EXERCISE 15 : The Walking Breath

Of course, breathing accompanies our every action and is not something confined to our being still. Walking is a great way to relieve stress. But very often, in the stressed state, we take little notice of our breathing. Here is a fun way of taking notice of our breath and then introducing a rhythm to the simple but beneficial activity of walking.

EXERCISE 15

The Walking Breath

The exercise 15 is best practised outdoors, preferably away from traffic, but you could run through it indoors first.

• Get used to walking at a relaxed pace and notice the way you are breathing. Next try walking at different speeds and in different ways. What happens to your breathing?

• Now introduce a breathing rhythm to your favourite way of relaxed walking. Inhale to a count of four. 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold for a count of two, 1, 2. Exhale for a count of six. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Hold for a count of two, 1, 2.  Inhale again for a count of four. 1, 2, 3, 4. And so on. ( Inhale 4- Hold 2- Exhale 6- Hold 2)

• When you feel used to this simple rhythm, inhale to a count of four, hold for a count of two, and exhale to a count of eight. Check that your breathing rhythm and your walking rhythm are in harmony with each other.


The Walking Breath reminds you how you can enjoy the simple pleasure of walking. Once your breathing rhythm and walking rhythm are in harmony you can forget them and become aware of your surroundings, the way the commonplace may now reveal fascinating details that you never really noticed before. Establishing your link with the Breath of Unity in this way opens your awareness to the energies of your surroundings. You are open to feel your surroundings and feel how your body is positively adjusting to the absence of stress. 

The next EXERCISE 16 helps counter the effects of negative news and attitudes on your subtle energy system. Click Here to continue. 

Your Body’s Many Cries for Water

RARE indeed are those books destined to become all-time classics. Even rarer are books destined to accomplish a Paradigm shift in any major area of modern knowledge. Of still greater rarity are books destined to benefit the health of countless millions of human beings, at no cost to them. Such a landmark book is “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water” by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj. He is a London-educated Iranian medical doctor who has made revolutionary discoveries about the water metabolism of the human body. His astounding basic breakthrough was made while he was confined to a Teheran prison, this being a unique circumstance in itself.

ARISTOCRATIC LINEAGE
Dr. Batmanghelidj is of aristocratic lineage in his native Iran, and when the Shah was overthrown, the doctor was arrested and jailed with more than 3,000 other well-born victims of the Khomeini revolution. While these unfortunates wore awaiting execution, Dr. Batmanghelidj was assigned as their medical officer pending his own appearance before a firing squad. He had no medical resources other than water, in an environment pervaded by stress and terror. Indeed, the doctor found himself incarcerated in a gigantic stress laboratory.

This became the milieu in which fundamental discoveries were made regarding the medicinal and functional value of water. These are discoveries that have eluded giant medical trusts, vast hospital complexes, and battalions of medical Professors, universities that boast about their sophisticated research facilities, and all the vaunted resources of the pharmaceutical industry. None of them, or indeed, all of them combined, were capable: of penetrating to the bedrock of human health: adequate daily water intake.

Without realizing it initially, Dr. Batmanghelidj was working with clinical controls in place. Prison discipline enabled him to follow up his patients, who had no possibility of evasion. Forced to use water medicinally, and water alone, Dr. Batmanghelidj was astonished in following up his patients, to find that water was effecting full cures of diverse, normally ineradicable diseases. These cures occurred in a complete fashion not seen in response to medication, which “treats” or “controls” such recalcitrant and diverse diseases as asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure and ulcers. Official medicine has only palliatives for these conditions, not cures.

Dr. Batmanghelidj was blessed by a first class medical training at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School of London University, one of the most respected medical schools in the western world. He was one of the last students of the eminent discoverer of penicillin, Sir Alexander Fleming. Thus steeped in classical orthodoxy, Dr. Batmanghelidj was totally embarrassed to find that water was doing in a dependable way, what medication had never been able to do. In his classical medical training, like orthodox doctors world-wide, Dr. Batmanghelidj was taught that it was the solid material in the body (the solute) that was important. Only an incidental status was assigned to the solvent aspects of the human body to water.

WATER HAS OTHER IMPORTANT PROPERTIES
Scientific research shows that water has many other properties beside being a solvent and a means of transport. These properties include:
1. A hydrolytic role in all aspects of body metabolism – water-dependent chemical reactions (hydrolysis).
2. At the cell membrane, the osmotic flow of water through the membrane can generate “hydroelectric energy” (voltage) that is converted and stored in the energy pools in form of ATP and GTP – two vital energy systems.
3. Water also forms a particular structure, pattern and shape that seems to be employed as the “adhesive material” in the bondage of the cell architecture. Like glue, it sticks the solid structure in the cell membrane together. It develops the stickiness of “ice” at higher body temperature.
4. Products manufactured in the brain cells are transported on “waterways” to their destination in the nerve endings for use in the transmission of messages. There seems to exist small waterways or microstreams along the length of nerves that “float” the packaged materials along “guidelines” called microtubules.
5. Proteins and the enzymes of the body function more efficiently in solutions of lower viscosity – this is true of all the receptors in the cell membranes.

The new paradigm shift for future research should be “Water, the solvent of the body, regulates all functions, including the activity of the solutes it dissolves and circulates”.

WATER CAN ACTUALLY TREAT CHRONIC DISEASES!
Elusive and seemingly unrelated conditions like dyspeptic pain, stress and depression, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, excess body weight, chronic fatigue, arthritis, asthma and allergies, insulin-independent diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, back problems and a host of lesser complaints that bedevil human beings, have all yielded to the ingestion of adequate daily water. Dr. Batmanghelidj identifies Alzheimer’s as due to dehydration of the brain.

