EFT Tapping - Quickly calm yourself down and recalibrate emotional responses
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or tapping, is one of the quickest and most effective techniques when it comes to calming yourself down.
EFT works by accessing the energy meridians in the body which has been known in Eastern traditions for thousands of years. By tapping in specific areas of the body it seems to interrupt the flow of energy and 'short circuits' the system. This works sort of like a computer reboot where it allows the body to turn back on in a calmer state.
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This technique can be used to reduce panic attacks, bouts of anxiety and It is very effective at breaking the story that is running through the mind.
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Metaphorically, there are two 'databases' in the brain which are associated with the amygdala, which is the part of the brain responsible for the fight or flight response. There is a safe database and an unsafe database. When we are stimulated by an external event or a thought the amygdala decides if what is happening is safe or unsafe. However safe and unsafe is only determined by the experience of the individual relating to the way that the brain was programmed.
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If the amygdala classifies the input as safe the body remains calm. However If the amygdala classes the input as unsafe the body becomes triggered and it fires off the full fight or flight response.
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By using this technique you can recalibrate the amygdalas' responses to the stimuli and which repetition you can move the trigger from the 'unsafe' database to the 'safe' database.
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It is important to practice this when you are feeling relatively calm so that you can get good at using it so that when an event happens that really overwhelms you, you can jump into EFT quickly to return yourself to calmness with confidence.