One of the most successful cutting edge methods people can use is a technique borrowed from Energy Psychology called the “Emotional Freedom Technique.”
EFT for short, is an incredibly simple method for dealing with stress, which can be used by anyone, at any time, to overcome emotional roadblocks.
In essence, it’s a very powerful technique that, on one hand, helps release the negative emotions and self-sabotaging thought patterns associated with times of stress, and, on the other hand, it can be used to successfully re-condition the mind to perform at optimal levels.
In layman’s terms, EFT actually helps re-program your brain so that that you do not feel the discomfort associated with a painful situation or memory. The purpose is so that you are ”free” to think more clearly and find solutions to your problems.
EFT is applied by using acupressure (repetitive “tapping” with two fingers), on certain sites of the body (face, chest, underarms and hands), while stating acceptance phrases aimed at transcending a specific problem.
The following video will give you a great overview about EFT:
EFT works on a basic principle of “Self-Acceptance,” which has been shown to increase emotional balance.
This principle states that, no matter what the situation, if you accept yourself, you will enhance your creativity and develop emotional resiliency during difficult circumstances.
The physical “tapping”, combined with the emotional/mental self-acceptance aspect of the technique, removes blocks within the intricate network of electrical energy pathways called the “Meridians.” This Meridian System distributes energy throughout the body to maintain proper health.
Any form of EFT uses the same basic methodology and only takes five to ten minutes to apply per session. The catch is that it is “problem specific,” which means that it deals with one problem or one aspect of a problem at a time.
This understanding is crucial, because as EFT treats a specific emotion, you may notice that the discomfort you are working on is “linked” to many other memories,.
This process can be compared to pealing away the layers of an onion, since memories are stored in layers in our mind. EFT works by quickly pealing layer after layer, until minimal or no emotional pain is present, so that you can deal with the situation without an emotional block.
Each layer may take 5 to 10 minutes to treat, but if the problem is complicated, it may take several months to reach the desired results. If this is the case, enlisting the help of an experienced practitioner would be very helpful; especially since people may tap into painful sub-conscious layers that may temporarily throw them off track without the appropriate support.
Practical use of EFT
The entire EFT procedure for overcoming distressful emotions includes the following steps:
Select a specific Emotional Discomfort to work on
Determine SUDS
Create a Mental Movie of the Distressful Situation
Recite a Setup Phrase
Apply Initial Tapping Sequence
Apply Bridge for the first time
Determine Second SUDS
Apply Secondary Tapping Sequence
Apply Bridge a second time
Determine SUDS
Apply Eye Roll
To illustrate how this works, let’s use Rob as an example.
Imagine that Rob is frustrated because he’s having problems with his highly abusive boss.
The first thing Rob does, is he finds a comfortable, quiet place to sit, closes his eyes, and decides to work on “frustration”, because this is the most upsetting aspect for him.
He then establishes a subjective point of reference, where he rates how how he feels, on a 0 to10 scale called SUDS (Subjective Units of Disturbance Scale). He knows that the higher the number, the worse he feels. He measures this before, during and after the procedure to notice his own progress later. Initially he determines that he’s an 8 on the scale, because he’s pretty upset.
The next thing Rob does, is that he keeps his eyes closed and creates a mental movie of his distressful situation, where he “visualizes” for a couple of minutes the sequence of events that led to his frustration. He makes sure to be as specific as possible and only focuses on the problem with his boss, instead of also thinking about having to go grocery shopping, for example.
He then continues with a “Setup Phrase,” where he uses one hand to “tap” repetitively on the fleshy part of the other hand, know as the Karate Chop Point, while stating the following phase: “I deeply and completely accept myself, even though I’m frustrated about my boss’s attitude towards me.” He knows that the more focused he gets, the more effective the technique will be, so he repeats this phrase at least 3 times while tapping the spot and focusing on the mental movie he created earlier.
Rob then opens his eyes and proceeds with the initial tapping sequence on the 12 meridian sites associated with EFT. Since the body has two sides and the meridian system has the same points on each, he knows that he can tap on either the left or right side of his body.
