ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Headache Relief: Use the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

Updated on February 1, 2014

Drug-free Headache & Migraine Relief with EFT

Whether its tension headache, migraine headache, cluster headache or just a plain headache, the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) often gets results when nothing else has worked. But for starters...

Most headaches are caused by dehydration. The drug companies won't tell you this because water is almost free so they can't make any money out of it. How much actual water have you had to drink to day? Tea, coffee, juices, and soft-drinks do not count. How much water have you had to drink?

Drink 2 full glasses of water, right now; in 20-minutes drink another two full glasses of water.

Something like 80% of headaches and migraines are caused by dehydration, so go ahead and drink that other glass of water. You can read my personal experience with dehydration later on.

If your headache is something other than dehydration then try this simple acupressure technique that often works when nothing else will. This technique is based on the same principles as acupuncture only it doesn't use needles just the simple tapping of your finger tips on energy points. It's called: The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).

About the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) have taken Einstein's discoveries (that everything is energy, including the human body) and married them with the ancient tradition of acupuncture.

The success of EFT lies in the balancing of the body's subtle energies that flow through the body, in much the same way as blood flows through veins. This balancing is done with an elegant sort of emotional acupuncture. Instead of using needles, specific points on the body are stimulated by tapping with the fingertips.

EFT is so simple that it can be easily learned by anyone and self-applied. Some cases are more complex, however, and may require assistance from an experienced EFT Practitioner.

How do you use EFT to cure your headache?

EFT is done by using your fingertips to tap on easily found acupressure points on the body. These points are shown in the photos above and in detail on this graphic. The points are the same on both sides of the face and body.

The tapping is done with the same firmness as you might drum your fingers on the desk. Use the middle three fingers of either hand when tapping so that you don't need to be worried about the exact location of the points. Use both hands and tap on both sides at the same time is preferable.

The tapping is combined with a focusing phrase that keeps your mind on the problem, in this case, the headache. When we focus on the problem and tap on the acupressure points, the energy system in our body is balanced and the pain is relieved.

In this case we will use a focusing phrase for your headache such as: "This pain behind my eyes" or "This throbbing at the base of my neck" or simply "This headache". The more specific you are about the location and description of the pain the better.

EFT Step-by-Step

To start, take a reading of how bad the headache is so that you can tell if there is any change. We do this by picking a number on a scale from 0 - 10, where 0 is headache free and 10 is the worst. If you are unsure of the number then guess, as this will usually be the correct number. Write the number down so that you can compare it after applying EFT.

  1. On a scale of 0-10, where 10 is the worst, how bad is the pain? Write down this number.
  2. Start and continue tapping on the Karate Chop point while saying the focusing phrase 3 times. For example:

    "Even though I have this headache, I accept myself."

    "Even though I have this headache, I accept myself."

    "Even though I have this headache, I accept myself."

    Remember to substitute the specific focusing phrase for your own headache.

  3. At each tapping point, from the head down, tap a few times while saying the focusing phrase. So, for example, start tapping on the top of the head and say "This headache behind my eyes" Then move to the eyebrow point, start tapping, and say "This headache behind my eyes". Continue until you have tapped on each of the illustrated tapping points. Repeat for 5 or 6 rounds.
  4. Take another reading of the pain on a scale of 0 - 10 and compare this to the questions (a), (b), and (c) below.

  5. Is the new number lower than the one you wrote down in step 1 i.e. has the headache reduced? Great! Repeat the steps 1-4 until the number is at zero or doesn't go any lower.
  6. Is the number the same but the pain has now moved or changed in some way? Awesome! You're making progress. Make up a new focusing phrase to describe the new location and type of pain and repeat steps 1-4.
  7. Is the new number the same or higher than the number you wrote down in step 1 i.e. has the headache got worse or intensified? STAY CALM. While you might think you have done something wrong, you have not. You are actually getting closer to the resolving the real issue behind the pain. Please read the Advanced Notes below before repeating the procedure.

Advanced Notes

If, after a round of tapping, the pain intensifies or stays the same then its time to put on your Detective's hat and delve deeper into the problem. It is very likely there is an emotional issue related to the headache that you need to find. To identify the emotional issue behind the headache, ask yourself the following questions:

  • When did the headache first start? What was happening in your life at that time?
  • What is the earliest time in your life that you remember having these headaches?
  • Who does the headache remind you of?
  • How old were you when you starting having these headaches?
  • Did you have an accident that caused the headache initially? What was it?

If you have trouble coming up with something, try guessing what this could be about as this will usually be the right memory.

Now that you have some answers, make up a new focusing phrase to describe this memory e.g. "this car accident headache", or "this divorce headache", or "this stress at work headache". Repeat the tapping steps 1-4 with this new focusing phrase.

Again, evaluate your results at the end of the round of tapping and proceed from there.

Using EFT will often achieve lasting results when nothing else has worked!

More about EFT

EFT is the most successful health innovation in the last 100 years and works on every emotional and physical issue you can name including:

trauma or abuse, stress or anxiety, PTSD, fears or phobias, depression, addiction, allergies, ADD/ADHD, anger management, headaches, back pains, or breathing difficulties

Even though EFT appears simple, correctly and artfully applied EFT often gets results when nothing else has worked.

Find out more about EFT and Tap4Health.

Dehydration Headache: My Personal Experience

For a number of months when I was in secondary school, I would get violent migraines each afternoon and have to go home from school. I took pain killers and often had to just go to sleep until morning. I was taken to the hospital and checked out, and I was also taught relaxation techniques yet nothing seemed to work.

Yet, when I look back now, it was simple dehydration. I lived in a hot dry environment with temperatures in the high 30C (90F) and would not drink any water from the moment I awoke until I took the damn headache pill.

So, save yourself years of pain and simply drink more water. Your brain, your body, your blood, and your appetite will thank you! For more information about the affect dehydration has on your health read Your Body's Many Cries for Water.

As you experience the benefits of this lens, please express your appreciation by clicking 5-Stars at the top of the page. You might also leave a brief note below about your experience.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)