Driving to an appointment recently, I passed by an old haunt of mine, a regional donut shop. Years ago friends and I would head over to this sugary version of paradise late each Monday night after the weekly Irish music session at a local pub. Often the red neon “Hot Now” sign was glowing which would also bring a surge of local college kids looking for a sugar rush. Most of us would have one or two donuts each visit. Mostly harmless, right? Not really, because it had become a habit, a wired behavior in my brain. And this was just one small example of my many sugar craving adventures.
I am happy to say that thanks to EFT tapping, my sugar cravings are now under control. No, it didn’t take long, and no, I have not given up sugar. I still enjoy my favorite sweet foods from time to time in small quantities. I don’t binge anymore because tapping gave me back my power over sugar.
But that doesn’t mean that the triggers are gone! Just seeing the red neon in the window as I drove by triggered the wired habit and brought back a ghost of the old craving to go in and get donuts. Luckily I now know to start tapping right away when I am triggered (yes tapping even as I was driving) so that I could drive right by and just be amazed yet again by how powerful tapping is. Instead of eating donuts with a side order of guilt, I was smiling at how easily I could let go of the craving. I have been able to rewire my brain to tap instead of eat donuts!
This experience reminded me of how important it is to use tapping discover and be mindful of all the triggers I have for my cravings so that I can control them. Triggers are everywhere! People, places, colors, smells (especially smells), situations, parties, emotions…on and on. Awareness and tapping are the keys to controlling cravings.
Have doubts that EFT tapping can work for food cravings? Now there is evidence-based clinical data! Dr. Peta Stapleton, Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist at Bond University, has been researching the effectiveness of tapping for various conditions with amazing and exciting results. And she has now reported results from research using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans (fMRI). This is very exciting! The results show physical, scientific evidence of exactly how EFT tapping works to control cravings by changing the brain’s neural pathways involved in addiction and food cravings. Now we have clinical evidence that we can rewire our brain’s neural pathways!
The studies included adult patients who were taught EFT tapping techniques, which they could use for themselves at regular intervals throughout the 4-week study. The fMRI scans, which were taken while the participants were looking at photos of food, showed their brain activation. Dr. Stapleton said “After four weeks of EFT we expected to see those parts of the brain that usually activate their cravings and hunger in response to certain foods would no longer do so, and this has certainly been the case. The brain’s neural pathways ‘rewire’ and their desire for those foods diminishes.” The patients’ hunger and cravings response to seeing pictures of certain foods changed after tapping!
So there you have it! Tapping for food cravings works! Do you need help with food cravings? Have cravings you want to control, or a food that you must control for health reasons, such as sugar? Learn how with my bestselling book called Emotional Freedom Techniques: The Art of Managing Stress Through EFT Tapping.
With just a little practice, you’ll have your cravings under control in minutes.
Keep Calm and Tap On!
