Important Aspects of the Healing Relationship in EFT: Bringing the Unconscious into Consciousness

Abstract

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) has been rapidly gaining popularity over the last several decades. It’s been a heady and exciting time for those leading the way in this cutting-edge healing field. Now EFT is coming of age with the establishment of Clinical EFT, which has been validated extensively in research studies to meet the designation of “evidence-based” practice. Extensive trainings in the methodology of Clinical EFT are being conducted all over the world, turning out fine practitioners, among them mental health clinicians, coaches, and laypeople, who perform Clinical EFT in a technically excellent way. One area that has not yet been widely attended to, however, is that of the role of the healing relationship between practitioner and client. Many studies have shown the vital importance of the healing relationship in achieving the best treatment outcomes. This article is intended to explore one of the least understood aspects of that relationship: the interplay between client transference and practitioner countertransference. Many practitioners are not aware of the dynamic process of transference and countertransference that is present in the treatment room during EFT sessions. This article particularly focuses on the recognition and use of countertransference to help practitioners take advantage of the opportunities it provides and the pitfalls that should be avoided.