Further on Eliminating Stress & Positive Mind - The value of EFT for anxiety, depression, worry, phobias etc and whole lot of other stuff.

[CDreamer]

I have recommended this approach on this site before as I have been using it on myself (for hear of heights, smoking cessation, AFib & general worry thoughts) and with my clients for depression, anxiety, phobias, excessive anger reactions for more than 10 years now and am delighted that it's value is FINALLY being noticed.... EFT or Energy Tapping is FREE, anyone can learn it and it works for most people, most of the time.

This may seem hippy/dippy but I can assure people it has some hard research with great outcomes behind it.

See below a BBC news item about it.

youtube.com/watch?v=4lb9CMF...(Not working as expected?)

[Maitha]

I watched few YouTube in this regard and tried it myself , I could not feel any better , maybe it can't be started alone

Massage is working for me for short of time , even working may calm me down sometime , but i can't judge it on myself since I'm facing currently bad time unfortunately

[squirrel21 in reply to Maitha]

Hi Maitha, sorry you are going through a difficult patch. I agree massage relief is temporary. CBT and meditation is very time consuming but it does help after a couple of months - but it does need discipline and commitment. I found EFT ( done by myself with no professional advice) also a short term relief, and have not done it on a regular basis. Regards Ewa

[squirrel21]

Can you recommend any specific EFT approach for AF triggered by panic and anxiety?

I am doing CBT and meditation and this helps. Regards. Ewa

[CDreamer in reply to squirrel21]

HI Sqirrel I am not sure there is any specific EFT for AF, I would treat for panic and anxiety then rather than use the whole protocol the tapping areas generally recommended are:- UE (under eye) UA (under arm) EB (eyebrow) UCB (under collar bone) LF (little finger) along with SS (sore spot) or gamut.

The setup statement is also most important, be as precise as you can, especially with the physical symptoms. Most people report mid-chest area to hold most sensation when fear is present - breathing becomes fast & shallow - sick feeling in stomach - so a statement might sound something like this - Even though my heart is pounding and my breathing is shallow because I am frightened of what is happening to me ...I completely........etc, etc. Saying it out loud, if possible, helps.

I also find doing the cross over before I start the protocol helpful because it will focus my mind on the breathing. Breath should be 7/11, that is breath in to count of 7, out to count of 11. If that is too long, 5/7 or even 3/5. I also hold an image representing the word balance in my mind.

If in a public place you might not want to do all of that so I use one of my emergency protocols, helps to carry a card with the instructions on. I have several but the easiest is 'breath and hold' - close eyes, hold a 'safe space' in mind and hold the UE point and use the 7/11 breathing technique.

2 minutes with this usually does it. Another is close eyes, 7/11 breath whilst tapping gamut. The SOONER you use these the better but really know your physical symptoms of anxiety building so you don't let it get to panic attack because it is much harder to self-sooth when in full blown panic - the old trick of breathing into a brown paper bag works wonders then! PLEASE DON"T EVER USE A PLASTIC BAG!!! IT MUST BE BROWN PAPER! This will have exactly the same physiological effect as 7/11 breathing ie:- it will balance your gasses.

Explanation:- When there is too much oxygen in the lungs, which is what happens when you breath fast and shallow, your body responds by preparing to Fight, Flight (or Freeze in preparation for death). But of course mostly in a panic attack we don't do any of these things in modern day life, Hormones are released into the body to prepare our muscles to do extreme physical activity, blood is taken from our essential organs and diverted to the muscles. When we remain static we can get caught in an automated cycle which is hard to break. If you are a person whose adrenaline rises whilst in crisis, which happens to me then hey presto, it makes the AF worse.

The best book I have found is Energy Tappng by Fred P Gallo & Harry Vincenzi, easy reading and very practical suggestions. This is the link to Gallo's website which is interesting reading energypsych.com/

Keep going with the CBT and the meditation, long term it really helps.

Regards xx

[squirrel21]

Many thanks for your reply on EFT. I did try it (DIY approach) and it help a little with panic attacks but it was short term. Do you recommend doing at as a prevention as well?

Can you mix it with my current CBT and meditation? Kind regards . Ewa

[CDreamer]

Definitely to both questions