{"id":484,"date":"2020-12-16T17:38:45","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T17:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/holisticroom.com\/blog\/?p=484"},"modified":"2024-06-27T18:21:39","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T17:21:39","slug":"emotional-freedom-technique-for-stress-and-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/holisticroom.com\/blog\/emotional-freedom-technique-for-stress-and-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Emotional Freedom Technique for Stress and Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Emotional Freedom Technique?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever seen Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) also known as Emotional Freedom Therapy take place, you might think it looks a bit odd. It\u2019s a treatment that involves tapping with your fingers on various parts of the body to help release negative emotions, stress and relieve anxiety.<\/p>\n

The tapping isn\u2019t random, there is a specific process that is followed which includes saying certain phrases that address the issue you are looking to solve, such as pain, illness or trauma. By acknowledging the issue, you are being specific about what you are looking to address.<\/p>\n

EFT tapping, sometimes also known as therapy tapping or acupuncture without needles, is used for physical pain as well as emotional distress, such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How does EFT tapping work?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Parts on the body are tapped in a specific order where acupuncture points are located along 9 of the 12 main meridians of the body. EFT\u2019s founder Gary Craig believes that tapping these points helps to remove energetic blockages and balances the energy systems of the body, relieving imbalances caused by negative emotions. He believes that a disruption in energy is the cause of all negative emotions and pain.<\/p>\n

The acupuncture points are based on Chinese medicine and are seen as the main areas of the body where energy flows through. Any disruptions along these meridians can influence disease or sickness. Stimulating these points by tapping on them, helps you to access your body\u2019s energy and send signals to the part of the brain that controls stress, thus reducing the stress or negative emotions you are feeling by restoring balance to your disrupted energy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How does EFT help with stress and anxiety relief?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Craig did a study amongst soldiers who had been home from the war for some time and had dramatically good results in treating PTSD disorder.<\/p>\n

Recent studies have shown that EFT can significantly reduce stress and anxiety. It is said that tapping the acupuncture points specifically targets your amygdala, which is a part of the brain that helps you decide if something is a threat or not. The amygdala is the place where our emotions are held, it is part of the Limbic System which is responsible for emotions, survival instincts and memory.<\/p>\n

When the amygdala registers stress, it triggers hormonal responses which activates the sympathetic nervous system and puts us in a \u201cfight or flight\u201d state, ready to protect us from impending danger. With continued triggers, our body starts reacting the same way, even to minor stresses which put us in no imminent danger. Our normal daily physiological functions take a back seat as the body gets to work to protect you against the so-called perceived threat. Tapping the points, alerts our amygdala and communicates that it is safe to look at the situation at hand so that it can be released.<\/p>\n

When the sympathetic nervous system is repeatedly activated, it can lead to fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog and digestive and immune issues. Chronic stress can also lead to inflammation which is a precursor to all disease.<\/p>\n

To counteract this, we need to manipulate our relaxation response. One way to do this is by stimulating our vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system in the human body and is the major channel to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.<\/p>\n

When the vagus nerve is stimulated, the parasympathetic nervous system turns on, now we are able to heal and restore our body. It is where we should be the majority of the time. It promotes relaxation, slows down the heart rate, lowers inflammation and improves concentration.<\/p>\n

There are many ways to stimulate the vagus nerve and EFT is one of them. Neuroplasticity is the brain\u2019s ability to change how thoughts, feelings and patterns of behaviour are processed. EFT re-wires the brain through the nervous system which in turn, has a positive effect on the body.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The benefits of EFT<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Some key benefits include:<\/p>\n