How Energy Psychology Works with Internal Issues

“How energy psychology works with internal issues: a. Bringing to mind a memory, thought, or cue related to relationship difficulties . . . b. Activates the amygdala and initiates a stress response (cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones flood the system and the hippocampus goes offline). c. BUT stimulating selected acupuncture points initiates an opposing process: d. The alarm response is turned off, even though the memory or trigger is still present. e. With a few repetitions, the memory or trigger no longer evokes the alarm response. f. The hippocampus can process the current experience in concert with the prefrontal cortex. g. This becomes the “new normal” – the internal model has been changed. 4. Acupoint tapping changes the brain in any of five ways: a. Reducing the amygdala’s threat response. b. Extinguishing conditioned responses. c. Supporting hippocampus and prefrontal cortex activity. d. Increasing the neural impact of positive self-imagery. e. Increasing the neural impact of well-conceived suggestions." David Feinstein, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has served on the faculties of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Antioch College, and the California School of Professional Psychology. Author of more than 80 professional articles and eight books, he has been a pioneer in the areas of Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine. His books have won nine national awards, including the U.S. Book News Best Psychology/Mental Health Book in 2007 (for Personal Mythology) and an Indies Best Books Award (for The Promise of Energy Psychology). Sherrie Rice Smith Certified EFT Practitioner EFTforChristians.com Author of EFT for Christians 5 Book Series

EFT Christian Spiritual Healing Collides with the Physiological

A wonderful thoughtful Christian tapper Rev. Ronda Stone wrote me, "I think about EFT and how the Lord has given this wonderful tool to us to help cope with all the trauma in one’s life, the lack of feeling loved, and the everyday stresses that accumulate and cause the body/mind to pay the toll in sickness, disease, emotional, and physical pain.

Even though we love the Lord, we are only human and made of clay when facing trials and

difficulties.  It is hard for us to put aside the difficulties and emotions without being concerned or worrying about the outcome of a diagnosis or accident. 

The Lord is there for us all along, but in our human make up and propensity to worry and fret, we block Him from being the help to us that He wants to be because of the connection we already have  to fear, sadness, anxiety etc. from past events."

Ronda's insight is right on and I replied to her this way, "And what you wrote is part of the spiritual explanation of EFT and the reason why we, as Christians, should APPLY tapping to all pieces and parts of our life. To lower the cortisol and adrenaline levels that God created in us that helped us escape REAL physical danger years ago (flight, fight), we need to tap today about what happened back then to undo the stress it continues to cause today for our subconscious mind. God created our hormones to react to REAL danger where we would be harmed or eaten (predators, warfare, assault, abuse)! The elevated levels of chemicals was the way God created us to "remember" life's lessons so we don't repeat our harmful mistakes. The chemicals help us to remember the danger lessons, they encode the learned memory. Think of a child touching a hot stove. He might do it once or perhaps twice, but never again!  This is the same mechanism we all use, but with trauma it happens on a much grander survival scale. 

Today our "danger" is rarely a true physical danger, but living with negative memories from past events literally resides in our body's cells is our present day stress level.  When we were "attacked" and we ran or fought back, we "blew" off the cortisol and adrenaline. Running or fighting back clears the cortisol and adrenaline from our nervous system. Shaking after an accident appears to do the same thing. We "discharge" the trauma, so to speak.

When we "freeze", neither running or fighting back, the incidents become trauma. Most of us "freeze". We are taught not to fight back or lip off. We then hold the horrific event in our nervous system where it stagnates, stews, and skews our Godly perspective of love and safety. Our thoughts of self-doubt, rage, resentment, and hatred arise in place of love and safety God wants us to feel. These feelings foment for decades; they rarely repair themselves without some kind of emotional support. Because those emotions are so painful to live with we shift our behavior toward self-destroying activities, such as addictions (eating, porn, gambling, sex, shopping, workaholism, etc.) to distract ourselves from what we feel. Tapping "reboots" the body systems!

