In this article EFT Practitioner Marian Mills shows us how trauma impacts us physically and emotionally and guides us to some EFT techniques to use for healing. If you would like to contact Marian, visit her website at http://www.thestillpoint.co.uk/

Stress is widely accredited with being the prime suspect in the development of disease, whether this is seen as mainly emotional as in depression and anxiety disorder, or physical such as with cancer or autoimmune conditions. But what causes the stress? Why are we finding it so hard to adapt to our way of living, or to give it up and live stress-free lives? The answer is trauma – both big ‘T’ and little ‘t’ traumas – which have a dramatic impact on our mind and body’s ability to adapt.

There is a health concept called homeostasis, which means the state of natural bodily cycles, from arousal to passivity and back again. Recent research into the effects of trauma has shown that this homeostatic balance can easily be disrupted and the swings become greater between the peaks of arousal and the troughs of passivity. Each extremity of this increased swing has a different effect on the body and mind. In peak arousal, when the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the adrenal glands are operational, cortisol may flood the bloodstream, the parts of the brain designed to detect and recognize threat are hyperactive, heart rate is raised and the mouth goes dry. This is what we commonly call the “fight or flight” response. Symptoms that arise from prolonged exposure to this state of being are often anxiety, panic disorder, high blood pressure, insomnia, phobias, diarrhea and sickness.

At the other end of the spectrum, we experience the “freeze” response. Although less well known, this also has its origins in our survival instincts. When a creature goes into freeze response it is flooded with endorphins which block pain – useful if you are about to be killed or eaten. Most mammals then shake this off and go into fight or flight, whereas in humans, we have suppressed this natural release mechanism. In this state, where the parasympathetic nervous system is overly activated over time, we see the development of symptoms of fatigue, dissociation, indigestion and gut disorders such as IBS, and accompanying dulling of mental activities.

Robert Scaer^[1] believes that 100% of the population has been traumatized at some point and he defines trauma as a perceived life threat whilst feeling helpless. How do we achieve this and why don’t we recognize it?

Trauma begins either before or at our birth. Natural birth facilitates bonding in those precious moments after birth where both mother and baby are flooded with oxytocin. That bonding has a significant impact on the baby’s brain development, because it stimulates the part of the brain that regulates the emotional brain and the autonomic brain and results in a well-adjusted child able to unconsciously control excessive swings of neurological activity.

The development of the bond between mother and newborn baby is critical and creates more resiliency than any other factor which in turn predisposes the individual to more healthy responses to future traumas.

Most babies born in the west in the past 150 years have experienced a significant disruption to that bonding process, whether through the use of anesthesia, surgical intervention or forced separation from the mother for medical reasons. This creates disruption in the brain which can last for the remainder of the individual’s life. It also leaves the individual more vulnerable to further trauma. This has made a huge impact on the neurological stability of the population and on its own could well account for the majority of dis-ease that we see so prevalent in the West.

Almost all of us have some ongoing disruption in the part of our brain that assesses threat levels (amygdala) and this means that even low-grade threats become viewed as threats to our very survival. The way the brain is regulated also means that social activity can only take place when we feel sufficiently safe to engage with others. We see this in the obstructive and defiant responses from teenagers often portrayed in the media. But socialization also dampens the activity of the amygdala, so making us feel safer. If we look at how our communities have broken down and with them, our opportunities for casual social interactions, we see that all too many of us can go through weeks without the social activities that used to be taken for granted. It is not surprising therefore that many people suffering anxiety and depression, or cancer, MS, ME, AIDS and other ailments can become very isolated.

Although EFT can be used as a self-healing technique, the socialization affect on the brain might account for the reason that many people find that they can heal better with the aid of a therapist. They have a relationship with that person which creates feelings of safety and security that they do not have elsewhere in their life.

Studies have revealed that there is a clear link between our early experiences of trauma and later development of life-threatening disease. This is not, however, currently well known in medical literature, only in behavioural studies. EFT practitioners are finding this to be true in their work and every day more reports flood into Gary Craig of healing physical and emotional pain through trauma release.

EFT can enable healing for traumas that have been held in the body for any length of time. This diminishes the effects on the physical and mental systems and allows a return to homeostasis. Whether dis-ease and illness is already present or symptoms of past traumas are evident, the use of EFT can greatly enhance the body’s resiliency capacity. No longer does the ‘freeze’ response have to be the only response to a small ‘t’ trauma.

If you are suffering with symptoms of past traumas, whether that is physical illness or mental and emotional dis-harmony, here are some pointers for you

• The Tearless Trauma Technique, which isn’t actually as “tearless” as it suggests but does dramatically reduce the risks of re-traumatization compared with other therapies.
• Matrix Reimprinting and ECHOs are useful techniques to investigate. (See Introduction to Matrix Reimprinting)
• Work with a practitioner who specializes in Inner Child healing.
• It is important to treat yourself kindly and gently when working through trauma. Take time out to relax, take walks in the countryside, meditate or follow guided visualization, eat well and drink plenty of water.
• You will need to be persistent and patient. Take your time because the end result will be worth it. Healing trauma can be like coaxing a frightened rescue animal out of the corner of the room where it is cowering and getting it to trust you.

