Did you know that when we experience pleasure of one kind or
another, our brain chemicals impact our limbic system including the
hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, & nucleus accumbens, in particular, and
ventral striatum, which are connected to the neurotransmitter dopamine and the
brain’s natural opiate, endorphin. Once the body associates a pleasure with
those chemicals, it wants more! And more. And more. Let’s use chocolate as an
example. Often the mere thought or seeing chocolate produces a release of
dopamine in the brain. Then when we taste it, opiates (endorphins) are released
further binding our behavior to chocolate eating! Once we eat the chocolate our
dopamine level begins to drop. The ANTICIPATION of the pleasure drives the
dopamine more so than the actual consumption! Now we have entered dopamine lack
which often leaves us feeling deprived and we reach for more chocolate to drive
the dopamine back up. It’s cyclic and chocolate is simply an example, as
anything pleasurable can send our dopamine levels into overdrive, including
other foods, alcohol, sex, shop lifting, work, exercise, dare devil activities,
drugs, etc. A similar experience happens with cortisol and sugar. This can be
the beginning of an addiction or a craving around a substance or activity that
drives anxiousness. Anxiousness is very uncomfortable, but tapping can help.
How? By often finding the source event or memories driving the pleasure and
tapping on those. Many ask why would I want to rid myself of pleasure! You
wouldn’t but perhaps letting go of the excess behaviors might feel like a good
idea. And it is, as it often then leaves us more satisfied with less of
something (like calories, alcohol, etc.). Questions? Thoughts? Comments? Sherrie
Rice Smith Certified EFT Practitioner EFTforChristians.com Author of EFT for
Christians 5 Book Series
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