Dr. Batmanghelidj has personally treated with only water well over 3,000 persons with dyspeptic pain, with the result that the clinical symptoms related to pain all disappeared. Eight 8-ounce glasses daily is the recommended regimen advocated by Dr. Batmanghelidj, to keep the human body fully hydrated. For each cup of coffee or other caffeinated drink, an additional, compensating eight-ounce glass of water is required.

WATER CAN TREAT BACK AILMENTS!
Perhaps the most welcome and convincing finding of Dr. Batmanghelidj is the key role played by dehydration in creating back ailments in human beings. The spinal discs consist of about eighty percent water. When these discs atrophy through varying degrees of dehydration, an afflicted human is off on one of the most miserable medical merry-go-rounds known to man. The human spine has to support about 75 percent of body weight. Without fully-hydrated and resilient spinal discs, the spine cannot perform its function properly. “Back problems” ensue.

Abnormal physical and nervous pressures develop and vertebrae become misplaced as the spinal discs collapse. In the USA, such back problems are now on an epidemic scale, largely defy physicians and surgeons, and endlessly persecute the afflicted.

Dr. Batmanghelidj has found that rehydration restores the integrity and resilience of the spinal discs. Simple exercises he has devised, create a natural vacuum effect: that draws the needed water back into the discs, whose proper bearing function is thereby eventually normalized. Contrast this with the dead-end, mechanistic “back surgery” that now consumes hundreds of millions of dollars in surgeons’ fees and hospital costs every year.

Back pains are among the body’s many cries for water, from which Dr. Batmanghelidj’s book has appropriately taken its title. The horrific wheezing of an asthmatic, which is one of the most embarrassing and distressing things anyone can witness, is similarly the body crying for water. Dr. Batmanghelidj has demonstrated that asthma is due to the body’s natural histamines constricting the lungs to limit any further loss of water via the breath. The person so afflicted is desperately dehydrated. In the prison environment in Iran, adequate water provided a cure for asthma one of the astonishing clinical results that first started Dr. Batmanghelidj thinking about the medicinal power of water.

WATER CAN TREAT HYPERTENSION
Dr. Batmanghelidj views the way hypertension is classically treated as “scientific absurdity”. The dehydrated body is desperately trying to hang on to its water volume. Uncomprehending physicians intervene with diuretics and literally force more water out of an already dehydrated body. The author gives lucid, comprehensible descriptions of the exquisite hydraulic design and engineering of the human body, and the diverse functions of the cells, capillaries and membranes as they operate to compensate for dehydration. If the body’s many cries for water are ignored, as they are in contemporary America, degenerative diseases are the inevitable consequence. A congress scrabbling to deal financially with an avalanche of degenerative disease, is verification enough that the time has come for a new medical paradigm.

If you wish to read further details, you can purchase Dr. Batmanghelidj’s book entitled “Your Body’s Many Cries For Water”, published by Global Health Solutions, Inc., USA. You can order it directly from Amazon.

I wish you all the best of health,

God bless,

Dr. George J. Georgiou, Ph.D.
Clinical Nutritionist – Master Herbalist – Naturopath – Homeopath – Iridologist – Clinical Sexologist – Clinical Psychologist.

GOOD HYDRATION HAS AN INFLUENCE ON STRESS

GOOD HYDRATION HAS AN INFLUENCE ON STRESS?

Professor Pross talks about the relation between good hydration and stress.


"Well...stress is generally related to negative feelings, but from a psychological point of view we know that there is good stress, or well-being, and bad stress. And we recently demonstrated in our studies that good hydration has a positive influence on stress. Well hydrated people generally report to be more happy, less focused and more alert.  On the other hand, dehydrated people generally report to be less content, less calm, more confused and less happy. 


Consequently, we can say that good hydration has a positive influence on stress, and well-being. On the other side, dehydration has a negative influence on stress and induces bad stress. So, good hydration has an influence on stress. This is a fact."

Geopathic Stress & Health

Geopathic stress (GS) is a theory that the Earth resonates with energy – namely, energy from its electromagnetic field with a frequency of about 7.83 Hz (Schumann resonance). The basic idea is that this resonant energy affects human health. Problems emerge when disruptions like underground streams, sewers, water and electric lines, tunnels, minerals, and tectonic faults distort the Earth’s natural energy. Adherents of the theory claim that this “geopathic stress” and other kinds of electromagnetic pollution cause illnesses ranging from fatigue, depression, and sleep problems to diabetes and cancer. Should you be worried about geopathic stress? Probably not.

 However, some people think it is possible to locate and resolve sources of geopathic distortion.

Method 1: Identifying Disturbance Points

1. Think about what kind of geopathic stress is affecting you. Start with specific questions about the type of stress you are under. Is there a stream flowing under your home? Or are there earth lines crossing to create an overpowering disturbance in your dining room? Try to be specific, as it may affect what solution you take.

~You may be dealing with not one but several sources of energy at once. The distortion caused by an underground stream, for example, might well cross and amplify the force of a geological fault or vortex.


~Keep in mind, too, that energy patterns can be cyclical rather than constant. If your own energy and health fluctuate during the year, it may point to the disturbance – for example, a seasonal underground stream under your home.

2. Use a dowsing wand. Dowsing is thought to be a way to discover subterranean water, minerals, or other objects. The idea is to take a device like a wand, pendulum, or V-shaped rod and hold it in front of you. The wand points to the ground when you are standing over water or your desired object. While dowsing has no scientific basis, some people feel strongly that the attraction of the wand to the ground is a result of electromagnetic energy. Try dowsing yourself or bringing in a practitioner to help you discover the sources of your energy disturbance.

