by Amy B. Scher
I use a flat hand against my chest for this, tapping my fingers against my thymus with the third “beat,” or tap, slightly firmer than the rest. This can be done for a few seconds to a few minutes.
Use the Panic Point— Remember the “top of the hand,” or gamut point, that we use in EFT? It’s in the groove between the pinky and ring finger, about halfway down on the top of the hand. Simply use three or four fingers of your other hand and tap or rub that spot. Use it along with deep breaths when you need to calm down. This one is easy to do under a restaurant table or a desk. Because it’s directly on the triple warmer meridian or energy pathway, working with it actually sends a message to that energy force to calm down and “back off” from being in overprotective mode.
Nose Breathing— When we are panicked, we tend to breathe rapidly through our mouths. If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you will know just what kind of breathing I’m talking about. One of the ways to signal to the body that we are safe is to adjust our breathing to match the natural breathing pattern of actually feeling safe. For this, I recommend concentrating on nose breathing. Take deep, slow breaths, inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Try to inhale over a period of three seconds, then exhale using that same time goal. It is impossible to breathe rapidly using this method, which helps you gently bring your body back to a calm place. Additionally, slowing down your physical movements during activities like eating or walking signals to the nervous system to slow and calm down as well.
Panic Pose— Crossing your arms, which mimics holding or hugging yourself, is extremely calming and protecting. In fact, if you cup each hand so it’s cradling the elbow of the opposite arm and gently rock, you’ll double your panic-releasing superpower. By rocking, you are triggering the calming response familiar to us all at a primal level, from the time we were first rocked as infants.
EFT or Chakra Tapping— Without saying anything at all, tapping the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) points or the Chakra Tapping points will work to calm your body when you’re in a place of fear. The verbiage we used during the tapping processes in chapters 7 and 8 helped us bring up the energy in order to clear it. However, if you are already in a place of fear, there is no need to say anything. Just allow yourself to be where you are, and tap away until the energy shifts. Once you’ve calmed down, you can then figure out what triggered you (an unprocessed experience?) and go back to work on that.
Triple Warmer Meridian Trace— As you first learned in Chapter Two , the triple warmer meridian, or that inner “papa bear” energy, is responsible for your fight, flight, or freeze response. When this meridian becomes overcharged, your body is likely to feel full of adrenaline and panic. Luckily, there is a great way to tame this specific meridian. We can do this by tracing the triple warmer meridian backward. This will gently release or draw out any excess energy that is not needed in the moment. It may be helpful to take a quick look back at the triple warmer meridian image in Chapter Two before you start.
Place each of your hands flat against either side of your face, so your fingertips are resting on your temples and your palms are resting on your cheeks. Now slowly and deliberately trace your hands up and around your ears (staying in contact with your head) as if you were pushing a child’s hair back out of their face to comfort them while they were upset. Once you’ve traced to under your earlobes, continue by dragging your flat hands down the sides of your neck until you reach your shoulders. This should all be one fluid movement. Now lift your hands off, cross your arms so each hand is resting on the opposite shoulder, and continue to slide each hand down your arms so you’re in a self-hug position, ending when you are holding your own hands. Take a deep breath. Repeat several more times.
Create a Safe Space— Having an accessible go-to plan, or a metaphorical safe space, even in the midst of chaos and doubt can make a huge difference. Here are some suggestions for creating that safe space for yourself, no matter where you are.
• Choose a Phrase or Symbol— It’s a good idea to create a code phrase or symbol to instantly send ourselves a reminder message that we are safe. My favorite affirmations or mantras for this are “I am safe” and “all is well.” You can choose anything you want, but be sure you are saying something you believe at some level, even if it’s “I can get through this moment.” For symbols that bring comfort, assign yourself a calming image to call upon when you are struggling. It can be anything that has only a positive connotation for you—a religious symbol, the beach, or the smiling face of a baby in your life. If you want to “set” this image as your safe place, simply bring the visual to mind and say, “From now on, when I picture this image, it shall bring me peace, calm, and comfort.” Now you can bring it to mind anytime and draw its positive energy right into your body and space.
• Use Music— Music, because it has its own energetic frequencies, can be very calming and healing. A special type of sound healing therapy called Solfeggio frequencies are believed to date back to ancient Gregorian chants and contain special frequencies. Many people who use them have experienced great benefit. However, I believe that any music you resonate with can have immense healing capability.
Even though I am not religious, I just love church hymns and gospel church music to calm and center me. I listen to them often as a way to raise my vibration. My favorite for shifting my mood is Smokey Robinson’s music. When I’m feeling vulnerable or uncertain, I always listen to Sara Bareilles’s song “Brave.” It changes everything for me. Having a few different songs that you can use to help create a safe space or shift your vibration can be a great tool.
