Coming out of the closet...

Not that closet.

You’ll recall I mentioned last week that I’ve made a lot of lifestyle changes in recent years…and one that I’ve made very recently is…I’m seeing a life coach.

You can stop laughing now.

Seriously.

A few months ago, a very special person in Nick and I’s life shared some information about stress management techniques that had been very helpful to her and later recommended a practitioner that taught some of the techniques…the afore-mentioned life coach (who also happens to be a PhD and licensed counselor...lest you think I'm seeing some back alley charlatan). 

The technique is called ‘tapping’ and I’ll be honest, it is something that, a few years ago, I would have placed in the ‘woo-woo’ category.  (Ed. Note:  woo-woo is a term I use to describe anything New Age-y…)  It’s also called the Emotional Freedom Technique and here’s a quick explanation

EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over five thousand years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while you think about your specific problem - whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc. -- and voice positive affirmations.

This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the "short-circuit" - the emotional block -- from your body's bioenergy system, thus restoring your mind and body's balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing of physical disease.

I know…it sounds kinda crazy.  But here’s the thing, bloggy readers…it works.  I’ve been doing it for several months now, primarily to relieve stress and to keep myself in a really positive state of mind, because I know that’s going to be important to our starting a family.  And there are all kinds of success stories you can read online of people managing chronic pain, phobias, or just plain old bad feelings through this technique...it’s even being used with soldiers returning from war that suffer from PTSD. 

I don’t know exactly why it works (and maybe it has absolutely nothing to do with the energy meridians), but I can say I’ve had more strokes of insight (or what my idol Oprah would call ‘Aha’ moments) since I’ve started then I can count on both hands.

I am forever grateful to have learned about this technique (thanks, super special person!) and as such, feel like I have to pay it forward.   So once you pick yourself up off the floor, google ‘EFT’ and ‘Gary Craig’…there’s lot of great demos on youtube that show you how to do it.  At first, it feels a little silly, but you get used to it.  You don't have to see someone to learn how to do it, but I found it helpful.

Happy Tapping!