By Christine Wheeler, MA
Despite his good health, Charles (whose name has been changed to protect privacy), age 75, was depressed and anxious about death and dying.
He had nightly sleep disturbances, including nightmares, anxiety, irritability and a preoccupation with death.
Charles' friend, Arnie Mazo, was a psychotherapist and EFT practitioner, but Charles spoke to him as a friend as he "would not be caught dead" going to a therapist for his problems. (Note: You can read this case in more detail on the EFT Web site.)
Charles made it clear that he did not want to discuss his feelings but that he was looking for relief from his depressing preoccupation and anxiety about death. His attitude is not unusual.
According to an article in the April 2005 American Journal of Psychiatry, the use of conventional psychotherapy is uncommon in elderly adults. Furthermore, elderly men are less likely than women to seek help or treatment for depression.
EFT Provides Relief Even if You Don't Want to Discuss Your Feelings
EFT is a common sense tool for you whether or not you choose to seek conventional psychotherapy. You are in control of your own treatment using this do-it-yourself form of emotional acupuncture.
You don't use needles ... instead you use your fingertips to tap a series of specific acupuncture points along your own meridian system. This discovery has been a welcome addition to health professionals using the Chinese meridian system.
Your meridian system carries energy through your body in much the same way as veins carry blood.
When you use EFT to balance your energy system, your painful preoccupation with death -- or any other depressing or obsessive thoughts -- can subside, allowing a feeling of peace to prevail.
It efficiently taps into and dissolves emotional disturbances, without the need for talk therapy, allowing you to maintain your privacy. The basics of EFT can be learned by anyone and can be self-applied (usually in minutes).
Five weeks after learning EFT from Arnie Mazo, Charles reported that he now felt accepting of death as a natural part of life. His anxiety and irritability around the subject dissolved ... he had no more nightmares or sleep disturbances ... none of the symptoms had returned.
For many people death is a depressing topic. Many fear death itself ... but others are plagued with guilt ... regret ... anger ... and other intrusive thoughts and unresolved emotional issues. These soak the juice out of life and, in most cases, their cause involves the body's unbalanced meridians.
This new approach to therapy has impressed a growing number of therapists.
More on EFT
Please note that in addition to treating depression, EFT has been a consistently effective healing tool for hundreds of other physical, mental and emotional ailments. For more information, you can explore the EFT Web site and its numerous success stories regarding fears, phobias, emotional traumas and physical ailments.
While a complete description of EFT is beyond the scope of this article, you can learn all the basics from the free EFT Get Started Package on the EFT Web site. This includes a free download of the 79-page EFT Manual. Those wishing to save time and dive right in can get the affordable five-star training DVDs.
Please consult qualified health professionals before putting EFT into practice for yourself or others.