Brad Yates: Tapping Into an Elevated Life with EFT

What if there was a tool you could use to decrease stress, help with physical pain, stop food cravings and change limiting beliefs? The Emotional Freedom Technique, known as EFT or Tapping, can do this and so much more.

EFT expert and co-author of the bestselling book “Freedom at Your Fingertips,” Brad Yates, joined Elevated Existence Magazine founder, Tammy Mastroberte, as part of the Living an Elevated Existence Mind, Body & Soul Summit to talk about the topic, and even walked listeners through a 10-minute tapping exercise.

“EFT is based on acupuncture and Chinese medicine, which has been around for thousands of years,” Yates said on the call. “In Chinese medicine, they say there is a flow of energy through these pathways in the body call meridians, and when this energy is flowing naturally we experience this natural state of wellbeing in body and mind. When this energy gets stuck somehow, then we don’t feel so good.”

By tapping on the eight key points given by EFT, we are balancing out the energy and getting it flowing again so we feel good and can clear out disruptions such as sadness, anxiety, anger and pain. Research has also been done showing the tapping process dramatically reduces stress. Particularly cortisol levels are reduced, which is one of the stress hormones, said Yates.

EFT & Emotions
Using EFT to bring down stress, fear and anxiety can offer immediate relief, and by getting our emotions under control, we can make better choices in our lives, said Yates. Most choices are made at the emotional level, and when they are not being made consciously, they are unconscious and based on our emotions.

“If we have uncomfortable emotions going on, and fears like, ‘I’m afraid to have more money then my friends,’ or ‘I’m afraid if I lose weight I might be more attractive, and I’ll have to get into a relationship, and relationships are painful.’ All of this stuff goes on at an unconscious level,” Yates said. “All we know is ‘hmmm, I wanted something to eat, and I was going to have a carrot and instead I ate a box of cookies.’ We make all those choices at an emotional level, and if we can use the tapping to clear out those uncomfortable emotions that so often drive unhealthy choices and unhealthy behavior, we can live a more elevated life.”

Each of the points we tap on with EFT is actually an endpoint along different meridians in the body, and each corresponds to a different organ in the body. These organs are also associated with different emotions, Yates said.

“The great thing about tapping is we are focusing on so many different emotions and so many different points, that we don’t have to narrow in because everything is so inter-related,” he noted. “When we are tapping all the different points we are covering our bases.”

Our emotions are designed to protect us and let us know when something is going on that needs our attention – similar to a smoke detector in our home, according to Yates. Anger is like having a smoke detector. It let’s us know something is going on that we need to look into. However, many people will sit and complain that smoke alarm is going off, and wont get up to turn it off or see if there is a fire, he noted.

“It’s not a matter of, ‘quick lets tap and make sure we get rid of that bad feeling.’ It’s a matter of ‘I’m going to process this and find out.’ So when the smoke detector goes off, is it a battery that needs to be changed, or is there really a fire that needs to be put out,” he said on the call.

The tapping process is a way of getting through our emotions to see what is really going on underneath. If we are feeling sad, or reaching for the cookies, tapping can help us find out why. Maybe we are really upset about an argument with a friend that brought up an issue from the past.

“With the nervous system, when we perceive a threat, our brain function goes to the midbrain and into fight or flight. Then when we realize the danger has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and our thinking returns to the frontal brain where we have creative thinking, are open minded and can think more clearly,” Yates explained. “The tapping helps to move us back into that. It moves us back into the parasympathetic nervous system and helps us make better choices, and do better things and live a better life.”

To listen to Brad’s interview, along with 25 other top experts in a variety of mind, body and spirit topics, sign up FREE!

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Pain & Food Cravings
One of the fastest ways to see how EFT works is to use it on pain – whether its someone dealing with fibromyalgia, back pain or a migraine. Often tapping on pain will also help our stress level, and vice versa, because the two are usually tied together.

“So much of the pain we experience has stress in it. I’ve heard people say 75 percent to 90 percent of physical pain is emotional. As we clear that out, we are clearing out the uncomfortable feelings that we have about it,” Yates said. “It’s not just the physical pain going on, but also all this physical disruption in our mind. As we clear the stress, our body naturally heals itself. So we start healing more quickly.”

It’s not abnormal for someone to tap on a physical pain, and then discover as the pain clears, so does anger about an argument with a friend, he noted. The same is true for someone who may be tapping on sadness, and then find relief from a physical pain.

Another way EFT can help is to release a person from cravings including sugar and chocolate. Yates shared a story of attending an EFT conference with founder of the technique, Gary Craig, who passed out Hershey Kisses, and asked how badly on a scale of 1 to 10 people wanted to eat it. Then led them through a round of tapping.

“I was a chocoholic at the time, so I said, about an 8,” he shared. “We tapped for a few minutes, and I had about as much interest in the chocolate as I did the foil wrapper. And I don’t think I even touched chocolate for about 2 years.”

The same tapping is structure is used not matter what the issue is, and if we are in public, can even work if we are only tapping on one point. The wording we use helps to bring up the issues that may be lurking in our unconscious mind that may have an emotional charge to it.

