In Memory of Gary Craig, Founder of EFT (1940-2026)
Yesterday I received two pieces of sad news: a personal loss, and the news that Gary Craig (1940–2026)—the founder of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)—had passed away.
To his family, loved ones, and all who were close to him, I want to offer my deepest condolences. Gary was someone whose work touched millions of people and his absence will be felt deeply in the healing world.
Gary Craig gave the world something extraordinary.
He took Thought Field Therapy—a complicated and expensive methodology founded by Roger Callahan—and applied his engineering mind to create something accessible and practical. He simplified energy psychology into a methodology that could be applied to any area of life, and then he gave it away for free, with what he called “an open hand.” His generosity and vision changed the healing world and transformed countless lives and careers.
Gary was and is, a hero of mine – which I told him on more than one occasion!
I joined his online membership a few years ago, channeled for him (which he was very open about), and had the incredible opportunity of being a client of his, where he helped me shift deeply ingrained complex childhood trauma.
I first encountered EFT back in the early 2000s while working as a Drugs and Alcohol addictions worker, when I came across research on its effectiveness with withdrawal and cravings. I trained immediately—basic and advanced courses—and watched in amazement as this wierd looking intervention worked with my clients in ways I hadn’t thought possible. I applied EFT to my own life and it led me to completely change my career, eventually setting up my own business to integrate this work more fully.
The only UK conference Gary ever held (as far as I am aware) was “EFT for Serious Diseases.” My trainers were quietly proud that they managed to get Gary to cross the pond! I attended with hundreds of other practitioners and witnessed transformations that stayed with me—both at that conference and in the years that followed, both personally and professionally. What I remember most was his and other practitioners willingness to be experimental, and the teaching from my early 2000s training to “try it on anything.”
But he was also rigorous—on the Zoom calls he held for his membership, he repeatedly emphasised: go only where you are trained, be specific, specific, specific, and test, test, test. Anyone who attended those calls knows exactly what I mean!
EFT is truly a gift that keeps giving. The clients I’ve worked with over the years have gone on to use these techniques in their own lives, with their families, creating ripples of healing that extend far beyond our sessions together.
That’s Gary Craig’s legacy—not just what he created, but how generously he shared it with the world.
As I felt into the collective field yesterday, knowing that he was no longer with us physically, I felt galvanized into being one of the people to fill the space and sharing more and more the leading edge experiences, experiments, failures and successes, not just with EFT but with my channeling, the woo and the endless potential and possiblities we all hold.
According to his daughter Christina Craig, Gary didn’t wish for any formal ceremony. But his daughter shared how he’d want us to honor his memory: continue to “stretch,” to look deeper, ask better questions, and help one another.
If you are interested in learning more about Emotional Freedom Technique, you can find Gary’s legacy here. The baton has been passed on, but the teachings are the same.
Much Love
Cara