EFT for Christians Video # 22: Stress, Single-mindedness, God & Tapping

Please find another EFT for Christians instructional YouTube video here: EFT for Christians Video # 22: Stress, Single-mindedness, God & Tapping 

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical or psychological care. Please call your own personal physician and take responsibility for your own emotional and physical health.

Blessings in Christ Jesus!
Sherrie Rice Smith
Author of the EFT for Christians book series - found on Amazon.com

Being Too Busy and Tapping

Why do we keep ourselves so busy? And why do we teach our children to do the same?

Check out the article below.

This is the "stress" that plays underneath in our unconscious mind, creating havoc and busy habits that run our neurotransmitters.

Once the habit is formed, and later the neurotransmitter levels drop even for just a few minutes, we become depressed, antsy, crabby, and anxious.

There must be a happy medium!

Good news is EFT can reset these habits, changing our circadian rhythms to something much more healthy!

Disease of Being Too Busy

Remember, EFT is NOT a substitute for good medical care, so please call your own personal physician if you need that type of help!

Sherrie Rice Smith

Certified EFT Practitioner

EFTforChristians.com

Author of EFT for Christians Tapping in God's Peace & Joy (2016)

Author of EFT for Christians Advanced (2017)

Author of EFT for Christians 52 Tapping Devotions (Christmas, 2017)

Author of EFT for Christians Devotions (Christmas, 2018)

Use Promo Code SAVE20 to get 20% Off

Christian EFT Tapping Tips

Did you know studies show one hour of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT, tapping) drop your cortisol level 24%?

That is a huge drop. Rarely does any technique do this as quickly and as effectively as EFT!

So, that all said, have you considered tapping while watching a movie, listening to a sermon, or during prayer?

If not, I suggest you do consider it.  While EFT is most effective when you tune into the "problem" i.e. feeling about some event, non-thinking tapping still should drop your cortisol level, raising your DHEA level, because your body understands what you are doing.  It's all in the neurophysiology!

DHEA level is what keeps your immune system healthy. Cells go into rest and repair when the DHEA level is up and the cortisol, or stress hormone, is down.

I instruct all my clients to tap as much and as often as they can. We are all under way too much stress in this crazy, fast paced world.

EFT is not a substitute for medical care. Take care of your own emotional and physical health.

Blessings in Christ!

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
Certified EFT Practitioner
Author EFT for Christians
EFTforChristians.com 
EFTforChristians@gmail.com 

To Get EFT Certified or Not: Some Ideas

Whether to get EFT certified or not, Sherrie Rice Smith offers her perspective on this topic.

EFT Certification Ideas 

EFT is not a substitute for sound medical advice, so please consult your own personal physician if help is needed.

EFTforChristians.com 

EFT & Wellness

Dr. Candace B. Pert, Ph.D., Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d, Hay House, Inc., Carlsbad, California, 2006, page 35. Dr. Pert writes:

"'This psychosomatic network requires a new way of thinking about physiology in order to be understood.  In the reigning-paradigm mind-set, the term psychosomatic is used pejoratively, as if symptoms that are psychosomatic are false and don't deserve attention or treatment. After all, they can't be 'real,' because they're all in your mind!

"But in the new view of medicine and wellness, a psychosomatic state is the basis for a fresh approach to healing disease; for feeling well emotionally; and for creating a different, more desirable reality. Yes, your symptoms are in your body, but they are also always in your mind, either consciously or subconsciously. Mind and body are not split in two, so what happens in one occurs in the other, too.  This is the fundamental tenet of what I call the new-paradigm physiology.'"

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) began this dualistic split between spirit and body in the 16th century. Up until that time the Church frowned upon scientists probing the body to find its "secrets". It was pretty much simply forbidden. Because he was a mathematician & scientist, he looked at everything in those terms. Mathematics defined the entire physical world. The physical could be seen, but the mental (emotional & spiritual) could not, and Descartes separated them into two completely different realms. In his mind, neither one had anything to do with the other. If the mental, meaning spiritual, can't be measure then it all fell outside the walls of the scientific castle. It was left to the priests to decide. Scientists wouldn't touch it.

This all worked well for a couple of centuries, as it kept the scientists out of prison for meddling in spiritual affairs of the mind. It also has given us today a very mechanical sort of medicine. Take a pill and all will be well. Most physicians aren't taught, nor have, or take the time today to ask a patient what is going on in their lives, meaning emotionally or spiritually. Thus, we still are suffering the effects of Descartes' philosophy.  It's doesn't seem to be serving us too well anymore.

Illness is more than just a mechanistic breakdown of the body. And the paragraph above from Dr. Pert shows, there is a new approach to medicine. Much more is happening than meets the physical eye. Our emotions and spiritual state do impact our health.  In fact, they probably impact us more than we could ever rightly imagine.

As this new approach and the new scientific evidence continues to mount, it is time we all begin to reexamine our health in light of these new, or resurrected, ideas. Spirit was once part of medicine, back centuries, when the whole man was treated. Unfortunately, centuries ago we didn't have antibiotics or surgery to help heal, as we do now.

