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Deepak Chopra, MD
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She put away her medication for Asthma
Sue Sawyer, a therapist based in Hampshire (UK), writes an extraordinary account of how, after using EFT, she put away her medication for Asthma after 34 years as an asthmatic. She gives us an important look at some necessary belief changes as well as some of the tapping issues. She says, "Three weeks passed, my chest had not reacted, and my inhalers were put away. I felt such a high and that high is still with me. After thirty-four years I no longer check frantically in my bag for my inhaler, in fact I don't know where it is?" I must emphasize that discontinuing her medications was entirely Sue's choice and should not necessarily be considered a recommendation to others.
Follow-up: At the end of this article is an update from several months later, including scientific evidence that Asthma can be caused by emotional issues. This is something we have known for a long time but it is nice to see that science is also seeing the evidence.
I have been an asthmatic for as long as I can remember, as a child I attended weekly physiotherapy sessions to deal with my breathing issues. As new drugs became available I was prescribed them, the first type being Ventolin at the age of ten. In my thirties I was given Becotide, a preventive steroid based inhaler to control my over-reactive lungs. On occasions my asthma became so bad that I had to take oral steroid Prednisone. My medication has for the last fifteen years been two puffs of Becotide every morning and two puffs every night, with Ventolin if required. I was an"Asthmatic."
Last year I attended the Advanced Meridian Energy Therapy Course given by Sandra Hillawi. During the course we were asked to challenge ourselves and look at resolving some personal issue with EFT. A colleague suggested that I attempt using EFT for my asthma. My immediate response was totally negative. I thought my asthma was far too big an issue to resolve with EFT. I was asked by the group why, as a therapist, I didn't believe that EFT could resolve asthma. "It's too big a physical issue", I responded, "I know the physiology behind it. It's a real physical reaction of my lungs to substances. I am too scared to challenge it, as to do so would question my use of inhalers. If I come off medication I know I won't be able to breathe, I have been told so by my Doctor".
My colleague suggested that we should look at and tap on my fears and beliefs, regarding my asthma. Here are a few;
- "Even though I don't believe that my asthma can be improved".
- "I don't believe I can control my asthma".
- "My asthma scares me".
- "I am frightened without my medication".
- "My lungs are weak".
- "My lungs don't work properly".
- "I am angry asthma has stopped me doing things".
- "It's pathetic that I get panicky if I don't have my Ventolin with me".
I left the session definitely less negative but still not totally persuaded. One therapist told me he would surrogate tap my fears regarding this issue on an ongoing basis.
I visited my local asthma clinic the following month, since I had decided to ask if it was ok for me to come off my steroid medication. I was told that it was not advisable but if I was insistent I could try. I was however warned that it was probable that my lungs would react and my condition would flare up. Ideally they would prefer it if I just carried on taking the drugs! Given that sort of consultation it is hardly surprising that I had held such negative dogmatic beliefs about asthma! It would have been easy to give up at that point. However I did not, I challenged it head on with EFT, because I was no longer frightened, the previous EFT sessions had indeed shifted my beliefs that it just might be possible!
The next step was to feel in control of the process, so I studied Gary Craig's Constricted Breathing Technique in his Steps Towards Becoming an Ultimate Therapist. It was whilst tapping with Gary, that there was a massive break through. He included in the set up line for constricted breathing, "and I love and forgive myself and anyone who may have contributed to it and I love and forgive myself for anything I may have done that contributed to it".
What followed was a flood of emotional memories, of a blessed but over protective mother, of missing school, of using my asthma to get sympathy, to get out of certain jobs, the list went on. I tapped through each emotion, tears pouring down my cheeks. When I stopped I felt a massive change in my breathing, it felt easier, controlled and strong.
The next day I reduced my steroid medication in half, whilst tapping myself for all the emotions that then surfaced, including,"even though I am still a bit scared of doing this". After two weeks of waiting for the "flare up", that I been "promised", I realised it was not going to happen. Two weeks later I came of all medication, yet I still tapped for, "Even though I have been told that my breathing will get worse". Three weeks passed, my chest had not reacted, and my inhalers were put away. I felt such a high and that high is still with me. After thirty-four years I no longer check frantically in my bag for my inhaler, in fact I don't know where it is?
Nearly three months on now I am drug free. Sorry, I am going to have to say that again, "DRUG FREE". It is extraordinary, only a year ago the thought of me controlling my asthma to such a degree was as about as likely as meeting Elvis!
So thank you Sandra Hillawi for your inspiration, thank you Andy Clements for your surrogate tapping and thank you Gary Craig for your inspirational DVD's.
I would like to point out that I am in no way advocating that asthmatics should cease taking their medication, in the way I did. My reduction/cessation was done having had a consultation, however negative, with my Asthma Clinic. To support my new regime I am using Power breathe a hand held device that exercises my respiratory muscles; to strengthen a lifetime of lazy/drug controlled breathing. I am also using Phytobiophysics Flower Remedies to counteract the toxicity of the medicines I have taken for so long. I still tap when my chest gets itchy or tight or times when a new issue comes along like having a cold, or being with certain animals. The difference is that now I ask, "Am I an Asthmatic"? Hmmm, happy breathing!
Sue Sawyer
Follow-up several months later
(including scientific evidence)
By Sue Sawyer
I am currently putting together an Asthma Plan which examines in more depth the fears and common issues of an Asthma sufferer. Interestingly I personally came across what I would call the "Word Trigger", i.e.. if someone suggested in all innocence that you might get "wheezy" in relation to something, it would inevitably occur that you did. Therefore I looked at the aspects attached to the WORD for instance, "wheezy", which is a word that one would have heard from childhood and thereby reduce all the emotions attached to the WORD. Ironically it would appear that the Medical profession thinks they too have found this connection.
GC Comment: Below is article from BBC News in the UK. It echoes Sue's thoughts.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison team discovered activity in brain areas linking the two in asthmatics who read emotive words.
One brain region has a role in obtaining information about disease symptoms while another processes emotions.
Their findings appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Asthma authors
Dr Richard Davidson and his team asked six patients with mild asthma to take part in their experiments.
Each was shown three different categories of words - asthma-related words such as "wheeze", negative but non-asthma-related words such as "loneliness" and neutral words such as "curtains".
At the same time, the volunteers were given known triggers of asthma to inhale, such as ragweed or dust-mite extract.
Emotional element
Meanwhile, their brain responses were monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Two brain regions - the anterior cingulate cortex and the insula - showed increased activity when the asthma-related words were heard compared with the other word types.
Furthermore, the increased brain activity was linked to body function signals from the inhaled allergens.
The researchers said that because of the small number of people studied their findings would need to be repeated and that it was likely that other brain areas are also involved in the relationship between emotions and asthma.
However, they said: "These brain areas may be hyperresponsive to disease-specific emotions."
In turn, this might contribute to problems that worsen asthma, such as inflammation, they said.
Chairman of the British Lung Foundation Dr Mark Britton said: "These are interesting findings.
"We have always known that asthma and a patient's personality and emotions are very intrinsically bound up with each other.
"We do need further research into this."
For example, whether increasing the dose of medication might help to cover tough emotional times.
He said it was often useful to counsel a patient that their asthma may get worse when they are stressed.
"If you have insight into your disease you are much better able to cope with it."
Dr Lyn Smurthwaite of Asthma UK said: "It's well known that stress aggravates asthma and that asthma aggravates stress.
"Our research shows that 69% of people with asthma say stress triggers their symptoms, and this study shows an actual link between the parts of the brain processing emotion and physiological asthma symptoms."