~In order to dowse, you’ll need a wand or V-shaped rod. Even a simple stick works. Start by holding the wand level in front of you. Then, begin to slowly walk around the area in which you suspect there is a disturbance. The wand will be attracted to the ground when you pass over such an area.


~You can also use a pendulum to dowse, or two separate wands that cross when you have located water or an object.

3. Use a compass. Some people feel that compasses are also effective at locating electromagnetic disturbances. To use one, hold it in your hand and turn until the needle is pointing due north. Then, move the compass over the suspected disturbance point. The needle will alert you of any energy distortions by wavering back and forth.


~ Since it is hard to hold a compass steady, this method is best for small areas like a bed, chair, or sofa.

4. Watch the behavior of pets or other animals. The nineteenth century German geomancer Baron Gustav von Pohl made a startling discovery: cats, dogs, insects, and other animals are naturally attracted to areas of earth resonance. One of the simplest indicators of a geopathic stress zone is to be found in the behavior of animals. Look for signs around you.

~Cats, for example, will sleep over such spots. If outdoors, look for bee, wasp, or ant nests over the spot.


~Excessive amounts of slugs, snails, other insects, or parasites is also a good sign of disturbance. Moles, too, burrow along geopathic stress lines.

Method 2: Protecting yourself from Disturbances

1. Rearrange your living space. You may be unknowingly exposing yourself to geopathic stress. There may be a disturbance underneath your bed, your dining room table, your bathtub, or your your favorite chair. If you have identified a potential trouble spot, rearrange your furniture to avoid spending too much time over or near the point.


~It may be that the disturbance covers a large area. If you can’t re-position your bed or other furniture away from the stress lines, you will have to consider other options, like tools to neutralize the disturbance or to enhance your own energy field.

2. Use Feng Shui to enhance your rearranging. The traditional Chinese art of Feng Shui studies the interaction of humans with their environment. Taken further, Feng Shui can allow you to influence these interacting energies to improve your life. Find out more about its principles and apply them to your living space.


~While the idea lacks a basis in science,[9] some people think that Feng Shui can specifically address geopathic stress. This is because they see the Earth’s resonance as the unifying force between Heaven’s chi (virtual) and Earth’s chi (actual). The Schumann Resonance, they think, allows feng shui remedies to work better.

3. Set up metal rods. A popular and simple method is to place metal rods at strategic points in your home or anywhere you suspect a geopathic disturbance in order to block or neutralize the distorted flow of energy. These points should be verified by dowsing. To make the method work, you’ll also have to know the flow of the earth lines.


~The rods can be copper, brass, or steel. Some people also feel that they can use other objects to redirect the flow of the Earth’s energy, and resolve disturbances. Called “earth acupuncture,” this method involves placing things like leaves, crystals, flowers, or shells at strategic points.

4. Create a cork barrier. Some people think that oak trees mysteriously developed a natural resistance to geopathic stress. In particular, the bark of the cork oak is believed to be effective as a barrier. Try placing cork tiles under your affected bed, for example, to absorb the geopathic chaos. You should be able to do this on your own.

~Be aware that a cork barrier is not a permanent solution. You have only made a barrier. The basic energy disturbance is still there and will have to be resolved.

5. Invest in a new-age crystal. Buy a new crystal to shield yourself. Some people feel strongly about the healing and protective qualities of crystals, which they say protect you from geopathic stresses but also, through energy resonances in your own body and negative ions, can stimulate your immune system and change toxic energies into beneficial ones.

~Quartz or shungite crystals work great. Amethyst, zeolite, and tourmaline are great at generating negative ions from moisture in the air. Make sure to wear your crystal at all times.

6. Get rid of other sources of electromagnetic pollution. The world is filled with sources of electromagnetic pollution that can magnify geopathic stress. High tension power lines, satellite towers, electric poles, or circuit breakers all send out high and low frequency energy that may increase geopathic stress, as can everyday items like microwaves, cell phones, and wireless routers. Minimize your exposure to such devices.


~For instance, get rid of unneeded appliances. If you can’t, keep them unplugged when not in use.

 At the request of a friend, I’ve been looking into a particular kind of quackery known as ‘geopathic stress’. Geopathic stress is a kind of mash-up between electrosmog, feng shui and dowsing (another phenomenon simply explained via the ideomotor effect). The basic idea is this: the Earth has a natural vibration, but things like underground watercourses, drainage pipes, underground tunnels and even simple geological faults distort this vibration. If the vibration is disturbed, and you’re standing (or sitting, or sleeping, or doing anything) above this distortion point, then your health and behaviour will be affected. Websites explaining geopathic stress have linked it to everything from road rage and child abuse to miscarriage, cot death, suicide and cancer. Others claim that you can find sources of stress in or around your house via dowsing, and fix it by moving your bed out of the way of the distortion field.


As a general rule of thumb, if someone tells you that a single factor or phenomenon can cause such a huge range of ailments, then it should ring an alarm bell in your mind. Claims about geopathic stress are no exception. Ask for evidence, and see whether there are any convincing research to back up the claim. “If you don’t believe that an advertiser can back up their claims, you can report them to the Advertising Standards Authority.” explains Laura Thomason, Project Leader for the Good Thinking Society. She adds, “Claims to treat cancer could be in breach of the Cancer Act (1939) and should be reported to Trading Standards.” There is some published data on the alleged phenomenon in the research literature, but it crops up in journals like “Renewable Energy” or “Research in Complementary Medicine”. If this was a well-researched phenomenon, you would expect to see a decent amount of data in a mainstream journal that focuses on medicine or biology - not squirrelled away in the engineering literature, or in an obscure alternative medicine journal.