We can even use tapping to raise our vibration and attract more good into our lives because when we feel better, we create better things for ourselves.

“If you think of a hot air balloon, it’s untethered. It just rises. An elevated life is our default position. It’s our natural state. We don’t’ have to push ourselves up into an elevated life. That is our natural tendency. It’s these ropes that tie us down – these uncomfortable feelings and old limiting beliefs that hold us back. So as we release and untie these ropes we naturally rise to a more elevate life,” Yates said.

 

 

Tappermation: Create Wealth CD

Based on seven meridian points used in the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), the “Tappermation: Create Wealth” CD or MP3 download offers two guided meditation and tapping sessions to help change thoughts around money and abundance.

The sessions focus on letting go of limiting financial beliefs and attracting unexpected income, with affirmations such as “I am the creator of my life experience,” and “I am connected to an unlimited source of abundance.” Recommended for use twice per day in 15-minute sessions, it also features binaural beats and isochronic tones in the background.

To download a free tapping meditation, and see other CDs available, visit http://tappermation.com/.

 

 

Editor’s Advice: Embarking on an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Elevated Existence attended the annual Omega NYC conference a week ago in New York, and I had the pleasure of attending a workshop by the best-selling author of “Crazy Sexy Diet,” Kris Carr, and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) expert Nick Ortner.

I’ll admit, I was new to Carr’s work, but was intrigued by eating an anti-inflammatory diet. I have suffered from chronic sinus inflammation for more than 10 years, and was getting tired of the antihistamines. (I’m sure many of you can feel my pain!) Also, I had recently read “Ultra-Prevention: The Six-Week Plan That Will Make Your Healthy for Life,” by Mark Hyman, M.D. and Mark Liponis, M.D., which recommends a more plant-based diet for easing inflammation and better overall health.

So I attended the workshop (read all about it in our June 2012 issue out soon!) and became inspired. Carr is a wonderful, living example for what she teaches, and as someone living with what the doctor’s call an incurable cancer, I applaud her for taking healing into her own hands – and sharing what she has learned to help others! It’s been 10 years since was diagnosed, and her cancer has not progressed at all! BRAVO!

What inspired me was her complete self-care plan, which includes physical, emotional and spiritual health. Our June article will go into more depth, but I wanted to share the small changes I am making in my diet in hopes that I will inspire you to do the same!

One of the things I love about Carr is she is NOT an all or nothing girl! She is vegan, eating an 80 percent plant-based, gluten-free diet, but encourages people to “lean into” a healthier diet. For example, start by adopting a 50/50 plan – 50 percent of every plate of food is vegetables, and the other 50 percent is dedicated to a grains, meat, tofu, etc. (and the meat amount shouldn’t be bigger than a deck of cards if you choose that option). Also, incorporate what she calls “green juice” into your daily routine (more about that below!)

So far, here are the changes I have made:

–      Dairy is the first thing I decided to eliminate since I suffer from chronic sinus inflammation. Dairy contributes to this, as well as creating excess mucus in the body. I already drink almond milk, so it was really just cutting out cheese, butter, etc.

–      Since meat has always been part of my diet (I grew up in an Italian, meatball-loving family), I decided to start slow. I’m eliminating red meat, and only eating chicken, turkey or fish no more than once per day (eventually cutting down to a couple times per week.)

–      I’ve added a PB8 probiotic supplement to my daily routine. (I also take a multi-vitamin; vitamin D3; Omega 3; vitamin C; and Calcium Magnesium supplements daily. I’m a big fan of Andrew Lessman’s vitamins)

–      Incorporating more vegetables into every meal.

–      Significantly cut down on sugar and chocolate (thank goodness those Cadbury Crème Eggs are off the shelves!)

–      I bought a brand-new Breville juicer (thank you Bed, Bath & Beyond for your 20-percent-off coupons that never expire), and am drinking at least 8 ounces of green juice every morning. (Carr recommends 16 ounces per day, and I’m going to build up to that. But I’m starting slow!)

Now a quick word on the green juice — A basic recipe using a juicer (which is different than a blender) is a combination of the following: cucumber, celery, spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, green apple and lemon – and there are many variations on it. Carr advises in her book “Crazy Sexy Diet,” if your stomach tends to be sensitive, you can start with straight up cucumber juice, and then gradually add other ingredients that might be harder to digest. I started with cucumber one day, then added celery and green apple to that, and then I recently started adding a handful of spinach.

Well so far – I’ve cut down on antihistamines (about every other day from daily), and I’m feeling really good about doing something for myself and my body – or what Carr called the “God Pod.” And as of writing this blog, it’s only been one week!

I highly recommend her book “Crazy Sexy Diet” if this blog is at all interesting to you. She offers so many brand-name recommendations for replacing gluten, wheat and dairy products, as well as recipes and a wealth of information about the things we put into our body. She also offers detox tips, such as dry brushing the skin daily!

And be sure to check out her Web site, www.crazysexylife.com for more advice, recipes and tips!

Here’s to living a healthy, inflammation-free life! Thanks for the inspiration Kris!

Tammy Mastroberte
Founder, Publisher & Editorial Director
Elevated Existence Magazine
www.elevatedexistence.com