Many of the complementary "energy medicine" modalities of today are beginning to reconnect these 2 realms. If the emotional health impacts physical health, why not use both to treat disease? Why not explore & "pull out" any negative emotional events, and then treat what is left of the disease with modern medicine? Sometimes, negative emotional events can also be associated with some spiritual issue, too, like unforgiveness or unconfessed sin. Illness is the effect of sin in our world. Because EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) does ease many physical symptoms because those same symptoms are rooted in emotional/spiritual events of the past, maybe time has come to consider using it in addition to conventional medical treatment?

For more information, go to  www.eftforchristians.com

To schedule a free EFT consultation coaching session, email me at eftforchristians@gmail.com

Always remember to take complete responsibility for your own health and well-being.

Sherrie Rice Smith
Author of EFT for Christians 
EFTforChristians.com 

Forgiveness Devotion and Tapping

Devotion #16 on pages 47 -48 of  EFT for Christians 52 Tapping Devotions

"God is pretty clear in Scripture. We forgive others, or He won't forgive us. To me, that almost feels harsh and heartless.

I used to wonder if God didn't understand! Doesn't He know how badly other people have hurt me? How could He possibly ask me to forgive them? I don't want them to get away with their actions. In hating them, I can continue to punish them, can't I? God had to be crazy. There was no w...ay I could accomplish this leniency towards others.

Thought: Who have you yet to forgive? When you think about this person how does your body feel?"

The devotion goes on with suggestions for praying and tapping out this problem, giving it to Jesus!

Be blessed!

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical care, so please consult your own personal physician when that care is required.

Sherrie Rice Smith

Certified EFT Practitioner
EFTforChristians.comAuthor of EFT for Christians Tapping in God's Peace & Joy (2016)Author of EFT for Christians Advanced (2017)Author of EFTforChristians 52 Tapping Devotions (Christmas, 2017)Use Promo Code SAVE20 to get 20% Off

EFT for Christians Video # 21: Verbal Descriptions of Tapping Spots

Here is another YouTube for EFT for Christians entitled:  
Verbal Descriptions of tapping spots  found here. 

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical or psychological care. Please call your own personal physician and take responsibility for your own emotional and physical health.

Be blessed in Christ!
Sherrie

Wall Street Journal and EFT

EFT got some billing in the Wall Street Journal a couple of days ago!

We all know most of the other techniques mentioned here work rather poorly for various reasons. They are methods touted over and over in health journals, and if they worked well, the world would be stress free!

Tapping is different - it works with the subconscious mind where the destructive, health damaging thoughts reside, not with conscious thoughts that are difficult to change.

God intentionally inserted into our bodies a method for us to heal. It can happen naturally, but stress, anxious thoughts, trauma, etc. gets in the way of that healing. This is why we use tapping. It gets to the root of the issues with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Thinking about your problems won't make or allow them to go away. Tapping just might! Learn to tap today! Like any other learning curve it needs some effort and a bit of time, but it may be one of the most important lessons you will ever learn.....and you just might be amazed how much better you will feel!

Wall Street Journal Stress Article

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical care, so should that need arise, contact your own personal physician.

Author of EFT for Christians book series 

Order your book copies today and get on God's road to His healing!

Sherrie Rice Smith

Tapping Devotions Kindle Version

EFT for Christians 52 Tapping Devotions Kindle Version available here.

EFT is not a substitute for sound medical assistance so please consult your own personal physician when you need help.

Sherrie Rice Smith

Certified EFT Practitioner

EFTforChristians.com

Author of EFT for Christians Tapping in God's Peace & Joy (2016)

Author of EFT for Christians Advanced (2017)

Author of EFTforChristians 52 Tapping Devotions (Christmas, 2017)

Use Promo Code SAVE20 to get 20% Off  

EFT and Shame

Little is discussed in the EFT world about the emotion of shame. Guilt and feeling ashamed do present themselves on occasion while tapping, with guilt being the most predominate one of the three, but rarely does shame turn up.

Let’s establish a definition of each one.

Guilt tends to be our inner conscience telling us we did something wrong, a behavior that was immoral, a mistake or a perception of a bad behavior, leading us to a remorseful feeling, and eventually bringing us to conviction by the Holy Spirit to repent of our sin (Cor. 7:10).

Ashamed is a feeling of embarrassment or regret about something we ourselves did, an action we took against another, which led to exposure of us, or of our motives.

Shame, however, I believe, is the strongest and the most destructive of all three emotions.

Shamefulness focuses on oneself. It is attached to personal distress, giving the person a dark, foreboding sense that there is something seriously wrong with them. It is horribly negative and highly charged. Failure, hurt, and helplessness are intertwined under the umbrella of shame. Because of the helpless factor, shame can be a major cause of childhood trauma, leading to PTSD.

Shame focuses on who one is. Often mothers tell their children, “Shame on you,” when a child exhibits a behavior the mother dislikes.  Most times it is not the child the parent detests, but the behavior; however, stating it as a personal affront, the child can perceive it as there is something embarrassing or humiliating about them. The child can see himself as disgraceful, a failure, a bad person, as unimportant, or even unlovable. The tone of the parent’s voice, or their actions, such as wagging a finger at the child, burns those words ever more deeply in the subconscious of the child’s mind.  No doubt the child deeply feels within their physiology all of that sensory information around that statement.  