While mentally repeating “This Problem!,” Rob uses two fingers to tap repeatedly on each of the following sites for about 5 seconds,
Corner of the Eyebrow next to the bridge of the nose
Outside corner of the eye
Under the eye
Under the nose
Under the lower lip
Under the arm (near the armpit)
Collarbone (near the sternum)
Outer corner of the base of the Thumbnail
Outer corner of the base of the Index Fingernail
Outer corner of the base of the Middle Fingernail
Outer corner of the base of the Little Fingernail
Gamut Point located on the back of the hand, between the bones of the little finger and the ring finger.
After this initial sequence, which takes about 1 minute, Rob them proceeds with what is called “The Bridge.” Rob knows that what’s affecting him is the emotion associated with the mental picture, so he’s going to engage his sense of sight along with the Left and Right sides of his brain in order to “scramble” the negative feeling and be able to release the emotional ties. This part of EFT includes a powerful technique used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder called “Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing”, EMDR for short.
He does this by continuing to tap on the “Gamut Point” while still focusing on the problem as he did during the tapping sequence. He then closes his eyes, while continuing to tap, then, while keeping his head perfectly straight and without moving it, he opens his eyes, looks straight down and to the right and proceeds to trace an imaginary circle around his face, moving his eyes slowly from right to left, then immediately in the opposite direction. This takes him about 3-4 seconds.
While still tapping on the Gamut Point, he “hums” about 5 notes (from the happy birthday song for example), which engages the right side of his brain related to art, then counts from 1 to 5, to engage the left side of his brain, which deals with logic. This takes him less than 5 seconds and he continues tapping on the Gamut Point for another 30 seconds.
Rob then checks his SUDS again and notices that he’s magically at a 3-4 on the scale.
He’s done with the first sequence! Even though he feels a sense of release, Rob knows he can do better, so he goes for a second round. This time, he does not have to create the mental movie again; all he needs to do is focus on the remaining discomfort while stating the setup phrase slightly differently: “I deeply and completely accept myself, even though I STILL feel a bit frustrated with his boss.”
He then proceeds to tap on all points and when he gets to the hand, he declares the following phrase a couple of times while tapping on each of the fingers: “I release this frustration for my own benefit.” He continues with the second bridge and then rechecks his SUDS.
At this point, he tries to focus on how he feels and notices that the frustration is gone completely, which means the EFT procedure has worked. If it had not worked, Rob knows he could have continued with several tapping sequences until his SUDS reached 0.
Because he’s feeling a sense of release from the frustration, he decides to “seal off” the procedure by doing what’s called the “Eye Roll,” which engages his brain in different ways, and further enhances the mental re-conditioning he so desperately needed.
He does this by simply closing his eyes, right after checking his SUDS, while keeping his head perfectly straight again, without moving it, and then opening his eyes, looking straight down towards his feet and then letting his eyes follow an imaginary line across the floor in front of him, which then goes up to the sky and ends directly above his head.
After this, which took a mere 5-10 minutes, Rob feels emotionally stronger and has even started getting ideas about how to solve the problem.
Note: The above description is for the complete EFT procedure. However, there are shortcut techniques and several variations of the basic technique for specific results. Try this technique first and then explore the others to see what works best for you.
Keys To A Blissful Relationship - Love alone is not Enough
by Mike Angulo
Being a veteran of two marriages, I can tell you from first hand experience that one of the most significant sources of stress is a negative relationship. It affects your career, your self esteem, your finances, your health and your friendships. However, you can prevent this by having a bit of patience and making sound decisions.
The funny thing is that all couples start out as the perfect examples of a love story, but very often they crash and burn. Why does this happen? Why do we fall in love and out of love so quickly? Why do things work out at the beginning and then end negatively? And, more importantly, how can we attract the right person into our lives? The answer is very simple: We must understand how love works initially and learn to select the right partner using our intelligence.
