#53 – Eric Almeida: Emotional Freedom Technique

#53 – Eric Almeida: Emotional Freedom Technique

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation on Recovery Survey shines a spotlight on Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) as a gentle but structured way to work with trauma, anxiety and the emotional side of addiction. Guest Eric Almeida, an EFT practitioner based in western Massachusetts, shares how a brutal panic attack and subsequent agoraphobia forced him to stop “white knuckling through life” and finally face years of buried emotions.

With the help of a therapist who used EFT, he went from being terrified to leave his house to rebuilding his life, eventually training and certifying as an EFT practitioner himself. Eric explains EFT in plain, practical language. Using acupressure points and tapping while focusing on distressed memories or fears, the process aims to calm the brain’s fight–flight–freeze response so emotions can pass through instead of getting stuck.

He walks through a typical session, including the 1–10 intensity scale, setup phrases like “Even though I’m scared of public speaking, I’d like to love and accept myself,” and why clearing old memories can ease present-day triggers. For people in recovery, Eric frames substances as “one of the many ways that people find a way to kind of disengage from the present” and talks about EFT as something that can sit alongside tools like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

He stresses that medical support for physical dependence comes first, while EFT can help with the emotional cravings and underlying pain. The tone stays down‑to‑earth and occasionally humorous, even as the themes are serious: trauma, shame, anxiety, and the long journey back to self-acceptance. If you’re curious about adding another tool to your recovery toolkit, or you’ve wondered whether your “embarrassing memories” are still running the show, this conversation might give you something new to think about.