by Karen St. Clair
What does physical well-being mean to you? Is it having balanced nutrition, exercising regularly, maintaining steady blood pressure, or getting adequate sleep?
All these practices are indeed in tune with physical well-being, but they may be blocked by an array of emotional circumstances that keep us from accessing their value.
How can emotions keep us from physical well-being? Without realizing it, we function physically according to how we feel emotionally. Think back to a time when you felt upset or angry about an issue that seemed impossible to resolve.
At that time, was it possible to think about taking care of yourself in a healthy way? Challenging feelings can often take over our moods completely and block our ability to achieve physical well-being.
The good news is that we CAN in fact calm our emotions naturally and quickly with the Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as “Tapping,” an alternative self-help technique of gently tapping on certain acupressure points around your upper body.
Here are some of the key ways EFT Tapping can promote physical well-being:
Lowers Cortisol & Stress Hormones
Chronic stress contributes to nearly every modern health condition by elevating inflammation, weakening immunity, and throwing hormones out of balance. Tapping releases pent-up anxiety, trauma, and triggering emotions. This reduces stress hormone surges, lowers cortisol and adrenaline levels, and allows the body to relax, rebalance its chemistry, heal faster, and function optimally.
Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System
EFT Tapping elicits the “rest and digest” functions of the parasympathetic nervous system. This allows digestion, tissue growth and repair, improved reproductive system function and inflammatory balance. Activating restorative parasympathetic activity through Tapping is powerfully healing.
Releases Tension & Pain
Emotional issues such as anger, grief, fear, and resentment can manifest physically as muscle tension, headaches, and body aches. By releasing old emotional energy patterns, Tapping frees the body from blocks caused by unresolved toxic emotions and alleviates pain, allowing the body to return to flexibility and ease.
Improves Sleep
Sleep is vital for every bodily system. When emotional turmoil, anxiety, and over-activity in the brain disrupt healthy sleep patterns, risk of disease rises. EFT Tapping reduces racing thoughts and stress hormones, allowing the body to fall into deeper, more restorative sleep. This enhances tissue repair, mental health, metabolism, and immunity.
As our minds and bodies are intrinsically connected, releasing emotional burdens through EFT Tapping allows your whole physical self to heal and thrive.
“I first learned about EFT Tapping when struggling with chronic back pain. Painkillers and physical therapy provided only temporary relief. On a friend’s suggestion, I started Tapping while mentally focusing on releasing the emotional stress I carried in my body. Amazingly, after just 5 minutes, I felt a wave of relaxation come over me and my pain subsided. I continued using EFT when flare-ups occurred, and over time completely healed my back pain of 3 years. EFT quite literally helped me walk freely again.” M.T., South Portland, ME