Initial Stages Of Love
In a new relationship, as part of the normal biological mating process, men and women attract their partners by emitting chemical substances called pheromones. These are transmitted through the air from one partner to the other and produce a sedative effect on each other’s brains. If you feel like you’re walking on a cloud when you first fall in love, you already know how pheromones work. They literally act as a “drug” that clouds our minds and prevents us from seeing the faults in our partner. Unfortunately, these incredible substances only remain in our bodies for a short period of time, anywhere from 2 weeks up to 4 months. When they are gone, reality strikes. And sometimes it hits us like a rock!
Seriously now, that’s when our true personalities emerge and when trouble begins, if the couple is not compatible. Even though they “feel” in love with each other, their differences may be enough to keep them apart. That’s why it is essential to make sure we go through this phase knowing that it’s short-lived and that we must wait to make major decisions, like getting into a long-term relationship or marriage, until after the pheromone phase. At that point, we should begin a detailed selection process to make sure that the person we are with is the person we really want to stay with. If you’re already in a troubled relationship, visit Www.eflexx.com for tips on how to handle it.
The Selection Process
Not selecting the right partner is a wrong decision that could haunt us for years. After a short while, this can result in constant arguments, disagreements and even verbal and physical abuse, as well as the inevitable divorce, with all its legal, financial and emotional implications. All of this can be avoided by being a bit more selective initially.
Normally, people start a relationship on the basis of love, attraction and finances. But, they overlook other highly important aspects such as values and beliefs, which must be shared or at least respected by both partners in order to keep the love alive. It’s equally crucial for each partner to share or respect the other’s views about politics, religion, communication, spirituality, friendship, family, health and fitness, finances, as well as their careers and the way they handle emotions. Other aspects include culture, ethnicity, hobbies, age and intellectual level.
You see, all of these aspects are the basic elements of our lives as individuals. And in a relationship, these aspects should be shared harmoniously between one partner and the other or else the relationship will fail. The idea is not to select copies of ourselves, but to look for traits that are as closely related to ours as possible. We must choose partners that will be our best friends apart from our lovers, so that we can manage adversity easier. Think about it, who do you enjoy spending the most time with? With a friend who shares your views or a friend whose values clash with yours? The answer is obvious, right?
So remember, if you want to save yourself from a boatload of stress, be patient with your next relationship. Do allow yourself to experience that incredibly rewarding emotion called LOVE. But, be intelligent enough to make sure that you select that right someone who will always love you back and treat you like you deserve.
The “singles’ life” is synonymous with fantastic parties, freedom, excess and fun. But, have you noticed that stress always gets in the way? Fortunately, modern science has shown that stress is not all negative. You can actually transform it into a motivating DRIVE to fuel your success, simply by learning how to use the incredible power of your mind and learning how to heal your body.
Scientists explain that millions of years ago, humans evolved within a highly predatory environment, in which our brains developed the “fight-or-flight” response (AKA “stress”). This response serves as a built-in “early warning system”, designed to prepare our bodies for action so that we can adapt to our environment. However, it needs our conscious or subconscious mental commands in order to activate either a positive or a negative response. In other words, we can actually program our minds to feel stressed, relaxed or driven.
Let me explain. Let’s say your “significant other” left you. If you choose to see this as a threat to which you need to adapt to, the negative stress response is activated: muscles get tense, breathing rate increases and the bloodstream is flooded with stress hormones such as Cortisol and Adrenaline, which can make you sick and depressed over time. On the other hand, if you choose to see the situation as an opportunity, the positive stress response is activated: Endorphins and Interleukin-2 are secreted into the circulatory system, making you feel great and healthier!
In essence, feeling good or bad, is all a matter of choice. It all depends on how you interpret everything that happens to you. However, physical stressors such as lack of sleep or exercise, too much noise, a bad diet, or an illness, can also cause stress. Unfortunately, anything that affects our body, also affects our mind and vice-versa.