Shame becomes internalized contributing to who we really think we are, leading eventually to feelings of disconnection from everyone because we see ourselves in a negative light.

If a child feels shame from a parent who rears them, perceiving that he is not lovable, there is no way the child can feel attached to that parent. If the child feels defective, no one could possibly love them, including the parent. This perception carries over into adulthood in most cases.

Shame underlies many of our negative adult behaviors including infidelity (we keep looking for someone to love us), depression (there is no hope of ever being loved because I am a mistake and I belong to no one anywhere), substance abuse (anything to drown out the voices that keep telling us that there is nothing good about me), or pornography (using someone else to make me feel better).

There is absolutely nothing helpful about shame. It simply destroys the individual emotionally, and eventually kills the spirit to live, occasionally leading to suicide.

Shame drives us away from community. We can never allow any vulnerability at all. If another human being found out what I really am all about, rejection is sure to come, causing more shame. Fear of being judged or condemned by others keeps one from ever opening up about their true self.

There is not enough hope in the universe to ever help one who is overcome with shame believe anything in life will ever change. Few people will chance telling another what they feel for fear of further rejection, compounding the pain. The biggest fear of the shamed one is someone else finding out how badly they actually feel inside.

Shame is a universal feeling of self-hate, inferiority, fear of exposure, and humiliation packed into a vessel of complete separation from mankind, and from God Himself. It is packed together with the sense of loss of reputation, disgrace, dishonor, loss of belonging, along with the loss of integrity and virtue.

Underneath shame are core beliefs such as: “I’m a phony, I’m a bad person, I don’t deserve anything in life, it’s all my own fault, I’m a mistake, I’m damaged, I’m flawed, I am wrong, I am worthless, I’m inadequate, I’m dirty, I am unworthy, I hate myself, I’m an idiot, I’m stupid”, etc.

Shame shows up as anxiety, anger, depression, exaggerated pride, total helplessness, externalized blame, prejudice, envy, boasting, bullying, hate, judgmental attitudes, bigotry, righteousness, revenge and grudges, physical complaints, all types of antisocial behavior including gang membership and sexual performance clubs with anger tending to be the underlying emotion that triggers the others.

Shameful feelings are always seeking validation where one will constantly apologize for their behavior, or they will never apologize for anything for fear someone will once again shame them. An abusive relationship is better than no relationship. Those who carry shame gravitate to other needy people because they feel no “healthy” person would tolerate them. Shamed people will go to great lengths to garner approval, such as work extra-long hours or do the jobs no one else wants to do, or do anything to not receive criticism, as that indicates withdrawal of approval. Over-sensitization and fear dominate the life of a shamed person. It may well be the root cause of those who label themselves “hypersensitive” because they feel vulnerable about everything in life.

Shame often is intergenerational. If a parent has a core emotion of shame, walking through life in a joyless manner and isolated from others, the offspring learn the same behaviors and feelings, personalizing them from the parent who has little encouragement or love to offer because they themselves never had any to give.

Physical symptoms include chest heaviness, slumped shoulders where a person is attempting to minimized themselves so no one can criticize them, no eye contact, halting or hesitant speech, completely giving up making any decisions for themselves, allowing others to care for them because they cannot trust their own decision making, low energy, nausea, flushing or embarrassment when anyone speaks or looks their way, and isolation from others physically and emotionally.

Psychologists believe shame tends to begin early in childhood, most likely infancy, when the mother-child attachment bond is disrupted, and the baby perceives an emotion of not being wanted or loved by the parent.

Although shame tends primarily to come from the outside from an authority figure who has criticized or withheld love and attention, it can also be caused by one’s own actions, and the feelings that follow the mistake one made. It can be all mixed together with feeling of being ashamed for a sin or an unintended mistake. One goes from feeling ashamed of their behavior to shame inside for making the mistake or doing the deed in the first place, i.e. “I should have known better or I should have acted better.”

As a Christian, we have a Savior who has taken on Himself all our shame as He died on the Cross at Calvary. Jesus Himself experienced extreme shame, as He was hung as a result of our actions and sins while completely exposed and naked. Jesus was guiltless but He took on all the shame of mankind at His death, and defeated it all!

Romans 8:1-2 reads, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

EFT is a wonderful God-given tool to deal with shame. Shame is a core emotion that can destroy us physically and emotionally if not dealt with adequately. It is like acid that continues to eat us up inside day after day.

Several points need to be made about using EFT on the emotion of shame.

Confess any part or piece of any incidents that involve shame to God, asking for forgiveness and repenting of any wrongdoing. This may include behaviors that were acted upon because of the feelings of shame. They all must be confessed to repair the vertical relationship with God.

When we hurt, we find something outside ourselves to salve that pain. The behaviors we use to cover up the pain often times are wrong and sinful.

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind any memories or behaviors that need to confessed and healed, and then tap on those after confessing them.

The memories around the shame and the subsequent behavior will most likely not go away, but with the tapping the emotions around the memories will be cleansed; however, first the memories must be confessed if they were hurtful to God or another person. The tapping will relieve the repetitious wave of shame that comes from the memory.

