.
Once you know the tapping points you can make your own EFT sessions using the scriptures or Biblical affirmations. I created my own Biblical EFT dialogue awhile back that helped me to eliminate anxiety about my finances. I have used EFT with other Christians who have been able to find relief over specific negative emotions. After each session you rate your negative feelings on a scale of 1-10 and if the emotion still exists you repeat the process.
In my opinion, I see nothing unscriptural or ungodly about EFT, however I have also created a similar technique for overcoming negative emotions by casting every care on the Lord. I have found it very effective as well however it focuses on the healing power of Christ. Learn more.
It’s easy to make your own EFT dialogue. First identify the problem. Secondly, create positive statements that bring the problem under the authority of Christ. I created a Christian EFT on Youtube for releasing anxiety, check it out below:
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hey ms. rhonda,
that was very inspiring. i use eft almost every day and you put such a nice twist on it, with your Jesus affirmations. i tap on myself when i read scripture based prayers and i use the Holy Spirit to help me with Christ-like eft. thank you so much for your passion to help your christian brothers and sisters to stay up to date with all the good things that the Lord has for us!
1i pray that you shall always be inspired by the Holy Spirit and that you and i shall live by the Truth!
be blessed
in Jesus
marion
Jesus girl:)
Readers,
This morning I received the following email regarding the EFT article and I wanted to share it with you and my reply since some of you might have the same perspective and I want to present all sides. I appreciate comments to my articles whether they disagree with me or not. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Kathy wrote,
Dear Rhonda,
Forgive me, but I am compelled to ask you to look closer at things like EFT. I did this and other things in a search for healing a couple of years ago. Bottom line, I found that such things are extremely occultic and I had to repent for them. Our enemy is very subtle and will lead us to do many things that look/feel good or even “heal” us, but lead us away from God and His Word as the only authority. Many Christians are sucked into such things under the broader heading of alternative or natural healing and are dealing with something much more sinister than just emotions. God PROMISES us healing in the atonement if you study the Word, if we just come to really believe it and lay hold of it. I would highly recommend reading a book called “A More Excellent Way” by Henry Wright, not that it’s the only thing out there, but it is a good start. This ministry has put me on a whole new path based on the truth of His Word alone, and brought me back from perishing for lack of knowledge though I was a long-term Christian. I truly say these things with His love for you and hope you can receive it so.
My reply to Kathy’s comments:
Dear Kathy,
Thank you for your reply. I am going to take some of the excerpts you wrote and put them in the comment section of the blog post with my comments. I agree that we must be careful because the enemy is subtle, but I also know from dealing with many people, that many Christians who suffer from depression and other toxic emotions, just aren’t able to break through their fears to receive God’s healing.
I believe as you that everything we need is already in Christ Jesus. The problem at times is accessing it.
What discourages me regarding some alternative healing practices, is that they do not acknowledge God as the source of our health and wholeness. The Bibles says, they have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof, from such turn away. That is basically the premise of the new age movement, spirituality void of the true and living God.
I believe EFT in the way I presented it, using the scriptures and relying on God as our healer is beneficial. What is most benefical about the technique is that it helps us to hone in on our fears and then release them. That is a powerful precursor to healing and typically in the church we are taught to deny what we feel and walk by faith instead of acknowledging and confronting what we feel and using the power of God’s word and the Holy Spirit to defeat it. When it comes to fighting the enemy, too often we are on the defensive instead of the offense.
There are still many Christians who would say that meditating on God is unscriptural but it has made all the difference in the world in my walk with God, more than going to church, reading Christian books, and servicing in the ministry. Who would have ever thought that me sitting in my car filled with pain and doing deep breathing would have lead to this Christian meditation ministry? Yet I have had well meaning Christians tell me that “deep breathing” is of the devil when it is God who gave us the breathe of life! Sometimes I have to wonder who are real enemy is? God can and does heal in many different ways, he had a blind man put mud in his eyes, a king dip seven times in a river, and one woman was healed just by touching his garment. We must refrain from putting God in a box. Inspite of the method, God is the healer, this is what we Christians recognize.
I am so thankful for going to a Bible teaching church the first 10 years of my Christian walk because I learned tons of scriptures. However, I hate to say it but too many churches promote a fear-based ministry causing us to look for the devil under every nook and cranny. The truth is that our greatest enemy lies in between our ears and that is our mind. Who ever controls the mind, controls the human-being. We MUST at all cost take our mental authority back or we are conquered already.
I appreciate your comments and I hope that readers will get a copy of the book you mentioned, A More Excellent Way by Henry Wright. I plan to as well and would love to share insights found within its pages on my blog.
To my fellow believers, I encourage everyone to read Romans 14 that gives us the priviledge of follow our own hearts toward God. Verse 6 reads, “He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
You can replace the words “day” and “eateth” with “EFT.”
Then verse 14, “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
And lastly, verse 22 and 23, Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
If you are feeling convicted in your spirit and are not comfortable with using EFT with scripture affirmations, by all means, ignore this article, but it may be a live saver to some. Thank God that we have the freedom to choose.
