Stress impacts digestion, gut health, and sleep patterns. Experiencing chronic stress is a tied to many health issues including heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Stress and trauma are part of life so it is important to develop strategies to provide the central nervous system a reset. Mindfulness practices are the most recommended to help with nervous system resets and reduce cortisol levels. Fortunately, there are many styles of mindfulness practices to try.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT,) also known as tapping, is the practice in which a person uses their fingertips to tap on specific parts of the body while vocalizing an issue. It is important to process and move through emotions rather than store them in our bodies and tapping is an effective way of helping in this release. Though tapping has several benefits, stress reduction is its most powerful.
My intro to tapping
In 2020, I made a goal to incorporate meditation into my daily life. Gabby Bernstein, spiritual author, and guru was offering a meditation challenge which seemed like a good place to start. It was helpful to have structure and an introduction to several types of mindfulness practices, including EFT. At first, I felt a little funny talking out loud (to no one,) tapping myself in these seemingly random places, but I went with it. I was very impressed by the shift in mood and energy I felt after the session.
What it is and why it works:
EFT, was introduced in the 1990s by psychologist, Gary Craig who trained under Roger Callahan. Callahan studied Chinese medicine and combined what he learned about energy meridians from eastern medicine with his psychology knowledge. It was discovered that when verbally focusing on a problem or issue while manually stimulating acupuncture points was an effective method in supporting those with stress, fear, and phobias.
It is effective because it combines 3 therapeutic methods
- Cognitive therapy – a style of therapy that helps reframe memory and thought
- Acupressure – according to Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) there are energy meridians in the body that manage energy flow. The application of pressure or localized massage to specific sites on the body can help control symptoms.
- Exposure therapy – this style of therapy helps one to process and move through emotional experiences. While you tap, you talk out loud about the issue you are working to heal.
The tapping points, align with specific energy meridians found on your face, head, arm, and chest. When you tap on these spots while vocalizing issues, you can release old fears, limiting beliefs, negative patterns, and even physical pain. Allowing yourself to emote while simultaneously tapping on these points sends a signal to the brain that it’s safe to relax, decreasing cortisol. Here are guided videos from Brad Yates and Gabby Bernstein.
I hope this mindfulness moment introduced you to a new way to lower cortisol and empowers you to better manage daily stress and move through emotions.