Sometimes, and this is not mandatory, it is helpful to find some Scripture passages that reveal God’s truth about whatever the shame based memories were. Perhaps write those down and repeat them until they are memorized. Fill in that mindful space where satan’s lies were removed with the Word of God.

You may feel led by the Holy Spirit to make restitution to a person whom you have hurt with the sinful behavior. If God tells you to apologize, then do so. If it is a monetary mistake you made, you may want to consider following the Scriptural mandate of double restitution.

Be vigilant and mindful watching carefully for any further condemnation satan my try to bring upon you based on past thoughts and behaviors. If any of those thoughts bring with them a physiological response, take the time to tap on them, too. They probably are remaining aspects of the shame based behavior. The more aspects you tap and remove, the less power satan has to condemn you based on past behaviors.

God is faithful and just to forgive our sins.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

Apparently, with many people laden with shame (and guilt), we Christians need to make it easier and safer for others to be transparent, allowing for honest conversation about our hurts and pains. Taking the time to listen to others explain in detail what they feel and what happened in the past that got them to this point, gives the hurting person the validation they so desperately seek.

Christian EFT practitioners are in the perfect God-given position to do just this. Listening to a client in a non-judgmental manner tell their lifelong story of pain and hurt allows for this deep, honest conversation. It is this conversation coupled with the physiological tapping and confession, if needed,  that will lead to a full healing of the emotion of shame, opening up an entirely new world of relationships for that client.

Remember to take personal responsibility for your own emotional and physical health. If your shame based emotions are deep and you feel difficult to work with, please hire a certified Christian EFT practitioner to help you.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
Certified Emotional Freedom Techniques Practitioner

Author EFT for Christians (2015)

EFTUniverse Trainer

EFTforChristians.com 

New EFT Tapping Devotions Book Now Available

Brand new EFTforChristians 52 Tapping Devotions is now available here!

Use Promo Code SAVE20 to get 20% Off 

EFT is not a substitute for sound medical care so please contact your own personal physician for any type of medical assistance.

Sherrie Rice Smith

Certified EFT Practitioner

EFTforChristians.com

Author of EFT for Christians Tapping in God's Peace & Joy (2016)

Author of EFT for Christians Advanced (2017)

Author of EFTforChristians 52 Tapping Devotions (Christmas, 2017)

EFT for Christians Video # 20: Stress and EFT

Here is another instruction YouTube video from EFT for Christians:  Stress & EFT Video # 20

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical or psychological care. Please call your own personal physician and take responsibility for your own emotional and physical health.

Blessings in the Risen Christ!
Sherrie

EFT for Christians: YouTube Video Personal Peace Procedure # 11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM3K5k_nnV0

EFT is not a substitute for medical care, so please consult your own personal physician for all emotional and physical needs.

Sherrie Rice Smith
Certified EFT Practitioner
EFTforChristians.com 

Matrix Reimprinting & Christian EFT

This is another letter I wrote to another Christian on facebook that inquired about Matrix Reimprinting. It is a very short overview, but hopefully will give you some basic knowledge about MR.

I know about Matrix Reimprinting (MR) with EFT because I took the class.

My only objection to MR is the "past lives" part. I don't go there. When I die, as a Christian, I'm going to heaven and I'm not coming back! Only Jesus gets to do that!

 MR has about many different "protocols" for what a client wants changed, like a memory, a scene, etc. Anyway, what makes this real to me is the science. Everything has changed in physics and biology in the past 20 years.

I graduated from nursing school 40 years ago & none of what we know today was known. Quantum Physics now teaches there is something out there that connects us all. Albert Einstein died knowing that, but he couldn't ID it either. We Christians know what It is - it's called God. Einstein showed that only we humans do linear time, and the coming of the railroads in 19th century imprinted on us the need for correct time. Time is curved and wavy, nebulous in ways. God is described as timeless. Non-linear time mixes past, present & future. Seriously, scientists are actually thinking time travel is possible. Seriously!

What does Scripture tell us - 1000 years is as one day to God. “Do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day” 2 Peter 3:8. This is hard to understand stuff.

When I read the descriptions in my quantum physics book of what science is finding, they are describing God as the best we humans can describe Him. I think because the subconscious stores every single second of our lives for us, and everything we feel because, if the science is correct, everything around us is perception (wave particle, vibration, and spinning energy - what exists is only so because we "observe" it into existence - yes, experiment after experiment keeps showing the same science) and the past, present & future are mixed, why can't we go back, while tapping, and change events around memories for the better, improving our "perception" of it?

Things like death or an abuse incident or rape that actually "happened" can't be changed, but the resources around it seemed to able to change, giving us a different outlook. MR does exactly that.

You bring up a painful memory, tap away all the emotions around it, and in the process, and you might have already done this with EFT, find your younger ECHO (Energetic Conscious Hologram), like another technique, known as Inner Child that really works well. The ECHO is the person (you) at the age the painful incident happened. You see all this in your mind's eye, clear as a bell, because it is already stored in your subconscious (your subconscious takes in 40 million bits of info per second - you process 40 bits of it, according to Dr. Bruce Lipton!). Tapping drops you down into alpha & theta brain waves areas, like meditation, and you can consciously access those memories.