Being single, you experience relationship problems, job stress and financial pressures that constantly activate the negative stress response. If you’re not consciously re-directing your mind and controlling your body, you’re thrown out of balance. The best way to regain it is by getting in shape, physically and mentally. Fifteen minutes of moderate exercise a day, such as walking, stretching, or yoga, helps secrete excess stress hormones, improves breathing and relaxes the mind. There are dozens of other stress management exercises, such as visualization and meditation, which can either relax you or make you feel completely energized! Even a good diet and sleep can significantly reduce negative stress.
You can save time and money by hiring a specialist to teach you the cutting edge stress management techniques. A stress relief life coach, for example, can help you get a permanent handle on stress by showing you how to re-program your mind, manage time better and design a life full of fun, growth, security, connection and excitement.
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Work
How to increase CORPORATE PROFITS by reducing employee stress!
by Mike Angulo
Companies across the globe are facing a silent threat. It is one of the main causes of heart attacks in America and it’s eating away at the corporate bottom line. It’s called Stress! According to a survey conducted by Yale University in 1997, 30% of workers are over-stressed. On the other hand, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is estimated that a worker will be absent from work about 20 days per year due to stress related disorders.
This means that for a company with 50 employees, with an average wage of $15/hr, and an 8 hr workday, stress costs may add up to as much as $36,000/yr in absenteeism alone! This does not include stress related costs such as: high turnover, reduced productivity, strikes, low morale, lower quality customer service, increased accident rate, higher health costs, etc. If this is the problem, what is stress and how can we deal with it? Stress is what employees feel when they believe they are powerless against problems.
According to Doctors like Deepak Chopra, Chairman and co-Founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California, this response depends entirely on a mental interpretation which activates either a positive or a negative response. In other words, people can actually train their minds to feel stressed, relaxed or driven depending on how they choose to see everything that happens to them. When this happens, the “fight-or-flight” response (a built-in “early warning system”) is activated, and their bodies prepare for physical action.
Let’s say your company is facing tough competition. If you choose to see this as a threat, the negative stress response is activated: your muscles get tense; your breathing rate increases; and your bloodstream is flooded with stress hormones such as Cortisol and Adrenaline. If this happens with every little problem, these chemicals can weaken the immune system and create serious health risks over time. At this point stress becomes anxiety and can even turn to depression, which, of course, will adversely affect job performance.
On the other hand, if you choose to see the situation as an opportunity to grow, the positive stress response is activated: Endorphins and Interleukin-2 are secreted into your circulatory system, making you feel energized and healthier! This will in turn improve your focus and productivity. Which reaction do you think will allow you to tackle the problem better? Therefore, if employees are not trained to consciously re-direct their minds and control their bodies when confronted with stress, they’re thrown out of balance and become less productive.
To make things worse, since employees are human beings with lives apart from just work, even if they try to leave their problems at home, any stressors from their private lives will also affect their job performance. The solution is to provide the workforce with the appropriate training to manage their own stress, by using simple mental re-conditioning and re-focusing exercises, meditation techniques, as well as physical relaxation exercises, such as stretching, yoga postures and controlled breathing.
This is essential to maintain a relaxed state of mind which is conducive to creativity and productivity. It is also crucial to train the employees on effective goal setting and tracking techniques that will ensure they are focusing on achieving corporate and personal goals. This will provide a sense of fulfillment in their jobs and will boost overall morale. Hiring a specialist, such as a life coach or a psychologist specializing in stress management, will significantly help reduce the stress problem and related costs.
Typically, the initial investment to solve this situation requires onsite workshops that last anywhere from 4 hrs to 2 days, depending on the company’s needs; This is complemented by the establishment of “Lead Groups” that will ensure the information is disseminated and implemented throughout the company. These are updated through monthly follow up calls with the specialist. Finally, quarterly follow-up sessions keep the momentum going. As you can see, by providing the necessary skills training to “relax, re-focus & take action”, the workforce can not only be able to create a positive working environment, but can in fact reduce employee related costs and increase corporate profits!
