FAQ
Fairly regularly I get some variation of the same questions below. Recently a college student contacted me and asked me if she could ask some questions for an essay she was writing on EFT. Here were her questions.
What training is required in becoming an EFT practitioner? Where can training be given? What's the cost?
What's a typical EFT session like, and how much is the cost?
How do you market your practice? What's the typical salary of an EFT practitioner? What skills are needed to be successful?
Who hires practitioners?
What are the benefits of EFT?
Could you tell me about a patient who has benefited from your treatment.
What's your favorite part of being an EFT practitioner? What's the most challenging?
Is there anything else I could learn about EFT?
Here are my answers:
Great questions.
Training: Technically there is no training required. That has actually created some problems, but the certifying bodies who offer trainings have made that harder because the training DVDs that used to be available, are no longer available, unless you sign up for trainings from those groups. There are 3 certifying organizations that I am aware of. I am certified through 2 and renewing my certification with ACEP. ACEP, www.energypsych.org is what I would consider the "official" certifying body. It is run by Tina Craig, Gary Craig's daughter. Gary is the founder of what he called EFT. There is also an England certifying body, AAMET, http://www.aamet.org/. Finally, there is the group that took over Gary's website when he retired a few years ago due to a heart attack. www.eftuniverse.com. But in addition to that, are the EFT Masters all trained by Gary, who have their own trainings and certifications. www.eftmastersworldwide.com Each site has their own info and pricing for training. The reason I consider the ACEP program to be "official" is because Tina is running it and she and her dad have established what they feel EFT really is. All other groups (and there are many more than the ones I've named) have broken off from Gary's original training.
A typical EFT session is anything but typical, except for the fact that the technique is basically the same for any problem. It make the process elegant and simple. Anyone can learn it, but trained practitioners have much higher success rates than the beginner. A "session" typically lasts 60-90 minutes. The price might be anywhere from $60 an hour to several hundred. There is no set rate. Often times, practitioners will offer a guarantee so that if you are not satisfied all or a portion of the money paid may be refunded. So with a new client, there is typically some explanation and demonstration. But most of my clients come from my free classes, so they have seen the process. The practitioner may spend some time questioning the client on what their expectation or intention is and what problem they are bringing that day. That may range in anything from pain, to emotional hurts, to mental blocks, to physical symptoms, to addiction, to personal limitations, and more. Then the practitioner uses that information to begin the process and methodically work through the issue presented. Results are often immediate and dramatic, but depending on the person and situation may be more subtle and need several sessions.
I market my practice mostly online and through my local classes. Having said that, there is no typical. The sky is the limit. But a full time practitioner could expect to make anywhere from $1200-$2000 a week depending on their hourly or per session charge. There are many, many part time practitioners. I am one of them. Skills needed is probably subjective. I would say, a good listener, empathetic, professional, flexible, non-judgmental, intelligent, and someone who has worked on and resolved their own "issues."
Not sure what you mean by who hires practitioners. Practitioners run the gamut of all walks of life. Some are Drs, some are licensed psychiatrists and psychologists. Some are counselors in other mental health professions, some are educators. And all of them have had a wide variety of clients who have hired them. Either way, EFT is gaining momentum and now being recognized by many official organizations.
The benefits of EFT. Well, how many hours do you have? Go to eftuniverse.com and sign up for their website or go to their archives and read past newsletters. Or just look at my site and read some of my testimonials and experiences. Improved physical symptoms. Better mental function. Lessening of negative emotions and strengthening of positive emotions. In my experience, EFT over time when persistent, helps to create a more peaceful, positive outlook on life, and allows the true individual to emerge, free from the burdens that typically weigh you down and prevent you from achieving all you can be.
Here are several of my experiences with EFT. Choose any one you like. I could give you dozens more.
The magic wand link above tells my favorite part about EFT. When someone is really in distress-pain, trauma, emotional hurt, it is amazingly gratifying that I can do something to help. Rather than do as I used to do and sit there feeling like I wish I could help, but not being able to do anything but just be as supportive as possible. Unfortunately, KNOWING I can help, and people ASKING for help, are two different things.
I recently had a friend who came out of back surgery and could have no pain medication because of her reaction to them. I cannot begin to tell you how desperate she was for help and when I saw her, how desperate I was to relieve her pain or help her. Even though I have had literally hundreds of successes, I was still shocked that she went from off the chart unbearable pain, to total comfort and relaxation. You could tell she was in shock. Her whole body shaking. And in probably only 15 minutes, she had relaxed completely and fallen asleep. Her tearful family was so grateful for her relief. It was truly relief for all. NOTHING feels better than that. Or when my 11 year old boy has a migraine and I take him to my darkened room and in literally less than five minutes he is relaxed and falls asleep, rather than writhing in agony for an hour or more, what relief for him and me as his mother! See, I could go on forever. You get the point.
The most challenging part of EFT is coming to expect that everything can and will resolve in minutes or under an hour. It happens a majority of the time. So, when suddenly you really have to dig, and look deeper, and unlock other doors and really WORK??? at a solution? Well that just doesn't seem right. LOL. That probably sounds weird, but it's true. But that part of it makes me a better practitioner, so it's all good.
If you want to know anything about Research and Science supporting EFT, see http://eftuniverse.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=21