EFT – Healing the Emotional Component of Our Physical Pain
When we have a physical injury – a stubbed toe, a broken arm or worse – we automatically assume we “should” hurt. We figure obviously we ought to be in pain, because something is physiologically wrong with us! However, sometimes our physical bodies have already healed, but the emotions surrounding the injury have not yet been addressed, which leaves the residue of pain still lingering.
I’m always amazed at the tapping testimonies from people with serious physical problems who find their pain greatly diminished and often completely relieved through EFT – Emotional Freedom Techniques. This confirms and demonstrates the holistic nature of the way God created us, where the thoughts in our minds, emotions in our hearts and senses of our bodies all dynamically interplay with one another forming our ever-changing state of being.
I remember the lady who, because of a boating accident, had metal pins holding together the lower half of her back. Of course she’s in pain – her body is artificially sewn up with steel rods! But after just a few rounds of tapping on the emotional component of her pain – the fear when the accident happened, her sadness and regret over what could have been prevented, her unresolved anger – she found breakthrough. By using EFT to release these emotions of pain trapped in her body on a cellular level, she discovered relief from the physical pain that she didn’t know was even possible.
The Dump Truck
My favorite example is the dramatic testimony Dr. Joe Mercola shares in his EFT training DVDs. Sara, a woman whose car had literally been run over by a dump truck that failed to yield at a stop sign, was in tremendous pain months after the accident. Understandably, there were still physiological injuries in her body, but Dr. Mercola tapped with her about the feelings she had surrounding the event: the terror that filled her at the moment of impact; the anxiety of being trapped in her car waiting for the Jaws of Life to extract her; the emotional trauma of weeks in ICU and months of physical therapy.
While these all brought a measure of relief to her pain, the real breakthrough came when Dr. Mercola wisely asked, “Have you forgiven the truck driver?”
That was the key, and with heartfelt tears she released the pent-up bitterness and hatred that were lodged deep inside. Ecclesiastes 7:9 warns us that “anger lodges in the heart of fools,” making it clear that negative emotions do become trapped in our bodies if we don’t take care of them. Thankfully, Sara did release the anger, tapping out all the emotional pain she’d been storing up on a spiritual and cellular level. Having done that, she was then able to begin feeling forgiveness and compassion. Once those holy feelings felt true to her she was able to tap them in, filling her heart with the light of love.
Her emotional breakthrough was powerful in and of itself, but that wasn’t the end of the story. For as miraculous as it may seem, Sara’s physical pain level immediately dropped all the way to zero – and it stayed that way. Hallelujah!
The last story I want to share is exciting to me because it just happened a few weeks ago with my co-author Sherrie Rice Smith and her husband. While gratefully we may not have as traumatic injuries as those described above, many of us have experienced accidentally slamming a door on our finger, slipping on black ice, or tripping on the sidewalk. Falling on the sidewalk is precisely what happened to Sherrie’s husband Brad and I’m going to let her explain in her own words exactly what happened, how they used EFT to address it, and why it worked so well.
EFT Used for First Aid
Three days ago Brad missed a step, falling on his right hip on the concrete sidewalk. He looked at me stunned. As he assessed his possible injuries, he seemed to be ok. I assisted him to get up and off we went for our hour walk.
However, I told him to tap – on what he felt NOW about hitting the cement with a thud. He complied, tapping on his knee, his hip and shoulder which hurt and his EMOTIONS of embarrassment, fear and stupidity for missing the step for probably about 10 minutes as we walked. He tapped longer than I would have and it was probably to his benefit! Brad is 70 years old.
I have asked him every morning subsequently to the sidewalk collision how he felt. His answer is the same – no pain, no residual discomfort EXCEPT for the “fabric burn” on his knee which he DIDN’T tap specifically about. This is why we need to tap on every detail of an incident.
Within an hour after he tapped he told me 90% of the discomfort was gone! Now, isn’t that amazing! Who hits the concrete and doesn’t hurt?
How Tapping Helped
When we tap, we neutralize the fear, embarrassment, pain, etc. lowering the cortisol, allowing the DHEA level to rise so the body can heal whatever was injured.
When we obsess about any thought/injury/disease, we continue to run UP the stress hormone cortisol which depresses the healing hormone DHEA.
Tap on everything, please! God has given us a wonderful tool, IF only we use it!
Want to Learn More?
To discover more about tapping from a biblical perspective, check out our book, EFT for Christians – Tapping into God’s Peace and Joy. If you prefer to listen and watch, Dr. Jim Richards and I recorded 24 sessions of teaching on EFT at his annual Heart Physics conference last fall, and you can check out those resources here.
Happy Tapping!
Image courtesy of Idea go at FreeDigitalPhotos.net