Similarly, there doesn’t appear to be any robust research into what sort of biological mechanism might explain how a single phenomenon could account for such a wide range of medical and non-medical issues, and again nothing published in the medical literature. Some explanations appeal to the suggestion that because the vibrations occur at specific frequencies (around 7 Hz), then they may interfere with patterns of brain activity called alpha waves, which occur at about the same frequency. Alpha waves are associated with relaxed wakefulness, so you can imagine a scenario in which, due to constant disruption of these waves, a person may be unable to relax or sleep appropriately, which might in turn lead to a range of health problems.


However, that assumes that (a) geopathic stress exists, (b) it affects the brain, and in turn (c) can cause anything from road rage to cancer. Is there any evidence to back that up though? In short, no: there doesn’t appear to be any credible, peer-reviewed evidence. While I could find no randomised controlled trials on geopathic stress specifically, but there’s a useful comparison to be made to research into the effects of extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields. If vibrations from the Earth in the 7 Hz range are causing health problems, then it would make sense that other things that emit electromagnetic fields in a similar sort of frequency range might be trouble too. Thankfully, we do have some data in this area that might be helpful.

In 2005, the World Health Organisation assembled a task group to look at the effects (if any) of exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields on the development and incidence rates of a number of different diseases, most notably cancer. There are a number of take-home messages from the data. The first is, as I’ve already alluded to, that there are no known biological mechanisms through which low-level exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields could cause cancer. Reinforcing this idea, the evidence they review from epidemiological, animal and in vitro studies is similarly inconsistent and inconclusive. In other words, there’s no evidence to suggest that exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields has any impact on the development of cancer tumours, or incidence rates of things like childhood leukaemia. Similar negative findings were found for associations with depression and suicide, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease.

All in all, it seems unlikely that exposure to these sorts of low-frequency fields has any sort of notable effect on our health, and while the WHO data doesn’t directly refer to geopathic stress, the results seem similarly applicable. We’re surrounded by technology that emits these sorts of fields. If they’re not affecting us, then it doesn’t make sense to claim that similar sorts of frequencies emanating from the ground will have any sort of effect.

Unfortunately, despite the lack of evidence showing any sort of link between geopathic stress and cancer, there are a few people out there happy to assert that there is a connection. And as with any sort of evidence-free claims about esoteric factors that affect our health (I’m looking at you, astrology), the bogus information also comes along with the promise of devices that can help fix the issue. A number of websites sell devices that claim to neutralise geopathic stress and ‘electrosmog’, without any convincing explanation of what the mechanism of action is, nor any scientific evidence or medical trial data to show their efficacy. While they don’t specifically claim that these devices can cure cancer, the implication seems like an easy one to make, especially if you’re having concerns about your own health. Geopathic stress is linked to cancer; these devices can neutralise geopathic stress; you can make the final logical jump for yourself. “Misleading health claims can cause serious harm to vulnerable members of the public.” says Laura. “It is deeply worrying that people could be led to believe that such devices could treat or prevent life threatening medical conditions.”

So should we be worried about geopathic stress? No, and it’s irresponsible of people to claim a link between an unconfirmed phenomenon, and any sort of health issue. And a link with road rage? Especially ludicrous. I don’t know how people manage to convince themselves that these sorts of phenomena exist. I know it probably starts with a little bit of ignorant curiosity about the world; something happens, you don’t know why, and you need to find an answer. Sometimes it’s a really bad thing that happens – at least one website explained how the owner had lost a family member to cancer, and was investigating what the cause might have been. My heart goes out to people in that situation, but it also makes it all the more important not to resort to extraordinary explanations that are devoid of any scientific or medical evidence. If we do, not only do we end up deluding ourselves, but we risk irrevocably hurting others along the way. -- The Guardian.

TFT ALGORITHM FOR SIMPLE ANXIETY / STRESS

SIMPLE ANXIETY / STRESS ALGORITHM

1. Tune the Thought Field -- that is, intentionally think about the traumatic event that produces such emotional distress in your life. 

2. Rate you distress level at this moment, using the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale. On this scale, 10 is the worst you could possibly feel, and 1 indicates absolutely no trace of upset. Write down the SUD rating before you continue to the next step.

3. Using two fingers of one hand, tap a spot at the beginning of the eyebrow, just above the bridge of the nose. tap five times, firmly and gently, not nearly hard enough to bruise or hurt, but solidly enough to stimulate the energy flow in the system. 

4. Tap solidly five times under the arm, about four inches directly below the armpit, using rigid fingers. In men, this spot is under the arm about even with the nipple. Women can locate this spot by tapping at about the center of the bra under the arm.

5. Tap the "collarbone point." To locate it, take two fingers of either hand and run them down the center of the throat to the top of the center collarbone notch. This is approximately even with the spot where a man would knot his tie. From there, move straight down an additional inch. Then move to the right one inch. Tap this point five times. 

6. Take a second SUD rating and write it down. If the SUD has decreased 2 or more points (which will be the case for most people), then continue with step 7 below. If there was no change, however, or if the change in the SUD was only 1 point, perform the correction for a psychological reversal, using the technique described in this post (CLICK HERE). Then repeat steps 1 through 6.

7. Perform the nine-gamut treatments. Locate the gamut spot on the back of the hand, about an inch below the raised knuckles of the ring finger and little finger when making a fist. Begin tapping the gamut spot with two fingers of the opposite hand, about three to five times per second, and continue tapping while performing all nine steps below ( tap five or six times for each of the nine-gamut positions). It is very important to tap the gamut spot throughout all nine of these gamut treatments:

G1~ Open the eyes.

G2~ Close the eyes.

G3~ Open the eyes and point eyeball down and to the left.