It can get a bit nebulous from there, but if you are tapping into the "Matrix", or the God part of the Universe, you can bring in all kinds of other people into the scene. I know it sounds different. I get it, but it works. Now, you can change details around the painful scene to make them better. You are wide awake, but relaxed when you do this. Once you figure out what the ECHO "needs" to make her better, you breathe in & blow this new picture "out there". It's like re-recording over a memory, like EFT does. The memory is still there, but it has a completely different twist to it.

It's all perception anyway, right? Did your Mom really mean she was mad at you when she curled her lip? Probably not, but that is how you interpreted it & encoded that in your subconscious, so just change what you think she meant & the sting of the lip curl goes with it. Does any of this make sense?

That all said feel free to ask any question you want, as I love answering this stuff. I'm probably one of the few in EFT who can answer some of the questions. I love this stuff!

Many people say MR changed everything for them.

God gave us EFT & I believe we should be doing all we can to clean up our lives so we can live more fully for Him. In my personal life, I never, ever thought I would be where I am today - fully alive, healthy, living for Jesus. It took me 4+ years to clear out my childhood abuse PTSD. Yes, it was that bad!

I never imagined God could cure that self-deprecating, self-defeating chatter in my head - the self-talk my subconscious had held since I was a kid, but He did! Praise Him for His wonderful kindness to us!

If you want more info on how I explain the Christian aspects of EFT Blessings in Him whom we serve!

For more information, go to www.EFTforChristians.com

To schedule a free EFT consultation coaching session, email me at: EFTforChristians@gmail.com

Always remember to take complete responsibility for your own health and well-being.

EFT for Christians Video # 19: What's Different About Christian EFT & Why Should We Tap?

Here is another video:   EFT for Christians Video # 19: What's Different About Christian EFT & Why Should We Tap?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dXBK4-KWgo&t=1s 

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical or psychological advice or care, so please consult your own personal physicians for all your physical needs.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (ret.)
Certified EFT Practitioner             
Author EFT for Christians (2015)
Author of EFT for Christians, Tapping into God's Peace & Joy (Autumn, 2016)

www.EFTforChristians.com  

Replace Negative Thoughts with God's Holy Word

Tapping while using prayer and Scripture produces an amazing result!

As we allow God's Word to penetrate our souls, it provides another barrier to the enemy's negative thoughts getting through to us.

I believe this is part of the "renewing of our minds" Apostle Paul talks about in Romans 12:2 where it says in the New Living Translation: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Becoming mindful of our thought pattern and when a negative demeaning thought enters, counter it with a positive Scripture. Personally I tap while I do that.

Emotional Freedom Techniques is not a substitute for medical care. Please take full responsibility for all of your own emotional and medical needs. #eftforchristians

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
Certified EFT Practitioner
Author of EFT for Christians (2015)
EFTforChristians.com

Publisher Writes a Blog about New EFT Book!

My publisher wrote a company blog about my new EFT books.

Check it out here: True Potential Blog.

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for medical or psychological care, so please take care of your own personal needs. #eftforchristians

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)

Certified EFT Practitioner

EFTforChristians.com

Author of EFT for Christians (2015)

Author of EFT for Christians, Tapping in God's Peace & Joy (2016)

Author of EFT for Christians Advanced (2017)

Christian EFT Practitioners

I'm looking for those who are interested in becoming a Christian EFT Practitioner or Christians who want to tap with a Christian practitioner.

Are you a person who loves to help others?  Do you have an interest in spiritual things?  An interest in how the body heals?

You might be one I'm looking for!

I have a list of Christian EFT Practitioners to whom I can refer you.

Contact me if you are at:

EFTforChristians@gmail.com

EFT is not a substitute for medical care. Contact your physician if you have a medical problem.

Sherrie Rice Smith
Certified EFT Practitioner
Author EFT for Christians - available on Amazon
EFTforChristians.com

Vagus Nerve, Breathing & EFT

“Vagus” is the Latin word for “wandering”. The bundle of nerves, called the vagus nerve, starts at the top of your spinal column at the base of the neck, wanders down your neck muscles, as it controls your breathing and heart rate, and then continues further into your abdomen to your spleen and liver where it regulates parts of your digestive system (back in the day when people had peptic ulcer disease, doctors would sever the vagus nerve in an attempt to settle down the stomach). The vagus nerve is connected to oxytocin receptors, helping you communicate and empathize with others. Some call the vagus nerve the “love bundle” of our body because of its connection to the oxytocin hormone, which is called the “love hormone”.

Several years back, I had a fitness trainer who attempted to convince me during a rather traumatic grieving time in my life that I needed to learn to properly deep breathe to “slow down”. I totally resisted her.

I’ve told hospital patients with whom I’ve worked for decades to deep breathe during painful procedures, but I never understood the mechanism of why we told them to do so. I was just doing what I had been taught to say.

Well, things have changed!

I’ve learned a few things along the way, and now I understand the mechanism behind deep breathing. I want to explain that to you now, so you don’t look as foolish as I did when I refused to understand or to learn. Sorry, Dana, you were right!