Humans dislike emotional pain. It's uncomfortable so we stuff it down or drown it out (addictive behaviors). Neither strategy allows the damage or pain to let go. It most often tends to compound it. Talking about it often sends the pain ever deeper into our bodies. It's the tapping, a somatic technique, that often releases it. The emotional pain went into the body's cells as a feeling; it needs to come out of our body the exact same way.

Tapping is the language both your subconscious mind and body's cells understands. It looks like a silly technique, but it works! 

Dr. Peter Levine speaks of trauma this way, "The paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect...heights of transformation and mastery, depends upon how we approach it" (Dr. Peter Levine, In an Unspoken Voice, How the Boy Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness, North Atlantic Books, Berkley, CA., 2010, page 37).

Everyone has trauma of one sort or another (some minor, others horrific), every single human being does, and it is personal and specific to each of us. Our approach to dealing with it is the key to whether we heal or not. God wants us healed. We can allow the pain to destroy us, or we can transform it into life lessons where we have an unique perspective in the healing to offer other hurting human beings. That lesson often is one of hope - "I will walk with you through your emotional pain because God has helped me. I know this pain intimately, and I know a technique that will help you."

So, how is the healing done? We physically need to get our elevated flight-fight hormones (Cortisol, Adrenaline, & others) lowered in our body (tapping is that tool), removing the barriers (high adrenaline, etc.that trap the memory in our body). We need the tapping to clear the cellular receptors and quiet our brain's limbic alarm system so it stops reacting to every sound, touch, and sight around us. Peace and safety comes back to live in us once again. And it is all God's created healing touch doing the work. 1 Peter 3:10-11, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, James 3:17

The hormones God created to keep us safe often go awry during trauma (someone's mistake or sin). They stay chronically elevated as our subconscious mind plays the trauma over and over again repetitively ("movie" in our head) throughout our present day, everyday, behind the scenes of our conscious mind (we may not even know the memory is still running). This is our subconscious mind reminding you remember never to get into that situation again. This is the way your mind tries to keep you safe.

That "movie" wears us down emotionally and physically because our bodies weren't designed to live well with elevated levels of stress hormones. And our own personal trauma reactions, often self-destroying behaviors mentioned above, compound life's problems. Disease ensues eventually.

What is one of God's answers to these problems? Tapping!

EFT most often neutralizes our reaction to the originating trauma, allowing God now to free us from the impact of those traumatic memories. The fog that lived between you and Him dissipates. You see Him for Who He is. You can now step into that relationship you always desired with Him. He's always been there, but the emotional fog, and your behavioral reactions to it, has kept you from fellowship with Him! This healing becomes real to you on all levels - emotional, spiritual, mental, and often physical. Romans 8:6.

Seriously consider starting your tapping journey today!  Let Him renew your mind! God is waiting for you with open arms!

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, 2020)

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EFT & Neural Connections

"The keys to your brain function are the chemical messengers of mind and mood called neurotransmitters.

Trillions of nerve cells, called neurons, are scattered throughout your body, but are most highly concentrated in the brain {Sherrie's note - some say there are more in the gut than the brain}.

The 'sending' neuron produces the neurotransmitter {of the hundreds of neurotransmitters, the best known are dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline, endorphins, & GABA} propelling it toward the 'receiving' neuron, across a small gap called a synapse.

Each neuron, on average, makes more than 1000 synaptic connections with other neurons. In total, there may be between 100 trillion and quadrillion synapses in the brain. Moreover, these synapses are not random but form patterns that give rise to what are called circuits {neural connections or neural pathways} in the brain. These form the basis of behavior and of mental life."

The Addicted Brain by Hyla Cass, M.D. pages 20-21

When we discuss the "generalization" effect in EFT it now makes sense in light of this description. When we tap and break some neural connection, it affects up to another 1000 synaptic connections with other neural circuits or neural pathways.

This is why bad habits or thoughts often disappear on their own when tapping about something else totally unrelated to the topic!

Isn't it amazing what God has done in our bodies when He created us to heal?

Remember, EFT is not a substitute for sound medical care, so please contact your own personal physician for any medical or psychological 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)

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