The practice of acupuncture has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine. Fine needles are inserted into the skin at specific points of the body. The theory behind the technique is that energy flows through the body along channels (meridians). When these channels become blocked, the body’s energy cannot flow freely and this, in turn, can manifest in the form of illness. The placement of fine needles at specific points along the body’s meridians is thought to allow energy to flow freely once more and in turn, is believed to alleviate symptoms such as chronic pain. While the scientific explanation for the benefits of acupuncture is unclear, it has been speculated that the placement of the needles may stimulate nervous and muscular tissue, providing relief to the patient.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is sometimes called “psychological acupressure,” and consists of tapping specific acupuncture points on the body. While acupressure is applied, the patient is asked to verbalize negative emotional experiences.
One of the leading applications of acupuncture is in the treatment and alleviation of pain, including chronic pelvic pain in women with endometriosis. While we do not fully understand the mechanisms through which acupuncture brings its benefits, it serves as a safe alternative therapy that can be offered to the patient in addition to traditional treatment modalities.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is sometimes called “psychological acupressure,” and consists of tapping specific acupuncture points on the body. While acupressure is applied, the patient is asked to verbalize negative emotional experiences.
As with acupuncture, the goal of EFT is to restore the flow of energy throughout the body, in turn alleviating the patient’s symptoms. In contrast, however, EFT is derived from the belief that negative emotions can play a role in blocking the flow of energy throughout the body and that combining acupressure with verbalization and acknowledgment of negative emotions balance can be restored to mind and body. When we experience an upsetting event this is thought to cause a disruption in our body’s energy system, generating negative emotions. It doesn’t matter whether the disturbing event happened when you were very young or 10 minutes ago. EFT targets the specific event and the related emotion.
The goal of EFT is to free the patient of emotional negativity that can generate poor health habits, anxiety, depression and pain.
There are many reasons that a woman with endometriosis could benefit from EFT and acupuncture. Years of suffering terrible pain, being misdiagnosed, multiple invasive procedures, loss of quality of life, feeling betrayed by your body and feeling alone and misunderstood by friends and family can all leave emotional wounds. These intense emotions add another layer of suffering above and beyond the physical pain of endometriosis itself.
EFT helps target and provide an outlet for the negative emotions that occur from having endometriosis. Our thoughts and emotions have a profound effect on the internal environment of our bodies. We can create an internal environment that supports health and healing or one that generates dysfunction and disease. Resolving these emotions takes a burden off of the body so it can heal and function optimally.
EFT and acupuncture can be applied before and after conventional treatments, such as surgery, to aid in healing, processing the emotions surrounding treatment and restoring balance to mind and body.
Acupuncture can have a dual function, firstly in complimenting EFT but secondly in directly helping to address your pain.
The two techniques go hand-in-hand and together represent a particularly potent therapeutic approach. The acupuncture supports your body in staying balanced and working as efficiently as possible while emotional issues are being addressed with EFT. EFT can, however, also be used by itself and that is one of the beautiful things about it – the technique is simple to learn and apply, is non-invasive and can be used by the patient anytime through her day as another strategy to help her in daily life.
Dr. Nancy Lowe works with patients on an individual basis using the Emotional Freedom Technique.
Further reading
Dr. Nancy Lowe joins Vital Health to offer EFA, acupuncture and acupressure to our patients