Japanese research has shown that effective abdominal breathing slows down our brain waves, slipping them into a very relaxed state, moving us away from stress. There are 3 types of breathing – clavicle, chest, and abdominal. The first, clavicular is the type of breathing we see when someone is panicked. The breaths are short and only move the top part of the shoulders and chest area, and those breaths are very rapid and stressed.

Chest breathing is a bit deeper, but not much more effective. This is the common, everyday breathing method most people do. The chest moves, but little quality air is actually exchanged. Oh, you move enough to keep vital functions going, but you tend to breathe too quickly to pull in significant amounts of oxygen.

The third kind of breathing comes from the abdomen and uses the diaphragm, which, as it contracts, fills your lungs. When you breathe from your abdomen, your belly will expand and move out with each inhalation. Your chest rises only slightly, as your abdomen is doing all the work. This is the type of breathing we all should learn to use on a continuous basis. It takes a bit of mindfulness to do so, but it can be done.

And, if you don’t choose to use this all the time, teach yourself to remember to stop several times a day and simply take one minute and do 5 to 7 sets of the breathing exercise I will outline below.

Dr. Andrew Weil recommends that if you are doing an activity that requires alertness; don’t do any more than 7 sets because this breathing will put you in a very relaxed state. I’d hate to have you fall asleep while driving because you were doing abdominal breathing!

This restful state abdominal breathing facilitates helping you to fall asleep. It is an excellent way to begin your night. There is some research, and I wish I could cite you the source, that states doing 5-10 sets of deep abdominal breathing can replace up to 2 hours of good sleep per night. Here is the explanation as I understand it.

By doing a short 2 minute breathing exercise, you have already dropped yourself quickly out of the beta state, high speed thinking part of your day, into the pre-sleep, slowdown mode of the alpha-theta brain states. Normally, if you do no deep breathing, it will take you 60 to 120 minutes to slowly descend through the beta into the theta state before you eventually drop off into the deep delta state of REM sleep. By deep breathing, you just short-cut the process! That deep breathing signals your body that a change has occurred in your physical and mental status and it is time to settle down, forgetting the wear and tear of daily life, and relax for a while.

Abdominal breathing activates the vagus nerve and triggers a relaxation response. The relaxation response, which is opposite of the stress response, is necessary for your body to heal, repair, and renew itself. Once your stress induced cortisol levels drop to acceptable levels, the growth and repair hormone, DHEA, is released to heal your body. Think how well your immune system will function if you can simply take a few minutes each day to stop and do a few rounds of abdominal breathing that actually will lower, or help to keep, your stressed cortisol level at a lower level in order to keep your DHEA level higher.

A high cortisol leveland a high DHEA level cannot co-exist. If one is high, the other is low. The best combination is to have a high DHEA level and a low cortisol level in order for optimum health to exist. Stress levels are regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS has two parts that balance each other, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The SNS revs up your overall nervous system when it perceives a need for quick action to deal with a threatening emergency. The PNS calms us back down after the problem no longer exists. The vagus nerve comes from the brain to control the PNS, and activates your relaxation response. It does so by using the neurotransmitter, acetycholine (ACh). Without the release of acetycholine from the vagus nerve (for example, when the release is impaired by botulism toxin), you simply stop breathing and die. Acetycholine is also responsible for learning and memory.

ACh is a major anti-inflammatory in the body, so not only does the vagus nerve relax you; it also stops the inflammation effects of stress from causing further damage to your body. There is some evidence that the vagus nerve possibly improves neurogenesis (nerve regrowth) by increasing the BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor) output which repairs brain and other body tissues.

Taking a good abdominal breath stimulates the vagus nerve, which turns on the PNS and relaxes your body, turning off the stress response, stopping the release of cortisol and adrenaline, etc.

Teaching yourself to breath more slowly and mindfully, about 7-9 breaths a minute, rather than the usual 12-20, will improve your health by increasing the oxygen supply to your body’s cells. The PNS also produces endorphins, which will make you feel better and relieve pain and depression, in addition to lowering stress and blood pressure, and boosting your immunity levels.

Learning the art of intentional breathing I’m talking about here includes taking in a deep belly breath where your abdomen puffs out and your chest only rises a little bit and it does so at the end of the breath, not at the beginning. Breathe in for 5 to 7 seconds, pulling air in the abdomen, hold your breath for 2 seconds, then slowly release the air by either breathing slowly through your nose, or through a tiny hole between your lips, taking another 5 to 7 seconds to do so. Don’t just blow the air out all at once in one great big huff!

Another method of slowing down respirations and stimulating the PNS is plunging your face in a basin or sink full of cold water. This is particularly helpful after an intense exercise session where the SNS has been revved up. This method makes me laugh, as this has been done for years to settle down a hysterical person. In the movies, we see a glass of water being tossed into the face of someone in full blown panic, or we see a cowboy participating in a fist fight with another cowboy dunking the riled up one’s head in a horse trough to quiet him down. The water soaked person gasps, blinks, and then almost immediately settles down. Or have you witnessed a mother blow a puff of air into the face of a child who is in the middle of a tantrum? The child rears back a bit, closes his eyes, and then opens them wide as a dinner plate. Sometimes, the tantrum ends, or sometimes, once the child regains his composure and thinks a minute, the tantrum resumes. We also see in the movies, and I’ve seen this in real life, where someone slaps another person across the face to settle them down during a fit of hysteria. I assume this to be the same mechanism.

