I love celebrating milestones, and this year marks the 20th anniversary of my journey with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). It was a profound gift—one that I will forever cherish with gratitude.
It all began in the summer of 2004. My family and I were in Istanbul for our summer vacation when my dear friend, Gulcan Arpacioglu told me she had a special gift for me. She said, “But you’ll need to come to my home and spend the entire day here.” Intrigued, I agreed, not knowing what to expect. It turns out her gift was an EFT workshop. EFT/Tapping is a simple and effective technique administered by gently tapping the acupuncture points to transform negative emotions like fear, worry, anxiety, depression.
Leaving my kids with my mom for the day was a bit of a challenge, but I reminded myself that’s exactly what grandmas are for. So, off I went to Gulcan’s house, unaware how EFT could impact my life. That day, I witnessed incredible transformations. I saw such profound healing during the workshop that I was left in awe.
One particular participant had a deep-seated phobia of dogs. She couldn’t even tolerate the idea of being in the same room with a dog. However, Gulcan had Peanut then. By the end of the day, to my amazement, I watched this woman petting Peanut with a sense of calm that seemed unimaginable just hours earlier. Many radical healings happened that day, including one of my own; with an awareness that shed light on some of my childhood trauma.
I had been a skinny child until the third grade, when I started gaining weight and remained on the chubbier side throughout my life. During the workshop, a powerful realization hit me. My emotional eating began when I was eight years old, the same year I moved in with my dad and stepmother after a seven-year custody battle.
My stepmother had a son who was 13 at the time—a growing teenager with a big appetite. I noticed how she often praised him for his eating, which I subconsciously interpreted as love and acceptance. That summer, in an effort to gain her approval, I began competing with my step-brother to eat as much as he did. That’s when my unhealthy relationship with food started.
This insight felt like a light bulb moment. For the first time, I saw how my childhood experiences had shaped my behaviors, and I felt an immediate shift to my attitude toward food.
Over the next few years, I used EFT sporadically for myself and my family. But in early 2015, life threw me another twist: a cancer diagnosis. Determined to heal, I sought to uncover the emotional roots of my illness. Gulcan once again came to my rescue, guiding me through hours of EFT therapy. Together, we unearthed layers of childhood trauma, limiting beliefs, unhealthy relationship patterns, and even past life karma.
It was like windows opening, allowing light to illuminate my darkest corners. EFT became my lifeline during that challenging period, and I’m not sure how I would have survived without it.
EFT had such a transformative impact on my life that I began sharing it with my family and friends and eventually teaching it at Cancer Support Community and sharing it at various healthy living Expos.
Although I don’t practice EFT professionally,I often use it to raise funds for meaningful causes, including earthquake relief efforts. Most recently, I’ve contributed to supporting amputee children who were impacted by the February 6, 2022 Earthquake.
I owe a heartfelt thank-you to Gulcan. for introducing me to EFT, for being a role model, a guiding light, and for unlocking my healing potential.
Today, EFT is more popular than ever. There are even apps like The Tapping Solution to make it accessible. If you’d like to explore it, I highly recommend these websites:
www.emofree.com (the official site by EFT founder Gary Craig)
www.eftinternational.com
www.thetappingsolution.com
So, the next time you’re feeling emotionally stuck, give EFT a try. You just might find the healing and clarity you’ve been searching for.
When I first heard about the EFT technique I was a bit skeptical but I still decided to give it a try because of all the positive experiences my friends had with Zeynep. I am very glad I did. It has benefited me in a way I had never expected and I saw this change incredibly fast, in only one session. If you have some fears or worries in life, you will definitely be very happy with the EFT technique. I highly recommend Zeynep. She is not only great at what she does, she also is an incredible human being. You will feel her positive vibes the moment you meet her. B.C
Prior to my first experience with EFT session with Zeynep, I had no idea what to expect. After the session, which lasted about an hour, I realized how much my feelings/issues had been suppressed in my psyche since my childhood, and how it affected my well-being as an adult up to this moment in time. I truly believe that Zeynep is the ideal mentor for anyone that wishes to identify their burden within and discover a way to relieve their inner emotional stress. The success of our first meeting allowed me to comprehend Zeynep’s ability to understand the psychological aspect to build an emotional ’roadmap’ during the session, by posing certain questions before the session, and to use key words during, to venture deeper into the subconscious mind to discover the origin of the fear and give you the strength to find a release mechanism. Thank you Zeynep! A.K
I always thought that EFT is a very interesting and intriguing method for healing trauma and other subconscious disorders. Zeynep was the first to apply this technique on me. During the session, I had emotional outbursts which led to the release of an extensive emotional burden. I did not experience any adverse events or negative thoughts during or after the session. I would definitely recommend these sessions for people who are not able to outroot their unconscious/ undiagnosed fears, traumas, and dysthymia. H.E
EFT is a very simple and effective method to release difficult emotions or suppressed feelings. You can implement this technique by yourself but I believe that it is very helpful if you do this together with an expert, especially in the beginning. Zeynep is always a solid support to me as well as being a very caring soul. The EFT session which we did together was so powerful, the suppressed feeling of fear which was with me for long years was completely gone in one session. I highly recommend her. E.K.
I’ve heard about the EFT tapping but never tried it before, until Zeynep kindly offered to introduce it to me. I appreciate how Zeynep easily connects, approaches with compassion and respect, and allows space while working on deep negative emotions. I’m forever grateful and highly recommend her services. B.H