God’s Blessings,
2Rhonda
My dear sister Rhonda and everyone in Christ, I believe in all things regardless if they are spiritual, soulical, or physical we must look at and find the root causes, especially if its something we are constantly having to battle. The problem I have with this technique is its relying on accupunture. If you study or look into the development of accupunture, it is trying to balance the yin and yang in harmony. The yin and yang are the good and evil forces. According to scripture in Jesus Christ we have been given all authority to cast down or out the evil forces, not bring them in harmony with the good forces. Due to that fact alone, anything to do with accupuncture I will and would not encourage anyone to have anything to do with it whether it supposedly helps or not as a person may be opening themselves up as an entry way for unclean spirits to come in. The Bible does say that even Satan can appear deceptably as an angel of light. We must be careful to discern and stand on who we are and what we have in Jesus. Even if someone apllies scriptual affermations as they are doing the process, they are still practicing accupuncture techniques. Beware my brothers and sisters. God bless, Rev. David B. Wolfe at echoman5@aol.com
3Hi Brother David,
Thanks for the response. I’m leaving several other articles on the subject that people can research. I still believe it to be beneficial but people must be lead by their own convictions. To me, danger is when we believe that “any method” instead of God himself is the source of our healing. If a Christian is using EFT as a tool for God to heal them, then I believe their heart is in the right place.
Here are several other articles that discuss the EFT in relationship to the Christian faith that might be helpful as well.
Does EFT Compete with God?
http://www.emofree.com/Articles2/eft-and-God.htm
Talking to Christians About EFT
http://www.emofree.com/Articles2/talking-to-christians.htm
By the Way, I wrote about another alternative in a previous posting titled, Overcome Negative Emotion by Casting Your Cares on God. I use this all the time and you are going straight to the source. I also did a video on it. Check it out- http://thechristianmeditator.com/myblog/2010/01/22/overcoming-negative-emotions-casting-every-care-worry-on-god/
4Hi Rhonda, There is truth in what you do, because God designed our bodies so that there are pressure points where the nerve endings are which when pressed sends blood to the place where you pressed this allows more red cells to go to the place where you pressed and so the body can start a healing process. The danger is when you start to do these things and rely on this method alone instead of depending on the Holy Spirit for their healing. A friend of mine had a daughter who developed a problem with her immune system and they bought a pen that you used to press on the pressure points, together with prayer she eventually recovered and is now quite healthy. Another friend sells pens that you press on the spot several times a day but they are so expensive. so what you teach is not occultic but only beware what you do with it, that could be dangerous.
5Regards
Catharina.
Hi Rhonda,
6I loved your reply back – it is very truthful i feel, and as you i also agree that many many churches have a fear based teaching — to deny what you are ‘feeling’ because feeling dosent matter, but for someone like me who is currently struggling w/horrible self image issues, negative emotions, fears — it is very hard to grab hold of Gods word and apply it. I appreciate your website and hoping to hear some of the meditations very soon. Gods Blessing & Peace to you, lorraine
Hi Rhonda,
Thanks for the reply. I certainly do not disagree with godly meditation or deep breathing. I also disagree with many church emphases today. I do not disregard feelings, emotions, or that the battle is in the mind. The question is where they come from. What most don’t realize is that it is through the mind the enemy begins his work, and I must agree with David he often comes as an angel of light to deceive us. Jesus made it clear WHO, not what is our enemy – we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (the flesh includes emotions feelings and will), but forces of wickedness come to steal, kill, destroy and seek whom HE may devour and he will even twist the Word in us, calling evil good even as he did with Adam and Eve. He is the one who prefers to keep us ignorant of his wiles in our lives, keep us fear-based, and get us to believe we need not be concerned about him – that includes Christians. I cannot give it a thorough addressing here, but THIS is what the church is not teaching today in most places and we are perishing for lack of knowledge. I understand where you are, because I have been there. Regarding the book, A More Excellent Way by Henry Wright. I encourage you or anyone to just first read the many reviews on amazon (the new 2009 edition) and the many testimonies included in the book. If led, read the book and you may be as amazed as myself and many I know have been who found they were perishing for lack of knowledge and did not know it. You can see http://www.beinhealth.com as well. Be assured my purpose is not to recommend one ministry to the exclusion of any other good teaching. I was in “good” churches for 27 years before God began to really open my eyes to see the truth of the Word that I was blinded to for a long time. I am forever grateful.
In His love,
7Kathy
RE: David Wolfe — the yin/yang is the oriental explanation. the meridians and points of accupuncture are there and are neutral. If you use them with yin/yang in mind – then they become non-God. If they are used (like a hunger pain is satisfied with food) to bring our emotions and life events to the light of God for His healing touch – they are good.
8Paul forgot what was behind [he dealt with the events in the God perspective - how? by applying God's forgiveness through the Cross/Blood] – but Rom. 14 gives us the freedom to use neutral tools — even an aspirin for a headache.
a lover of God – 2 Tim 3:4