There are several places on the face and head where the vagus nerve is nearer the skin surface where it can be activated. I certainly don’t advocate hitting anyone, but nonetheless I find the mechanism interesting physiologically.

In a class I attended I was taught another exercise to relieve stress and now I’m wondering if this has anything to do with the vagus nerve. We weren’t given any reason why this works and I can’t find any information about it either.

The technique is a simple one. Relax your tongue on the floor of your mouth. It really is simple, isn’t it? Try it and see how differently you now feel.

This is another of those learned traits that would be useful in high stress situations. Teach yourself to deal with the situation with a relaxed tongue. You will find it extremely difficult to get angry or upset if you can keep that tongue quiet on the floor of your mouth. Try it during your next rush hour drive, or when you have a car load of kids yelling with excitement! It might be your best technique yet.

In the end when all is said and done, deep breathing is a great technique, but EFT still accomplishes the exact same thing. While I personally use the deep breathing to assist me in falling asleep, I still prefer EFT. I like the ease and the convenience of how quickly and how well it works.

For more information, go to www.EFTforChristians.com.

To schedule a free EFT consultation coaching session, email me at: EFTforChristians@gmail.com

Always remember to take complete responsibility for your own health and well-being.

EFT for Christians Video # 18: More Aspects & Using Confession While Tapping

Here is another YouTube Video from EFT for Christians: Video # 18:  More Aspects & Using Confession While Tapping 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xHsm5ybhjo&t=12s

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical or psychological advice or care, so please consult your own personal physicians for all your physical needs.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (ret.)
Certified EFT Practitioner              
Author EFT for Christians (2015)
Author of EFT for Christians, Tapping into God's Peace & Joy (Autumn, 2016)

www.EFTforChristians.com  

Repentance & Tapping

Repentance is tied tightly into healing. Acts 28:27 where Apostle Paul repeated Isaiah 6:9-10. is one example of where this is stated.

This is one of the difference between Christian EFT and regular tapping. God rains on the just and the unjust, but because of Jesus and our chance to repent before Him of what we do to others which offends Him, we get a complete healing now and in eternity.

Repentance means "changing our minds" and that often is exactly what we do when tapping. We think one way, usually negatively, until we tap & God changes our mind. Some of that changing is forgiving those who have offended and hurt us.

There are so many different levels of healing going on here!

Isn't our God amazing?

Your thoughts? We'd love to hear them!

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for medical care, so please phone your own personal physician for all medical and psychological needs.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
Author of the EFT for Christians series on Amazon

EFT & Marriage

Marriage is that psychosocial arrangement we all enter into with happiness and bliss, isn’t it? Normally, it all works great until we learn way too much about our spouse; leaving us with feelings of what in the world did I get myself into. I suspect there are few people in a married or committed relationships that don’t at one time or another wonder what happened to make it all go so very wrong. Well, I’m here to tell you from first-hand experience there is hope! I’m going to make this story very personal, with permission from my husband Brad. I opened up, making myself a bit vulnerable, while in NYC helping with EFTU Level 1 and 2 classes. I’m going to do the same here.

Both Brad & I came from nasty childhoods, dealing with episodes and incidences no child should have to ever endure. It was this early abuse that actually brought us together. I know, for me, I figured it would draw us together, as we both would surely instinctively understand where the other had come from. This was all pre-EFT and I have since seen and well understood how very wrong we both were!

As the years progressed, the relationship became more embattled. I now see what exactly went on. I married a man just like my parents. Oh, he didn’t resemble anything they actually did, nor were the external behaviors even remotely similar, but his style of dealing with life’s ups and downs surely was. Denial was his best defense. If one ignores it all, it all will go away. No matter how many ways I explained to him what I needed in the relationship, nothing changed. And then I caught myself nitpicking just like Mom did to me. Nothing Brad did was good enough. The downhill slide had begun in earnest. We raised his two sons from a first marriage in our house. The boys’ mother was still involved. The tension from that was on. Then about ten years ago Brad was laid off from his engineering job permanently; the company closed. Now, we had 24/7 together.

The problems really started. It was too much time spent in each other’s company. I had plenty to nitpick about now. It wasn’t too long until we were literally fighting every day. It soon led to nothing but fighting. I, as a RN, had no idea how to stop it. I was a depressed, embittered, angry, crying, lashing out woman. My Dad’s words of, “No man will ever put up with you for long,” rang hourly in my ears. I was going to lose my marriage and Dad would be right. What was I going to do? I’m sure Brad felt the same way. Were two women going to walk out on him? At the Eleventh Hour, God provided. Emotional Freedom Techniques walked into our lives! I hired, without Brad’s permission, an EFT practitioner to work through his hatred for his parents. He never believed me when I told him he hated his parents; he does believe me now. Hatred eats us up. It burns holes in everything and everyone around us. It supersedes and melts any love that existed. Nothing survives in its wake. It’s impossible.