G4~ Point the eyeballs down and to the right.

G5~ Whirl the eyeballs around in a circle in one direction
(clockwise).

G6~ Whirl the eyeballs around in the opposite direction (counter clockwise).

G7~ Hum a few bars of any tune aloud (more than a single note; rest the eyes).

G8~ Count aloud from one to five.

G9~ Hum the tune again.

8. Tap under the eye five times again.

9. Tap solidly five times under the arm again.

10. Tap the collarbone point five times again.

11. Take still another SUD rating and write it down. If it has declined to 1 (which will happen with most people), move to step 12 below. But if it has decreased significantly yet is still not a 1, perform the MINI PR correction as described below, and then repeat the treatment steps above.

12. To ensure that the improvements you've made are complete, perform the floor-to-ceiling eye roll (when the SUD is 2 or lower): Hold the head level and move your eyes down. Then begin tapping the gamut point as you move your eyes upward.

MINI PR

 A related procedure, called a mini psychological reversal correction, can be used when you decrease your SUD to a 3 or 4 but can't seem to get it any lower.  In other words, you've achieved substantial improvement, but you can't get to the finish line.  A block exists that is keeping you from reducing the SUD any further.

  In the algorithm for your particular emotional problem, you'll be instructed on whether and when to use this technique. here is the  procedure to follow:

~ Find the PR spot mentioned above,  located on the outside edge of the  hand, between the wrist and the  base of the little finger.

~ Tap about fifteen (15) times with two fingers of the opposite hand. 

 [Image result for tapping PR spot]

  As long as a psychological reversal persists, TFT ( or any other treatment) won't be able to get the SUD to a 1.  The PR or mini PR correction will open the door that allows TFT to eradicate your problem.

WHY TAPPING WORKS

WHY TAPPING WORKS

Speculations from the Observable Brain
By Ronald A. Ruden, M.D., Ph.D.

ABSTRACT
A new therapy for phobias, PTSD, addictive 
behaviors and other psychological issues was first 
described by Dr. Roger Callahan and involves 
thought activation of the problem followed by 
tapping on certain acupoints in a specific 
sequence. In addition, a gamut procedure  
involving further tapping, eye movements and
following simple commands is used. For most 
cases, the problems were reportedly cured in a 
matter of minutes. We speculate on a neuro-
anatomical and neurophysiological mechanism 
for this technique.

We propose that tapping and other sensory stimulation increase serotonin in both the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The success of this technique requires that glutamate be first increased in the circuit that involves the conditioning stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus. This analysis does not specify sequences for tapping and allows for other sensory stimulation to be used. We suggest the name ‘Affect Activation/Sensory Stimulation’ to encompass this general approach. AA/SS
represents a paradigm shift for the treatment of these problems.

Key Words: Thought Field Therapy, Serotonin, 
Glutamate, Tapping, Amygdala, 
Prefrontal Cortex, Phobia, Post Traumatic 
Stress Disorder (PTSD),Craving, Addictive Behavior
--------------------------------------------------------------
INTRODUCTION
In 1986 Dr. Roger Callahan discovered that tapping under the eye of an individual with a water phobia immediately and permanently cured this problem (Callahan 2001). Dr. Callahan 
believes that activating a distressful thought produces a perturbation in the energy field that surrounds the body. His model is based on traditional Chinese medicine, that is, when energy flow is disturbed a person becomes ill. By tapping on specific traditional Chinese medicine acupoints in a specific sequence these ‘Thought Fields’ resume normal function and healing occurs. He calls his method Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Variations on this therapy have been developed and are available as web based documents. These therapies constitute a field called Energy Psychology (www.energypysch.org).

From an observational point of view, when TFT is applied, it literally appears that a switch has been thrown. After a successful treatment thoughts that had been clear were less so. Not only was the ability to generate a clear image diminished, the response to that thought was gone, and for good! Sometimes the individual felt euphoric, sometimes confused as to what happened, but always calmer.

A large study that involved over 29,000 patients was conducted using these procedures. The results (Andrade & Feinstein 2003) are remarkable. For a wide range of problems, such as specific phobias, panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, acute stress disorders, and anxiety-depressive disorders this method was successful in 76% of the subjects. Also, in this category were a variety of painful emotional states including grief, guilt, anger shame, jealousy, rejection, painful memories and others. These techniques also seemed to help impulse control disorders and cravings. These researchers noted that most of the treatments did not require the special protocols developed by Dr. Callahan, rather they found that for most disorders one sequence sufficed.

Fear, anger, grief, depression, anxiety, aggression, cravings and other emotions represent a complex neurophysiological response that involves both cortical and subcortical systems. There are many ways to alter these systems. These methods include the psychotherapies, phamacotherapies, yoga, meditation, Electroconvulsive shock, acupuncture, hypnosis, psychosurgery, EMDR, stem cell implantation, biofeedback, systematic desensitization, neuroloinguistic programming and others. These methods variously affect the brain’s electrical activity, the concentration of neurochemicals, the threshold to neuronal activation and the neural connections that are available. By its effects we judge that TFT must call forth similar responses.

A neurobiological model must explain several characteristics of this therapy. Firstly, why is it necessary to activate the distress before it can be treated? Secondly, why is the treatment specific, that is, if an individual has a snake phobia and an elevator phobia these problems need to treated separately? Thirdly, why does the same protocol work for many different problems? Fourthly, why does the distress appear to diminish during tapping (As measured by a decreasing SUD, Subjective Unit of Distress, a 0 to 10 scale where 0 is none and 10 extreme distress, as reported by patient) (Wolpe 1958)? Fifthly, what is the transduction event that converts tapping into a biological event in the brain? Lastly, how and why does this treatment produce a rapid and permanent change in an individual’s response to the distressful
thought? 