Once your body is “trained” into relaxation mode using the songs of your choice, the songs can then be used as an instant calming cue to your body.
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You now have lots of tools for calming fear. Use them in the moments when you are feeling fear, and over time your body will be trained into feeling calm instead of going into its usual fear response. While I have offered you many options, you might resonate with only a few. It’s okay to use the ones you are drawn to over and over in your practice and disregard anything that you don’t resonate with.
Next, you’re going to learn how to create a unique map for your own healing using everything you’ve learned. This is going to pull it all together for you so you have a clear plan to move forward with.
[contents]
Section III
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Final Insights
and Encouragement
Chapter Eleven
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Create Your Unique Map
for Healing
Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see
the whole staircase, just take the first step.
—martin luther king jr ., let nobody turn us around
You’ll recognize this big, beautiful tree (you!) from earlier. Now that you’ve learned about each aspect of my approach to healing, I’m offering you this Healing Tree illustration as an awesome tool to streamline the whole process of healing. This is your map for becoming who you really are. In this chapter, you will learn how to use this illustration in conjunction with the techniques you learned in part three. This simple process will be your new guide.
At the end of this chapter, you will learn how to establish a new routine using techniques you’ve already learned, to help anchor all this great work you are doing.
Use the Healing Tree Illustration
You now have the knowledge and understanding to do great healing. By using the Healing Tree illustration, along with muscle testing and three simple questions, you’ll have a new guide map.
If you are not yet confident in your muscle testing, simply look at the Healing Tree illustration (instead of using the muscle testing laid out in the following section) and use your gut to guide you. Trust what is calling to you and you can’t go wrong.
Question 1
Ask via muscle testing: “Would it be most beneficial for me to work on _______?”
Fill in the blank with something from either the top section or the soil section of the Healing Tree illustration. Either one is totally fine, but you need to start with one or the other. You’ll see why in a minute.
Here are some examples of ways you could start (choose only one):
“Would it be most beneficial for me to work on an organ?” (Top section of the tree.)
If you get a “yes,” start asking about organs. Example: “Would it be most beneficial for me to work on my liver?”
“Would it be most beneficial for me to work on my bladder?” (Top section of the tree.)
Did you get a “no?” Okay, then try again.
“Would it be most beneficial for me to work on my liver?” (Top section of the tree.)
OR
“Would it be most beneficial for me to work on a belief ?” (Soil section.)
OR
“Would it be most beneficial for me to work on a past experience?” (Soil section.)
OR
“Would it be most beneficial for me to work on a gland?” (Top section of the tree.)
Get the idea here? There isn’t any specific order to go in. If you have recurring bladder infections, you might want to just start with your bladder. If you are working on reversing an autoimmune process, you might choose to ask about your immune system first. Thyroid troubles? Try that first. Panic attacks? Look for fears, harmful beliefs, and unprocessed experiences first. You can refer to Chapter Six for some ideas, too.
Do remember, though, that with any condition or challenge, there are various contributing components of that larger issue. For example, if you want to work on something like low-functioning adrenals, it is likely that there are other imbalances in your body linked to that, perhaps nervous-system stress and low thyroid function, among other things. You’ll be most successful if, in addition to working on the larger challenge, you also “think small” and work on a more detailed scale as well. Again, just follow your body’s lead. Do you remember the story of my client with digestive issues who lost her fear of speaking on the phone without us ever addressing that fear directly? Let it serve as a reminder that seemingly unrelated-to-your-biggest-challenge things are beneficial to work on, too. Clearing energy linked to anything you see on the Healing Tree illustration will help you move in the right direction. And remember, you won’t need to clear it all in order to heal.
Once you have determined where you’ll start, you’re ready for your next step. You need to get more clues so you can find something specific to work on. Just knowing you want to start with a belief or your bladder isn’t quite enough yet. You need more details.
If you started with the top section of the tree, you’re basically now going to find out what from the soil section of the illustration is causing an imbalance in that area of your body.
If you started with the soil section of the illustration, just hang tight. You’re set for now.
Question 2
If you started with the top section of the tree illustration, muscle-test this question: “Is there a _______ (insert something from the soil section) causing stress on my bladder?”
When you find out what it is—a belief, an unprocessed experience, fear, or an unhealthy emotional pattern—you just need to ask one more question before you start.
Question 3
We always have to give the body a chance to let us know why something is an issue. You will remember doing this in previous chapters. Ask and muscle-test this question: “Do I need to know more about this before I clear it?”
If you get a “no,” your body is saying it’s ready to clear this, pronto. If you get a “yes,” just know that this is part of the acknowledgment process your body requires in order to let it go. This will require a bit of detective work. You can basically just ask questions of yourself, like you would to a friend if they had this issue. Just guess what could be connected to the issue.