I hired my own EFT coach, too. I took EFTU’s Level 1 and 2 classes. What I want now to tell all of you readers is this: Please don’t give up on your marriage. Divorce costs big money, discounting the emotional pain involved, too. My best advice to you based on personal experience. Convince your spouse to take EFTU Levels 1 and 2 classes together.

Seriously, work on your own issues. Your spouse is not the problem. The problem is you. You aren’t a bad person! Your background and cognitive childhood learning has led you to the specific person who triggers you. You have attracted what you know. But there is hope! Work through all those childhood personal issues.

Free yourself to be the person you know you can be and in that process watch your marriage heal. It can work unilaterally, but it works even better when both of you are willing to use EFT on your own stuff!

 Today, I stand amazed to say our marriage is mostly healed. Yes, it worked that well. It’s taken a few years of a lot of tapping on both our parts, but we are stronger and healthier than I ever imagined. My Dad is NOT going to be right this time around! Oh, we have our moments. For heaven’s sake, we are still married! Now, we stop and tap before either of us says something stupid that we will regret later. It usually tends to be one of us starts tapping right in front of the other. We’ve made a commitment not to get angry about that, but to take it as an act of love for the other. And, it is. Hurtful things don’t tend to come out of the mouth of someone tapping. We then both go to our respective tapping places in the house, tap away what is going on INSIDE each of us, not the other person, and come back sometimes to talk about it, but many times all the tension simply dissolves, and we go on our merry way finishing up the day’s activities.

These fights and arguments have nothing to do with us. Really, you might ask. The triggering mechanisms behind them are all those perceptions and ideas we picked up from our parents, grandparents, neighbors, aunts and uncles. Those run our lives and our marriages. Tap them away; save your marriage. Give your children the greatest gift on earth – parents who love each and act like they do! About $1500 for EFTU classes with a certified trained instructor is cheaper than any attorney on planet Earth, or marriage counselor, for that matter. Oh, we tried all the conventional marriage counselor routes with no improvement in our relationship.

I highly recommend trying EFT. Go the EFTU “EFT Training” page and sign up for classes today and watch your marriage heal before your eyes. Hire a certified EFTU practitioner, if your issues are difficult or heavy. You can find them under “EFT Resources” tab. You’ll be surprised how well EFT works. I know Brad and I were!

 For more information, go to www.eftforchristians.com To schedule a free EFT consultation coaching session, email me at eftforchristians@gmail.com

Always remember to take complete responsibility for your own health and well-being.

Sherrrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
EFTforChristians.com
Author of EFT for Christians

EFT for Christians, Tapping in God's Peace and Joy

My second EFT for Christians book entitled EFT for Christians, Tapping in God’s Peace and Joy was released mid-September on Amazon in both print and kindle formats.

The original EFT for Christians was graciously published by Dawson Church through Energy Psychology Press.

Both books have a wee bit different theme.

The first EFT for Christians was written as an introduction to Christians to explain that EFT is acceptable to use, giving them suggestions as to the various uses of EFT in their lives.

EFT for Christians, Tapping in God’s Peace and Joy was written to make the case that every Christian should be using EFT in their daily lives, as a worship tool, but also to integrate and neutralize all the negative memories/events they have experienced in their lives in order to find the peace and joy we all so crave. EFT is a God-given tool that works through our physiology to heal us.

To purchase an autographed copy of EFT for Christians, Tapping in God’s Peace and Joy, please visit my website EFTforChristians.com. For a kindle copy of the book, please visit Amazon.com.  You may also order the print copy directly from Amazon, too.

Pick up copies of both books to give to those Christian friends who won’t consider using EFT!

I now offer CEUs for massage therapists and acupuncturists at my Milwaukee classes.

Please join me in April for my next Levels 1 & 2 classes here in Milwaukee. I look forward to hearing & meeting you!

EFT is not a substitute for medical help, so please consult your own personal physical for your psychological or medical needs.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)

EFTUniverse Instructor/Trainer

Certified EFT Practitioner

EFTforChristians.com

Tapping Points Video

Colleague of mine, Steve Baerg, has created a nice short video showing the EFT tapping points.

Watch it here:

Tapping Points

Remember, EFT is NOT a substitute for sound medical or psychological advice. Please consult your own personal physician when you need that type of assistance.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
EFTforChristians.com
Certified EFT Practitioner/Trainer
EFTforChristians@gmail.com

EFT for Christians Video #4: Tapping with Children Part 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWMHfwIXRYs

Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and never miss a new EFT video!

Remember, EFT is not a replacement for medical or psychological help. Call your own personal physician if you feel you need medical assistance.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
EFTforChristians.com 
EFTforChristians@gmail.com 

EFT for Christians Video # 3: Tapping with Children, Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG4Jvo0WMyM

Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and never miss a new EFT video!

Remember, EFT is not a replacement for medical or psychological help. Call your own personal physician if you feel you need medical assistance.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
EFTforChristians.com 
EFTforChristians@gmail.com 

EFT for Christians Video #2: Tapping with Children Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D_8ebpGCnM

Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and never miss a new EFT video!

Remember, EFT is not a replacement for medical or psychological help. Call your own personal physician if you feel you need medical assistance.

Sherrie Rice Smith, R.N. (Retired)
EFTforChristians.com 
EFTforChristians@gmail.com