Mirror Neurons

When I go into a group of hurting women like those in some support group where their spouses have died, or the spouse has abandoned them for another woman, I hear that same mantra repeatedly, “I want God to heal me through and through. I’m so done with feeling hurt.”

As the group moderator continues to lead them week after week through EFT clearing, it is interesting to watch the varied reactions. Some women open up quickly, easily, baring their souls to one another; others are more reticent, holding back, waiting for the just the right time to let loose of their own personal story.

All of that is good. People heal at a different pace, and even if a woman isn’t saying a word, but continues to tap with her fellow group members, there is a good chance God is healing her, too, in a more subtle way. That way is called “Borrowed Benefits.”

Decades ago, EFT founder Gary Craig, realized something “energetic” was happening underneath the surface of the group to whom he was speaking when he had a client up on stage, tapping with her/him.

Finally, Mr. Craig decided to run a small experiment of sorts. I won’t get this story’s details exactly right, and there are many variations of it out on the internet, but he had the entire audience write down on a piece of paper at the beginning of the conference all the issues that were bothering them right then and there.  Mr. Craig then told the attendees to put the paper away for the duration of the seminar.

On the last day of the conference he asked for another volunteer to come up on stage for a tapping demonstration to be done by him. Apparently no one raised their hand. At last, he asked the group to take out that paper on which they all had written the list of all the things that bothered them and take a look at it. It was right then that Mr. Craig realized the reason no one volunteered. He immediately saw that most of the issues written on those hundreds of slips of paper had been resolved while each attendee tapped along with the client up on the stage. That amazing occurrence was dubbed “Borrowed Benefits,” and we see it routinely in every single group or classroom where tapping goes on.

There is a physiological reason why it happens, but I don’t believe that was discovered until long after Mr. Craig figured out the concept.

God put in us something called, “Mirror Neurons.” These neurons are a particular type of brain cell that fires when we see an action performed. To a certain extent it is imitation. We sneeze; someone else in the room sneezes. We grab our glass to drink; another person does the same. It might even account for why a 2 year old wants his friend’s truck to play with right now, or the concept of a mob getting out of control during a sporting event. We learn by watching others, but more importantly we heal by doing the same thing.

It appears mirror neurons give us the ability to empathize with others and they give us the ability to interpret facial expression in others – we intrinsically understand what a frown means, or was that understanding learned from another, but interpreted by our mirror neurons? This reaction seems to be automatic, not something we put any thought into.  

Two locations in the brain where these neurons have been observed are the premotor cortex and the inferior parietal cortex. There are theories that these mirror neurons help with bonding between people, and that the mirroring intensifies over time.

So, tapping together like praying together helps heal us.

Join a tapping group, or find a friend to tap with. While listening and tapping with another, you will find healing for your own life's issues.

 

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