THE AMYGDALA AND EMOTION
Neuroimaging (Phan&Wager&Taylor&Liberzon, 2004), lesional ( Cousens&Otto, 1998, LeDoux& Ciccheti&Xagoraris&Romanski ,1990 Blanchard&Blanchard, 1972) and neuroanatomic (Sah&Farber&Lopez De Armatntia &Powers ,2003) studies point to the amygdala as the final common pathway for expression of emotions. The amygdala is well suited for this job. It receives input from the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, the thalamus, midbrain nuclei, and other cortical and subcortical areas
(Maren 2001). The amygdala is made of several nuclei; the basolateral (BL), the lateral (LA) and the basomedial (BM) make up the basolateral complex, the BLA (Maren, 2001). It is the lateral nucleus where the information from other areas are received. The associations between a conditioned stimulus and response are believed to be stored in the BLA and when appropriate a signal is sent to the Central (Ce) nucleus of the amygdala. Activation of the Ce is necessary to produce the behavioral, autonomic and endocrine components of an emotional response by activating other areas of the brain. (Fig. 1)



Emotional Stimulus → Prefrontal Cortex, Thalamus, Sensory Cortex, Hippocampus, Midbrain Nuclei → AMYGDALA ( made of  the lateral (LA) → the basolateral (BL), and the basomedial (BM), make up the basolateral complex, the BLA ,→ Ce → Emotional Response.

Fig.1

The Ce projects neurons to the nucleus accumbens, locus coeruleus,
paraventricular nucleus, the hypothalamus, the prefrontal cortex and other structures. (Fig 2)

Ce → (projects):
1. Lateral Hypothalamus → Sympathetic activation → Tachycardia, increased blood pressure.
2. Vagus nerve , Nucleus Ambiguus → Parasympathtic activation → Bradycardi, decrease blood pressure.
3. Parabranchial neurons → Increased respiration → Respiratory distress.
4. Ventra tegmental, Locus coeruleus → Increased dopamine, noradrenaline, acetyl choline → aroussal, increased vigilance.
5. Central grey → Cessation of behaviour → freezing.
6. Trigeminal facial motor nerve → mouth open, jaw movements → Expression of emotion.
7. Paraventicular nerve → ACTH release → Corticosteroid release. [Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), also known as corticotropin is a polypeptide tropic hormone produced and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. Adrenocorticotropic hormone, as its name implies, stimulates the adrenal cortex. More specifically, it stimulates secretion of glucocorticoids such as cortisol, and has little control over secretion of aldosterone, the other major steroid hormone from the adrenal cortex.

ACTH is secreted from the anterior pituitary in response to corticotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus. corticotropin-releasing hormone is secreted in response to many types of stress, which makes sense in view of the "stress management" functions of glucocorticoids. Corticotropin-releasing hormone itself is inhibited by glucocorticoids, making it part of a classical negative feedback loop.

Fig. 2

Of all the emotional states we experience, none is more primitive or powerful than fear. If we understand how a fear response is disrupted, we may be able to understand how tapping works. For a model of fear we chose phobias. 

ENCODING FEAR
In humans, facial expressions of fear are characteristic, easily recognized and involuntary. Evolution has crafted this form of communication to promote survival in the face of present and future threats. While fear has obviously been useful for survival, an inappropriate fear response can cause physiological changes that produce distress. Phobias are such fear responses and as such they provide no evolutionary advantage. Phobias are characterized by a persistent, irrational and excessive fear of objects or situations. Since there is no imminent danger associated with these objects or situations, they can be considered conditioning stimuli (CS).
Phobias can be directed to anything: bugs, colors, numbers, light, dark, bridges, tunnels, elevators and planes. Not everyone develops a phobia. It has been suggested that a special genetic and environmentally modulated neurobiological landscape is necessary to encode a phobia. 
(Gapenstand&Annas&Ekbolm&Oreland&Fredrikson. 2001). This unique moment would be almost impossible to reproduce. Treatment that disrupts the encoded phobic response may therefore extinguish it forever.

Phobias are learned and as such are fundamentally different than responses to innate fears. A fear response, (FR) is generated by sensing an innate fear, which are also called Unconditioned Fear Stimuli (UFS). Such stimuli, which are reflective of the fear of being killed, are hard wired in the brain and include: fear of the unknown (novel situations), heights (falling), closed spaces (being trapped), open spaces (no place to hide), creepy crawly things (land based predators) and something coming out of our visual fields (air based predators).

These survival stimuli do not reach conscious because details are unimportant, only the emotion of fear is experienced. Avoidance is mandated. Accordingly, the thalamus, which is the first sensory connection in the brain, has direct projections to the amygdala (Doron NN & LeDoux JE. 1999). (Fig. 3)

 

Fig. 3

An innate (unconditioned) fear stimulus leading to a FR in the presence of another object or situation sets the stage for the generation of the phobia. For example, traveling over a bridge (CS), you look down and see the height (UFS). It is the height that causes you to become fearful. This occurs at the subconscious level, you are not immediately aware why you are frightened, however, since you are consciously aware that you are on a bridge, if the neural landscape is primed, the bridge then becomes associated with the fear response. Thus, when you bring an image of a bridge to consciousness, you become fearful. (Fig. 4) It is important to note that not all CS that produce a fear response reach consciousness. Thus, in Panic disorder and PTSD much of the conditioning stimuli remain in the subconscious. These subconscious CS can still produce a fear response through the final common pathway, the amygdala, and fear makes us remember. 



