Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Therapy
Calm Your Nervous System & Feel Like Yourself Again
At New Leaf Counselling & Integrative Health, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), or tapping, provides a gentle, practical way to address stress, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and stuck patterns.
EFT uses therapeutic guidance and light tapping on acupressure points. This mind-body method can help regulate the nervous system and support lasting emotional change.
Whether you are feeling anxious, emotionally exhausted, triggered by past experiences, or simply struggling to shift a pattern that keeps repeating, tapping can be a supportive and effective part of therapy.
Book an appointment or get in touch to explore whether EFT is right for you.
What Is Emotional Freedom Techniques?
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a therapeutic method that combines elements of counselling, somatic awareness, and gentle tapping on acupressure points. It is sometimes referred to as psychological acupuncture.
During EFT, we focus on a specific feeling, memory, belief, or body sensation and simultaneously tap on points on the head, face and upper body. This can help your brain and body respond differently to distress. Often, it reduces the emotional charge linked to your experience.
Many clients describe EFT as calming, grounding, and easier than they expected. It can be especially helpful when you understand something logically, but your body still reacts with stress, fear, or overwhelm.
How Does Emotional Freedom Techniques Work?
EFT works by engaging the mind, body, and nervous system together.
When you are stressed or reminded of something painful, your nervous system can react as though the threat is still present. EFT helps interrupt that stress response by combining:
- Therapeutic support and guided language.
- Tapping on specific acupressure points.
This process may help to:
- Reduce the intensity of stress, anxiety, or emotional activation.
- Create a greater sense of safety in the body.
- Shift unhelpful emotional patterns and beliefs.
- Make difficult experiences feel more manageable to process.
- Support emotional regulation and resilience.
EFT is gentle, structured, and paced to your comfort level. You do not need to force yourself through overwhelming emotions for the work to be effective.
What Can Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Help With?
- Panic symptoms or feelings of overwhelm.
- Trauma and distress that are linked to past experiences.
- Grief and loss.
- Burnout and emotional exhaustion.
- Low self-worth and self-criticism.
- Fears and phobias.
- Relationship stress.
- Performance anxiety.
- Feeling stuck in recurring emotional patterns.
Who Can Benefit From Emotional Freedom Techniques?
EFT may suit people who:
- Feel overwhelmed by traditional talk therapy alone.
- Find it hard to articulate how they feel.
- Notice that stress shows up strongly in their body.
- Want practical tools they can use between sessions.
- Are looking for support with emotional regulation and calming the nervous system.
You do not need previous EFT experience. Sessions are guided carefully and adapted to your needs, pace, and goals.
Why Choose Emotional Freedom Techniques Therapy At New Leaf?
At New Leaf Counselling & Integrative Health, we offer EFT in a safe, confidential, and compassionate space. Our approach is trauma-aware and therapeutic.
We do not use tapping as a quick fix. Instead, we thoughtfully integrate it into therapy based on your needs and what feels supportive.
What Makes Our Approach Different?
- Client-Centred Care: Your comfort, consent, and pace come first.
- Trauma-Informed Practice: We work gently and carefully, without pushing you beyond what feels safe.
- EFT is used alongside counselling and other therapeutic approaches to support deeper, more lasting change.
- Practical Support: You may also learn simple tapping tools to use between sessions when appropriate.
- We know emotional well-being affects your mind, body, relationships, and daily life.
Our goal goes beyond symptom relief. We want to help you feel more grounded, empowered, and connected to yourself.
What Happens In An Emotional Freedom Techniques Session?
In initial sessions, we learn about your needs, history, goals, and current state. Instead of applying a specific therapy, we make sure you are emotionally stable and have basic tools to use outside of sessions.
Once you are ready, we introduce the therapeutic approach gradually and appropriately.
A typical session begins by exploring your support needs. Together, we identify an issue, emotion, belief, or body sensation to focus on next.
Your therapist begins the session by explaining the tailored tapping process. During the session, your therapist will demonstrate the technique and guide you through each step. At set points, your therapist checks in to ensure the work remains grounded, manageable, and responsive to your needs.
During the session, we will: Identify what feels most present or distressing; Notice the related thoughts, emotions, and body sensations; Proceed through guided tapping rounds; Track any shifts in intensity, insight, or physical sensations; and Conclude with grounding and integration.
- Noticing the thoughts, emotions, and body sensations connected to it.
- Guided tapping rounds.
- Tracking any shifts in intensity, insight, or physical sensations.
- Grounding and integration before the session ends.
You remain in control throughout the process. You will not be pressured to share more than you want to.
What Are The Benefits Of Emotional Freedom Techniques?
Clients often seek EFT because it can feel both effective and accessible.
Potential benefits may include:
- Feeling calmer and more regulated.
- Reduced emotional intensity around distressing triggers.
- Greater clarity and self-awareness.
- Improved ability to cope with stress.
- Relief from repetitive emotional loops.
- A stronger sense of safety in the body.
- Practical tools for support between sessions.
Everyone is different, but many people find that EFT helps them work with emotions in an active, gentle, and empowering way.
Is Emotional Freedom Techniques Evidence-Informed?
EFT has been researched for its effects on stress, anxiety, trauma, and emotional well-being. Although it is relatively new within the field of therapy, a substantial body of scientific studies has confirmed its effectiveness. Its benefits have been demonstrated by more than 60 researchers across over 10 countries.
While no single therapy is right for everyone, EFT is widely used as a complementary therapeutic approach and can be especially valuable as part of integrative, trauma-aware care.
If you are unsure about EFT, we can discuss your goals and recommend an approach that suits your needs.
How Do I Know If Emotional Freedom Techniques Is Right For Me?
You may benefit from EFT if you are looking for a therapy approach that is:
- Gentle but effective.
- Practical and easy to learn.
- Supportive for both emotional and physical stress responses.
- Focused on healing, regulation, and resilience.
If you are dealing with anxiety, overwhelm, unresolved emotional distress, or patterns that feel hard to shift, EFT may be worth exploring.
Take The Next Step & Book An Appointment Today
You do not have to keep managing stress, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm on your own.
At New Leaf Counselling & Integrative Health, we offer EFT therapy in a supportive, confidential and respectful environment. Your healing process is guided with care.
Click here to book an appointment or contact us via WhatsApp to learn more about EFT and whether it’s a good fit for you.
Meet Our Practitioners Specialising In Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Therapy
Joshua Koh
Counsellor
Diandra Andersen
Counsellor
