Page 112 - Advance Copy: Todd Kaufman, Author
P. 112
TODD KAUFMAN
But what if there was another very practical way to get Homer to lower these hormones? The good news is, there is. And since we can measure hormone levels in the body, we have been able to test the following technique and have learned that it does indeed drop adrenaline and cortisol levels.
Remember Sarah and Dan, our soon-to-be newlyweds in Chapter One? Sarah had a major panic attack just as she was about to walk up the aisle to marry the love of her life, Dan. I’ve seen a lot of panic attacks in my personal and professional life and Sarah’s was up there in the top three! Dear, sweet Sarah was on the floor, sobbing and trying to catch her breath, and was so convinced she was dying that she begged for an ambulance. This is not how anyone should feel moments before walking up the aisle!
And yet, less than ten minutes later, Sarah was composed enough to recite her vows and marry Dan.
I am the kind of guy who believes in miracles – it comes with this part of my job – but this was no miracle. Sarah’s ‘miraculous’ recovery was due to the skillful application of a technique based in both Eastern and Western Medicine called Tapping, or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT, not to be confused with Emotionally Focused Therapy).
Tapping is based in both Eastern and Western Medicine. In Eastern Medicine, the use of acupuncture (and acupressure) has been around for centuries. There is archeological evidence that it may have even been used as early as the Stone Age, and records of its use and application are traced back to about 350 B.C. My assumption is that something that has been around for centuries, and that is still being taught in medical schools abroad, must have something going for it! And from a Western perspective, we can measure hormone levels in the body and as I noted earlier, we can consistently see the two stress hormones dropping when we apply this technique. Western medicine also employs Exposure Therapy, which is basically exposing someone to the thing they fear, in graduated amounts, until they no longer fear it.
88