Fig. 4

NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
One laboratory model for the study of disorders of fear and its treatment is Pavlovian fear conditioning (Maren S 2001). Fear conditioning occurs when a conditioning stimulus (CS), generally a tone or a light, is followed by and unconditioned fear stimulus (UFS), generally a mild foot shock. Conditioned fear requires learning and produces a stereotypical freezing behavior that can be measured and used for research purposes. After several pairings of the CS with UFS, the animal comes to react with fear to the CS. It is the anticipation of the shock (the tone or light) that produces the fear, not the shock itself. Thus, unlike phobias, conditioned fear is an appropriate response designed to increase survival. This association is felt to be stored in the BLA. Research data suggests that glutamate agonists enhance learning and glutamate antagonists inhibit the learning of the fear response in mice (Myers KM, Davis M 2002). Glutamate, an excitatory amino acid, is involved in activating genes that are necessary for memory storage and retrieval (Reidel &Platt &Micheau 2003). These genes alter the wiring and firing of neurons. This implies that glutamate is released locally where learning takes place. GABA, an inhibitory amino acid, inhibits glutamate and, as such, GABA agonists inhibit fear conditioning and GABA antagonists accelerate it (Myers & Davis 2002).

While a phobia and conditioned fear are encoded differently, the association between the CS and the UFS in the amygdala is the same, leading to activation of the Ce and a fear response. Thus, information about the neurochemistry of fear extinction may be of help in understanding tapping.

EXTINCTION TRAINING
In the animal model, eliminating a conditioned 
fear response uses a technique called extinction 
training. Here, exposure to the CS is done in a 
non-threatening environment. During this training,
learning takes place. These new pathways lead to 
a decrement in the fear responses from the CS. 
Extinction does not appear to be simple forgetting 
(where no, non-reinforced CSs are presented). In 
animals, if extinction training is carried out so that 
the CS no longer produces the FR, spontaneous 
recovery (recovery of response over time), renewal 
(recovery of response is CS is presented in a novel 
environment), or reinstatement (recovery of 
response after presentation of US in conditions 
where the US/CS link was forged) can occur over time.

In the animal model of fear conditioning, chemical approaches to extinguishing this response have been carried out. Thus, two animals were given a shock after a tone and this process was repeated until they froze in response to the tone. Then they
both received infusions of anisomycin, a protein synthesis inhibitor (Nader & Schafe & LeDoux 2000). One animal received the infusion after the tone (where the animal froze) the other without the tone (no freezing). The animal that received 
the anisomycin after the tone no longer froze when exposed to the tone, permanently. The animal that received the anisomycin without exposure to the tone, still froze when the animal heard the tone. This experiment was repeated with a GABA agonist muscimol (Muller & Corodimas &Feidel & Ledoux 1997). As long as the muscimol was in the animals system, the animal that received the muscimol immediately after the tone did not react to the tone. The animal that received the muscimol without hearing the tone, froze with fear. The conclusions were that a fear response could only be disrupted shortly after being activated, that protein synthesis was involved and that a GABA agonist could temporarily disrupt the fear response.

Extinguishing a fear response has also been accomplished electrically. Wistar rats had electrodes placed in the dorsal raphe nucleus, the source of serotonergic projections to the brain. After being trained in a step down avoidance procedure, fear memories could be permanently disrupted by stimulation during post training 
testing. This implied modification of associative processing. In another experiment, depletion of serotonergic neurons prevented the loss of fear. These results imply that serotonin plays a role in extinction ( Fiberger HC, Lepiane FG, Phillips AG, 1978)

For humans, extinguishing of a phobia has been studied with a technique called Systematic Desensitization. This approach produces an extinction of the fear response (Davis, M, Myers KM, 2002) and uses the methods describe for extinction training in animals.

Research has documented a potential mechanism for these observations. A group of inhibitory neurons intercalated between the BLA and the Ce have been described (Pare D, Royer S, Smith Y, Lang EJ 2003). (Fig 5).



Fig. 5

Here, if danger is present, as evaluated by the prefrontal cortex, then an inhibitory signal is NOT sent to the inhibitory GABA neurons in the amygdala. If danger is considered minimal or absent, such as during desensitization, then the prefrontal cortex becomes unavailable to send a signal to these GABA neurons, allowing for
activation of these inhibitory neurons and blocking the Ce → brainstem transmission (Sotres-Bayon, F, Bush DEA, LeDoux JE. 2004). This process makes sense in that it allows for conscious evaluation of danger. Desensitization does not affect the 
encoding of the response as it leaves the CS to UFS pathway intact thus allowing for reinstatement, renewal and spontaneous recovery to occur. Here as well, glutamate enhances and GABA diminishes the effectiveness of extinction training (Davis M, Myers KM. 2002). 

WHY TAPPING WORKS
Using this information, we would like to speculate about a potential mechanism for tapping of the fear response. Tapping begins with imaginal re-activation (affect activation) of the feared object (modified from Callahan 2001) (Fig. 6).

TAPPING PROTOCOL
After affect activation, have the patient take a SUD (Subjective Unit of Distress) and write down the number. Then tap gently but firmly under the right eye -5 times, , over the right eye brow - 5 times, under the right armpit - 5 times, and just below the suprasternal notch - 5 times. 
The Gamut procedure follows by tapping on the back of right hand, just behind the knuckle of the small finger while the patient does the following:
1. Close the eyes
2. Open eyes
3. Looks down to the left
4. Looks down to the right
5. Rotates the eyes in a big circle (clockwise)
6. Rotates the eyes in the opposite direction (counter clockwise)
7. Hums Happy Birthday song
8. Counts to five aloud slowly
9. Hums Happy Birthday song

This sequence can be repeated. The patients then looks up, takes a deep breath, hold for a count of three and then rolls eyes to floor. An SUD is taken. This process is repeated until the SUD no longer drops or goes to 1 or 0. 
Fig. 6








We believe that ‘affect activation’ is the critical aspect for success of this method. During affect activation, we propose that glutamate is locally released in areas corresponding to the neural circuit that initially encoded the conditioned fear.
Without local release of glutamate, no amount of tapping or sensory stimulation will be effective. Tapping or other sensory stimulation (Massage, eye movement, etc.) then causes a generalized release of serotonin via ascending pathways. This release is non-specific and global, that is, it is not related to the content or context of the feared object. (Fig 7 ). We speculate that serotonin release by multi-sensory stimuli is different than that seen in non-reinforced CS used in extinction training. 



