Hey there once again from Aurora, Oregon! My name is Heather Alison Cook, owner of Yarrow and You Therapeutic Bodywork, where I do licensed massage therapy and bodywork
and have been in practice for over 13 years. I love to help people find relaxation in their bodies and get rid of 😀or at least reduce😘 any pain and discomfort they might be experiencing. My practice is located inside the Healthy Life Clinic in downtown Aurora, Oregon, near Wilsonville, Canby, and not too far from Woodburn!
Have you ever heard of Tapping? Tapping, otherwise known as EFT/Emotional Freedom Technique, has been used for decades to reduce anxiety, stress reactions, depression, cortisol levels, and symptoms associated with PTSD and phobias. It involves using your fingers to tap on certain parts of your head, face, chest, and hands to reduce stress symptoms.
EFT/Tapping combines cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, and acupressure. By gently tapping on certain meridian points while focusing on distressing thoughts or physical sensations and saying certain statements, you can shift your mind out of the discomfort. However, I sometimes use tapping and only take deep breaths, and it works for me!
EFT is believed to work by:
- influencing the brain’s stress response system, particularly the amygdala, which is responsible for processing emotions, fear, and stress
- downregulating the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) while and at the same time enhancing the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest)
- helping to rewire neural pathways and shift the brain’s conditioned responses to stressors by pairing negative emotions with physical tapping
- helping to re-engage rational thinking by calming the limbic system (part of brain that helps regulate emotions/behavior) and allowing the prefrontal cortex (responsible for problem-solving and logic) to function more effectively. (I love this one!)
- Disrupting maladaptive memory recall of a traumatic event, making it less distressing and altering the way the memory is stored in the brain
Cool huh?👀
It does all that, you say?
I like to offer extra-curricular techniques like tapping to my clients if they are having a challenging time or if there is quite a bit of stress and anxiety happening for them–it’s like giving them a tool or homework for the times in between our sessions. It’s a way for them to relax in the very moment they feel upset. 🌞 Getting bodywork and massage regularly can help to do this, but what is so fascinating is that the body inherently has everything it needs to help itself, and you can do tapping anywhere!
These meridian points are based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you’ve had acupuncture, then these points are the some of the same points your acupuncturist knows and works with. These points are said to be energy channels through which Qi/Chi flows. Tapping on these points can stimulate the energy flow if it’s blocked. There are thousands of points like this on the body, but for tapping, we learn just a few that have been researched to actually reduce cortisol, reduce PTSD symptoms, and change other brainwave activities.
Tapping is starting to be taught to kids in schools to help them deal with everyday stresses, and with good results!💪 I wish I had been taught tapping when I was a kid!!! It’s a great resource to know and have in your back pocket when things in life feel overwhelming. Tapping is reportedly also being implemented with veterans for PTSD symptoms— patients reporting they feel empowered to calm themselves down if they get triggered.Â
I recommend learning tapping from an expert. Saying statements in a particular way can also be part of why tapping helps us. Margaret Lynch Raniere and Brad Yates are two tapping experts that I highly recommend and can be found on YouTube. Margaret wrote a book with her husband, who is a psychologist, combining the work of tapping with the chakra system.
I also work with the chakras in my practice, and if you’ve had a treatment from me, I have balanced your chakras! I am trained in Polarity Therapy, which works with the negative, neutrals, and positives in our biochemical bodies along with the chakra system, and I find it very helpful and soothing to folx, and I check the chakras of everyone I work with.
Well, I hope you check out tapping after reading this! Anything that can help us reduce stress is needed at this time! Remember that working things through the body is an excellent way to transmute stressful or even painful and overwhelming situations. Of course, if you need it, please please always see a mental health provider–they are invaluable at times, and tapping won’t substitute for getting help from a professional!
Just think of tapping as your little secret weapon that you carry around with you. You can go into a bathroom stall or in your car and do some tapping that can help as you go between bodywork or counseling sessions if needed. I often tap while I am driving, especially if someone cuts me off😧!…as it will help calm my nervous system down.💚
Please let me know if you have any questions about tapping, I can point you in the right direction to learn it. Hope to see you soon! Don’t forget