To get to that information, you can ask questions like this: “Is it linked to _______?” (You can also use the words “connected to,” “triggered by,” or anything else fitting for you.) Here are some possibilities for how to fill in the blank:
• a person (family member, friend, teacher, colleague, neighbor)
• career
• school
• a place (a certain house, a city, etc.)
• a thing (a food, a car, etc.)
For each clue you come up with, you should repeat that question, if you are using muscle testing: “Do I need to know more about this before I clear it?”
When your body says “no,” or you can’t come up with any more clues by using your conscious thinking, you’re going to head off armed with that information. You can now flip to the appropriate chapter and do the clearing. You may be able to clear all of it at once, or you may have to come back at different times, working slowly as your body is able.
Remember, when you are done, double-check that the issue is clear from your system. Ask something like, “Is _______ still causing stress in my body?”
When you’re done, come back to the Healing Tree illustration.
Breathe.
Repeat.
Tip: I’ve mentioned briefly before that if you are comfortable with muscle testing, I recommend asking your body which of the five main techniques would be most beneficial to clear with. As a reminder, the five techniques are: Thymus Test and Tap, Emotional Freedom Technique, The Sweep, Chakra Tapping, and the 3 Hearts Method.
To figure out which technique will work best, you can ask, “Would it be most beneficial to clear this _______ (insert issue) with _______ (insert technique)?” Keep guessing until you get a “yes.”
You may need to layer techniques to gently clear the energy, so be open to coming back and asking that question again if necessary. You can tweak the technique to fit your specific situation and explore what works for you, and when. That’s exactly how I developed my own effective protocols. I just kept trying new things and revising.
A Healing Tree Example
Here’s how using the concept of the Healing Tree illustration supported me in helping a client with severe and persistent migraines.
When Janet first came to me, she had no idea what was triggering recent headaches. Janet was a high-powered executive, and while the headaches were a new symptom, her stress levels were long-standing. I thought of some clues her body could be offering (from Chapter Six ). We identified that she was constantly “doing her head in” wondering what other people thought of her. Even though she ran this huge company, she still worried incessantly about judgment from clients and even her own employees.
Working with that plausible idea, I intuitively chose an element of the Healing Tree illustration to start with. I often use muscle testing, but my intuition sometimes takes over and I just go in that direction first. Never be afraid to use your intuition, as it will become more accurate as you become better attuned to your body. I thought it was probably an unprocessed experience (from the soil section of the illustration) and then muscle-tested it for confirmation: “Are the headaches linked to an unprocessed experience?” (If you don’t have any idea of which one to choose first, just guess one by one). Her body responded with a “yes.” So we set off to find the experience. We asked if the experience was linked to a specific age. We got a “no.” Then we asked if the experience was linked to a specific person. We got a “yes.” After more guessing and muscle testing, we traced the experience back to a teacher she’d had in both first and second grade. The teacher had made her go in front of the class to read a story she wrote and then asked the other kids to give the story a grade. Janet still cringed when she thought about this. We now had an unprocessed experience to work with. We cleared that using Thymus Test and Tap and Emotional Freedom Technique, and then just kept going—asking and clearing.
Additional Questions to Unlock Your Healing
As you practice the concepts and techniques you’ve learned in this book, you will become more relaxed and
less methodical. You will see there is a very organic unfolding to all of this, and it needs no organization or order. All roads lead you to healing. Your intuition will kick in more often, and you may not need to use the Healing Tree illustration every time. Things will pop into your head (this is often your subconscious pushing forward ideas for you), and you’ll have more of your own leads to follow. You might use some of the following questions to ignite your intuition. In time, you will find you have your own set of questions that help you get just the answers you need for your healing.
• “Do I have a belief causing stress on my immune system?” You can substitute “immune system” with “adrenal glands,” “nervous system,” etc.
• “Do I have a belief causing dysfunction in my _______ (name an organ, muscle, or gland of your choice)?”
• “Is there an experience from my past that is making it difficult for me to heal?”
• “Is there an unhealthy relationship in my life causing stress on my body?” Note: It’s important to know that while a person in your life may seem like the problem, it’s most likely your reaction to that person that is causing the problem for you. For example, the fact that your brother refuses to listen to you about how to raise his kids does not mean your brother is a problem. The real issue causing distress is your reaction to your brother. You can clear beliefs, unprocessed experiences, and fear patterns triggered by certain people with the various techniques you already know.
• “Do I have a belief that makes me feel I need this _______ (state the illness, problem, or challenge)?”
• “Is my difficulty healing linked to a specific negative emotional pattern?” Ask about each pattern we covered, individually.