Fig. 7


During sensory stimulation, two events can occur. We speculate that serotonin decreases the inhibitory signal from the prefrontal cortex to the intercalated neurons and allows for GABA release, thus inhibiting Ce outflow and the patient experiences a decrease in distress (decreased SUD during treatment) (Fig. 8). It is again important to note that both the memory, as stored in the cortex and the connection between the CS and the UFS remain intact. This, retained memory CS →UFS pathway allows for renewal, reinstatement and spontaneous recovery.

Serotonin → Prefrontal Cortex → Intercalated GABA Neurons ==>Ce → Brainstem

Fig. 8

Simultaneously, serotonin causes GABA release via serotonergic receptors in the BLA. We speculate that this combination, GABA and serotonin, inhibits glutamate from activating protein synthesis, preventing the re-storing and thus de-linking the CS to UFS pathway. This blockade prevents the ultimate re-activation of the Ce and the fear response (Fig. 9).

 
 CS → GABA, Serotonin,Glutamate → X (UFS)

Fig. 9 


To better understand de-linking, imagine your brain is like a beach filled with holes (CSs). As a specific thought activates an affective (fear) response, a certain hole in the BLA fills with glutamate, this then links with a UFS and sends a signal to the Ce. During tapping, when a serotonin wave flows in, GABA is released and the
glutamate filled hole and only the glutamate filled hole solidifies (protein synthesis is inhibited and the link to the UFS is disrupted). Since the hole is now gone, the ability to re-activate the CS to UFS link by glutamate release is lost. This also explains the broad-based effectiveness of this therapy as serotonin release is not localized, it interacts in both the prefrontal cortex and in the amygdala 
wherever glutamate has been released. If the de-linking does not occur, the prefrontal inhibition decays and relapse occurs.

Thus, bringing a phobia to conscious thought activates a specific glutamate driven circuit that produces a fear response. Tapping raises serotonin and GABA is released in the areas where the CS/UFS association is encoded, and the prefrontal cortex. This decreases the distress by directly blocking Ce outflow and can de-link the CS/UFS connection. After successful tapping, the ability to generate a sharp picture of the CS is diminished because the efferent transmission from the Ce, which increases salience, does not occur. How tapping is transduced to a rise in serotonin
and GABA remains uncertain, but a simple mechanical process involving sensory receptors has been proposed (Andrade and Feinstein 2003).

CONCLUSIONS AND OTHER THOUGHTS
This model suggests that activation of the affect followed by sensory stimulation provides a neurobiological basis for tapping therapy. This model provides an outline that explains the permanence, specificity, ability to generalize to 
other types of affective problems (via amygdala de-linking) and the temporal relationship between activation of the affect and a successful treatment. In addition, it explains the observed decrease in distress during treatment. Animal 
studies have confirmed experimentally the 
relationship between activation and the lability of a fear
response. If we consider UFS→Ce the final common pathway then de-linking the CS→UFS allows us to understand the ready treatment of different phobias, PTSD, and other primary amygdala based emotional states.

For phobias, PTSD, panic disorder and other emotional states the amygdala is the final common pathway. For disorders such as OCD, addictive cravings, depression, generalized anxiety, the amygdala is one of many inputs to another part of 
the brain that affects these behaviors. Thus, OCD has an abnormally functioning caudate nucleus and addictive cravings have an abnormally functioning nucleus accumbens. 

 For example, tapping an individual for an addictive craving produces only a shortlived (hours to days) benefit. This procedure does not change the underlying dysfunctional system that produced the behavior, only that specific connection that produces a Ce efferent signal. The underlying dysfunctional systems are permissive stressors that continually activate the amygdala for re-learning and relapse. Treatments that seek to correct the dysfunction either by medications, psychosocial intervention, or removing amygdala based (such as PTSD) problems therefore becomes important.

Among the major controversies present in the field of Energy Psychology, of which TFT is representative, is the location and sequence of tapping. While the neurobiological model does not require a specific sequence of tapping, sensory receptor density (location where you tap) may affect the rate and intensity of
serotonin release. It is possible that any stimulation that affects the serotonin system can be used. Thus, tapping, humming, mind-full meditation, cognitive tasks, eye movements, probably acute temperature change and other may be of useful.

It is interesting to speculate why serotonin reuptake inhibitors are useful in the treatment of primary amygdala based disorders ( PTSD, phobias, panic diorder and other emotional states). It is possible that the SSRI’s, by increasing serotonin, 
alter information processing (Spoont M, 1992). This may prevent glutamate release in the amygdala or allow for the prefrontal cortex to send a no-danger signal to the intercalated neurons. Return of these psychological problems after removal of the drug (unless the problem is dealt with in another way) is usual.

There is a general approach outlined here, that 
is, Affect Activation (locally release glutamate)
/Sensory Stimulation (globally raise serotonin) 
(AA/SS). The goal for this therapy then becomes 
how best to activate the affect and find the 
appropriate sensory stimulation for the individual. 
Herein lies the skill of the therapist.

---------------------------------
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