The Release Technique is one of a family of methods that are variations of The Sedona Method. I studied and used all those methods for a few years before stumbling across EFT.

Is there value in those Sedona Method approaches? Absolutely, there is.

Is there value in EFT? Absolutely, there is.

Which is better?

Well, to me, that's a bit like saying "which color is the best one?"

Everyone will have their own preference based upon their unique personality characteristics and the life experiences they have encountered.

I would just go with whichever method you feel most comfortable using, if any, regardless of whatever others say (including me!)

I know this might not be the absolute "right or wrong" answer you are looking for, but I don't think there is one. When consciousness is involved, whatever you think is right is usually right (at that moment).

Personally, I find EFT highly effective but I probably do it slightly differently to others. I think where many stumble and fail with EFT is in misunderstanding what EFT achieves.

Basically, when you are tapping, whatever negative emotions you are focused upon in your consciousness at the time of the tapping are neutralized/harmonized.

Where I think people go wrong with EFT is that they have an emotional disconnect between the words they are using to elicit the negative state and the actual negative state.

For example, let's say that I'm trying to feel better about someone I dislike.

With EFT, many people might tap on the statement "I hate Joe" and thereby hope to neutralize it. However, just reciting those words are not enough. Those words must elicit the state of hatred towards Joe. If you are not feeling that hatred at the time of the tapping, nothing will change.

So a shortcut to using EFT is not to use any statements whatsoever but just to take some time and conjure up the feeling of hatred towards Joe in whatever way you can. Then when you have made your hatred as strong as you possibly can, just tap on it using EFT with the intent to release it (instead of using tapping statements)...and then, almost magically, that hatred will simply and permanently melt away. Doing it this way is a highly effective way to use EFT.

I recently stumbled across Robert Smith's Faster EFT approach which does exactly this idea of forgetting about the tapping statements and just focusing instead on eliciting the state to neutralize...I find that often those verbal tapping statements just get in the way and give people the mistaken impression that the method doesn't work when, in fact, it's simply that they haven't tasted the belief they want to change.

The other major mistake I think people make with EFT is in not dealing with the actual problem but a symptom of it.

For example, someone may be upset about their spouse criticizing them and think that is the problem to tackle with EFT when, in fact, the real problem is that they have a general sense of unworthiness within themselves.

Tackling this issue is probably beyond the scope of this (already long) answer but, again, Robert Smith has some nice systematic ideas for dealing with it, in case anyone is interested.