Emotional Freedom Technique (Tapping) can be a roadmap for change

As a spiritual counselor or healer, you are continually faced with clients who will not or cannot change the patterns that are making themselves sick physically, emotionally or spiritually. 

I am reminded of a client who always verbally says how sick she is.  I have told her, as others have, that changing the pattern of negative speak to positive affirmations of good health would better serve her.  Saying “my” illness puts that notion of ownership into the ether that, once out there, is hard to dispel... like putting a genie back in a bottle.  Often, I stop myself from acknowledging my own pain.  It’s hard not to dwell on what’s wrong.  It has always been difficult to concoct that image of good health I so desperately want.  But then I came across Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, also known as Tapping.  

Tapping can provide relief from chronic pain, emotional problems, disorders, addictions, phobias, post traumatic stress disorder, and physical diseases. The healing concepts that it’s based upon have been in practice in Eastern medicine for over 5,000 years. 

Like acupuncture and acupressure, Tapping is a set of techniques which utilize the body’s energy meridian points. You can stimulate these meridian points by tapping on them with your fingertips – literally tapping into your body’s own energy and healing power.  This tapping method first asks that, while tapping various meridians on the face, scalp, and upper body with your fingertips, you acknowledge out loud whatever issue is troubling you, acknowledge yourself as worthy of change, and then visualize yourself in a better situation.   

I wasn’t convinced about this method that seemed to go against all my “keep it positive” training until I listened to my idol, Louise L. Hay, the author of “You Can Heal Your Life” and so many other books about positive thinking and affirmations, give her endorsement. 

In an interview with Nick Orton, the founder of the EFT movement, she says, “If you’re going to clean a house you have to see the dirt."  That stuck with me.  

Acknowledging pain is not a bad thing. Acknowledging any problem is the first step to overcoming it.  It engages with the energy of the issue so you can work with it.   

EFT can work with any issue that may hold you back, like the writer’s block I had when asked to write this blog.  In his book, "The Tapping Solution," Nick Ortner cites studies done at Harvard Medical School that found that the brain’s stress and fear response – which is controlled by an almond-shaped part of your brain called the amygdala – could be lessened by stimulating the meridian points used in acupuncture, acupressure, and of course, tapping.   

On his website he lays out the method step by step.

If you watch the videos I reference here, you’ll be able to try it for yourself.  I’ve seen it used with participants in a workshop about horse training and mental health. I’ve seen it used with the sick and dying to help with pain and the fear of death.  It’s something to behold.   

If you have an old habit just aching to be dumped at the curb and you don’t know where to begin, maybe tapping is the place.  You can even tap for someone else’s problem.  Start small and see how it can help you. 

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Vera Remes

Vera's Vave'n - The many aspects of Shamanism

The Many Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is a worldwide practice that helps people connect with their body and mind.  Statistic Brain reports that over 15 million Americans practice yoga regularly.    

Malia Bradshaw is one of them.  A certified yoga instructor, writer, and mental health advocate, she is one of the many people relying on the benefits of yoga.  When she started experiencing anxiety attacks she found that yoga not only helped her body, but also her mind.

She says, “I needed a way in which I could move my body, but also calm my anxiety.  Yoga was the perfect combination of a very physically challenging practice, but also a spiritual practice.”

Yoga improves stress and anxiety by slowing down the breathing and heart rates, while also being a significant GABA booster.  Emily Deans, MD, a board certified adult psychiatrist practicing in Massachusetts,  explains GABA neurotransmitters in her article for Psychology Today.  Gamma-aminobutryic acid is a neurotransmitter responsible to cool things off and chill things out.  People who suffer from anxiety and depression have lower levels of GABA present in their cerebrospinal fluid.

Researchers at Boston University Medical School show that higher levels of GABA (measured via MRI)  were found in those who practiced yoga.

Malia agrees that yoga shows significant benefits in her own students.  “I love sharing the healing power of yoga with others. I love feeling how my students' energy changes from when they first walk into class, carrying stresses and worry, to when they leave, peaceful and renewed. I love intuitively coming up with sequences that serve a student's body on that particular day.”

The beautiful thing about yoga is that it evolves as we do, always providing a particular benefit.  

“Yoga is an ever-changing teacher,” Malia explains.  “At every level of your yoga journey, you may find this practice gives you just what you need.”

Natalie Nevins, DO, a board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor in Hollywood, California believes in preventative medicine and practices. She says, “Yoga is a great tool for staying healthy because it is based on similar principles.”  In addition to relieving stress, yoga improves back pain, arthritis, muscle strength, and insomnia.

Maila instructs yoga practice for anxiety on her youtube channel.  Although she began with DVDs Maila recommends getting into a studio as often as possible.  She says, “It's important to seek the help of a certified instructor, especially if you have previous injuries or pain. I think there's often this false notion that yoga is always safe. It's not. Yoga can be detrimental to the body if not done right, just like with any other type of exercise. But when done with care, it can be incredibly healing. As yoga instructors, we spend hours and hours learning proper alignment and safety and modifications, specifically so we can keep our students safe.”

Beginning a yoga practice is very achievable.  To find a certified teacher or school near you, visit the Yoga Alliance , the largest nonprofit association representing the yoga community.

Restorative Yoga for panic attacks, anxiety and chronic fatigue - Video

Everyday stress tied in with varied mental illnesses can be debilitating. Unfortunately, many of us have these experiences, either as chronic conditions, or simply as part of everyday living. Finding healthy, doable and motivating resources for navigating them can be a challenge made more difficult in the midst of the struggle. Malia, a certified yoga instructor, writer, and mental health advocate, shares her restorative sequence which focuses on relaxing the body and mind.  It is ideal for panic attacks, anxiety, and chronic fatigue.  As we look for ways to begin new, healthy patterns, why not reap the many benefits of yoga practice?