Stanford engineer Gary Craig introduces EFT, a new "acupuncture without needles"
technique for helping Iraqi War Veterans gain relief from their Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD).
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques and involves the stimulation
of certain meridian points on the body by tapping on them with the fingertips. This
stimulation has been clinically shown in thousands of cases to dramatically reduce,
or completely eliminate, the sting of trauma.
"Conventional psychology has been looking
in the wrong place for clues to the PTSD puzzle," says Craig. "We have found repeatedly
that the nightmares, sweats and intrusive memories of our war veterans occur because
their war memories disrupt the proper flow of their bodies' subtle energies."
"Once
these energies have been properly balanced," maintains Craig, "the war veteran couldn't
get upset about the memory if s/he tried. This is also true for other emotional issues
including phobias, grief, rape, depression and anger."
Susan Hannibal is a San Diego
therapist and consistent user of EFT who often feels frustrated with the military's
use of conventional and ineffective methods for PTSD. "One of the biggest problems
facing our military today is Post-
"Even
when they don't sustain physical injuries," says Hannibal, "their lives can go into
a tailspin. Traumatic memories are an underlying cause of health problems, social
isolation, domestic violence, divorce, alcohol and drug abuse, and shattered families."
Everyone
agrees that conventional treatments do little to help. Psychiatric drugs can dull
or numb PTSD symptoms, but drugs have side effects and do nothing to address the
disorder's underlying cause. Conventional talk therapy can even make the problem
worse by reinforcing traumatic memories.
But Hannibal and other EFT practitioners
worldwide routinely neutralize haunting memories -
One
of Hannibal's clients is Navy Corpsman Wilbur Hurley. Just before leaving Iraq, he
had to deal with a young Marine's suicide. That event triggered memories of a murder-
Hurley's symptoms disappeared
when Hannibal taught him EFT. After his first session, which Hannibal videotaped,
Hurley left her office singing. "It was pretty much the greatest day of my life,"
he said. Even when he concentrated on the worst events he witnessed in Ramadi, he
couldn't find a single memory that bothered him.
Corpsman Hurley has remained free
of PTSD symptoms since his three-
Results like
these don't surprise Gary Craig. In 1994, Craig and a colleague visited a Veterans
Administration hospital in California, where they worked on-
"These men hadn't had a moment's peace in 20 years," says Craig. "Their
lives revolved around their terrifying memories." But after just a few minutes of
tapping, all of the men experienced profound release.
"Traumatic memories and phobias
usually respond quickly to EFT," he says, "and the results are often permanent. EFT
not only prevents post-
Despite the dramatic results achieved by patients
at the VA hospital, says Craig, none of the staff were interested.
Today the Department
of Veterans Affairs pays compensation for PTSD to nearly twice as many veterans as
it did six years ago, at an annual cost of $4.3 billion. Most recent applicants are
Vietnam War veterans.
"It would be wonderful if military chaplains, counselors, and
psychologists learned EFT and taught it to everyone," says Hannibal, "but it's so
different from what they're used to that no one knows what to make of it."
In addition,
she says, there is still a bias against seeking help in all branches of the military.
"It's cultural conditioning," she says. "It's unfortunate."
New Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Delivers Rapid, Long Lasting Results
for Iraqi War Veterans-
“EFT has been for me, the single most effective technique I’ve used in my 45 years of practice as a psychiatrist.”
Curtis Steele, MD