If you would like to, you can read case studies showing examples of some of the concepts in this document as follows:

Importance of Healing with the Aid of a Therapist  by Gillian Wightman

Fear Originating from Birth Trauma by Jo Hainsworth

^[1]Resources for Dr. Robert Scaer

Videos http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/members/rscaer.htm

Books: The Body Bears the Burden: Trauma, Dissociation and Disease

I have known about EFT for about two years, and had helped myself with some pretty serious issues, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and social phobia. One lifelong issue I couldn’t get results with, however, was my weight. I had used EFT on and off for this problem, and was feeling discouraged and worried that it simply would not go away.  About a month ago, one of the EFT forum practitioners contacted me in relation to the concerns I had expressed in some of my posts, and kindly offered to guide me along, until I felt like I was on my way again.

Since our correspondence, I have noticed some great progress. My relationship with food has completely changed, and is not the love-hate battle it once was. I’m able to choose foods that nourish my body without feeling deprived, and my sugar cravings have been greatly reduced. My relationship with my body has changed considerably, and some deep-rooted issues of shame and self-disgust have now gone. I’m also able to exercise and enjoy it, rather than feeling like I’m torturing myself. There’s still more tapping to be done, but I feel like I’ve won 75 percent of the battle already.

What follows are some important things I’ve learned via my correspondence with this practitioner, and my EFT journey in the past few weeks:

1.      Remember that EFT is primarily about emotions, not words. I believe many people, especially new self-helpers, get caught up in the correct way to phrase EFT statements, rather than focusing on the emotions involved. This was how I operated until a while ago. Remember that words are only a tool to help you tune into your feelings – it may not be necessary to use words at all, sometimes.

2.      I was introduced to the idea that in order to really see results with EFT, it is very useful to accept yourself, and your problems, completely. The second part of the EFT statement (“I deeply and completely love and accept myself”) is often skimmed over while tapping, but it can be helpful to really pay attention to it, and check whether you do really accept yourself. Jo herself has written about this here (1). It is useful to realise that the subconscious mind always does what it perceives to be best for us, and therefore, that getting angry at onself is ultimately futile. I have been tapping on unconditional acceptance extensively, and have been noticing it is a lot easier to get answers from my subconscious mind nowadays. We seem to have struck up a real partnership!

3.      Do some ‘apology tapping’. Quite a few of us suppress, ignore, or dismiss the messages we receive from our subconscious minds. In order to re-build a trust-based system between yourself and your subconscious, use EFT to apologise to your inner self, and make the promise to honour your subconscious mind’s attempts to communicate with you in the future.

4.      The body is a wonderful source of information, and I believe it is always giving us signals and messages – even though we may be largely unaware of it. The next time you decide to work on an issue, ask yourself, “How does my body tell me I have this problem?” For example, if you feel scared before it’s time to make a speech, your body will send you messages through sweaty palms, a racing heart, and possibly, the urge to throw up. Really tuning into these bodily sensations and tapping on them can give you great results.  To help you build a relationship with your body, you may benefit greatly from visiting the Focusing links listed on this website.

5.      Another way my subconscious communicates with me is through pictures. Sometimes these pictures are a literal representation of the problem, while at other times, they don’t seem to make sense. It really doesn’t matter – try tapping with these pictures in your mind’s eye, and notice what happens. You may notice that they transform, become smaller, or simply fade away. If you’re not a visual person, perhaps your style is more auditory or kinaesthetic, so listen for words and sounds, or be aware of any feelings that arise. Paul Zelizer calls his method of tapping Deep EFT, and it may be useful to listen to his free tele-class (2) for pointers on how you can connect with your body to give you answers.

6.      Don’t be afraid to simply sit with a feeling as long as it takes. I could be wrong, but I now believe that when we do EFT with the intention of running away from a feeling or problem (or eliminating it as quickly as possible), results tend to be poor. Sitting with your problem, with the intention to understand yourself better, is much more helpful. Tap with gentle curiosity, and genuine regard for the parts of you which are creating your problem. If you’re genuinely scared of sitting with those emotions, you can use the Tearless Trauma technique (3) or the Box Technique (4) in order to remain as fully present as possible.

7.      When you feel overwhelmed by a problem, and don’t know where to start, you can go inside your body to get a general feeling of this problem. For example, it may appear to be a confusing, tangled mass of string or rope. Focusing on this picture, tap until you gain a sense of clarity and focus. This is especially helpful for self-helpers, who are unable to benefit from the guidance of a practitioner.

8.      Sometimes it feels like there is something blocking the real issue at hand. Perhaps you are feeling numb, when you know you should not, or perhaps you’ve drawn a blank as to what to tap on next. One thing I’ve realised recently is that this ‘block’, when it happens to me, is a tangible feeling within my body.  At other times, I can see it as a huge board blocking out whatever’s in the background. Next time when you feel stuck, experiment with these ideas, and watch what happens.

9.      Because it is harder to hear messages from yourself if you’re stressed or on edge, do a little preliminary tapping to relax yourself beforehand. You will probably notice muscles you didn’t even know were tense loosen and relax.

10.  Persist!  At first, I honestly believed self-acceptance and learning to listen to my inner self was a waste of time, but I can honestly say my success with EFT has hit a new level since I’ve experimented with the above techniques.  If you’re not achieving the results you’d like to with EFT, you have nothing to lose by trying this out.