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Does EFT or Body Tapping Relieve Stress?
Posted on Oct 28, 2013 by Amy Knapp (G+)
Does body tapping leave you so stress-free that you'll feel like you're on holiday? UMI investigates!
It took almost 5,000 years for the Western world to welcome Chinese medicine, so convinced we were of our fancy technology and advanced, perceived-scientific methods. And yet today you can buy Chinese remedies at the drugstore next to the Tylenol and Tampax. What happened?
East Meets West
The sudden and radical proliferation of alternative therapies in the West demonstrates how anxious we are for alternatives to harmful pharmaceuticals and invasive surgeries. We are hungry for solutions we can understand - ones that aren’t cooked up in a lab or cost a week’s pay.
Self-healing is a term being bandied around a lot, and it’s catching on. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or Body Tapping promises to do just that, using a series of simple taps at certain points on the body to remove blockages in the body that cause stress and disease. But does it work?
Almost all disease has an emotional component, a fact that has been recognized by the American Centers for Disease Control, traditionally a stubborn and pro-pharmaceutical organisation. EFT helps people to deal with those emotional blockages that keep our bodies from healing themselves. By tapping on a the body’s meridian points - the same points used in Chinese acupuncture - the body can return to its natural state, a state where channels of energy can flow freely.
The Science
It works like this: Our bodies have currents of electromagnetic energy running through them, which regulate our physical and emotional well-being. Though Chinese medicine has known this for over 5,000 years, Western science is only now beginning to understand and accept this fact. You can verify this fact for yourself by dragging your feet across a carpet and touching your fingertip to a door handle afterward.
Any grief or negativity we carry in our bodies builds over time if it’s not resolved. Eventually it begins to show up physically in the form of a sore back, restless legs or an ache in the chest. Over time, those nagging pains eventually turn into illness and disease.
Currents of energy aren’t just some flippant thing that new age-y people talk about. If you take a blood sample from a healthy person, you can see blood cells flowing in a visible current. A sick person’s blood cells are clumped, uncomfortable and move very little. It’s very real and very easily observed.
How It Works
EFT is practiced by tapping on certain meridian points: the side of the hand (pinky side), the top of the head, the inner eyebrow, the side of the eye on the bone, under the eye on the bone, just under the nose, between the chin and lower lip, under the collarbone and just under the arm (bra line for the ladies), and finally, to close the practice, the inside of the wrists tap against each other. One treatment can be done in under five minutes, though results take longer depending on the severity of the issue. It is also recommended to practice EFT regularly, the way one might practice Tai Chi or Qi Gong.
While tapping, the tapper addresses the issues they are confronting saying, “Though I feel (pain, grief, anger), I deeply and completely accept myself.” The process breaks up these negative thought patterns and replaces them with positive feelings. Founder Gary Craig calls the process “an emotional version of acupuncture.”
Getting To The Root Of The Problem
Our bodies are constantly sending us messages. EFT demands that we look at our pain directly and examine its place and its cause. Whether or not you’re convinced of the positive influence of EFT or body tapping on health, it’s a great opportunity to tune into the body and see what messages it may be trying to send. Why the pressure in the chest? Why the back pain? Where are you carrying your anxiety and stress? The human body is highly sophisticated; it does nothing without good reason.
Stress and pain trigger the amygdala, which causes a reaction in the body where the stress hormone cortisol is released, the immune system is impaired and blood pressure shoots up. In the days when humans were running from bears and hunting wild boar, this response was useful. It’s called “fight or flight.”
Problem is, our amygdala doesn’t distinguish between an uncomfortable conversation in the cafeteria and the possibility of being gored by a wild boar. It’s constantly stimulated all the time, leaving us stressed out and sick.
EFT Revealed
Tapping on these meridian or acupressure points tells your body it’s safe, sending a signal to the brain that there is no danger and the body can be calm. It’s a simple practice that anyone can do at home. When Gary Craig created the EFT movement, pioneering many of its techniques, he made the decision to gift it to the world. Free. No patents, no expensive training course, no nothing.
Don’t be convinced. Try it out for yourself. Detailed explanation and videos are available from Mercola and also from Gary Craig's own website. It’s very safe, costs nothing and doesn’t take a lot of time. The results it promises are nothing short of miraculous. Plus, you can do it while you watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones, and what’s not to love about that?
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