When we experience stress, be it emotionally or physically generated, our bodies go through a series of biochemical changes that vary in intensity depending on the severity of the stress or trauma. One of the effects of stress is the imprinting of a series of negative factors that seem almost to haunt us.

We may ’forget’ an individual stressful incident but our bio-computer stores the information and remembers the stress every time we encounter a similar situation. The result is a cumulative effect that leads to our being in stress (distress) almost continually.

Emotional freedom with ESR aids in rebalancing our emotions and releasing pent-up mental or emotional energy in a safe way. The physical effects of ESR include a general sense of lightness and relaxation and a lifting of mental fog. Relationships that are under stress can be helped immensely. Children respond to ESR quickly and easily. After ESR, at times even vision seems clearer and hearing appears to be more acute. Use it often.

When to use ESR

Use ESR whenever you are emotionally stressed. Obtaining emotional freedom with ESR is the same in all situations, whether you are preparing for exams, a job interview, an athletic event, or working on resolving old hurts, recent misunderstandings or anger management.

You can use ESR for past, present and future stress events. The right side brain is timeless; it can be used as a kind of ’time-machine’ as you hold your ESR points. As you mentally revisit the past or envision the future while holding the ESR points the brain can de-stress whatever is ‘online’.

Where can I do ESR?

ESR can be done anywhere. When sitting at your desk, overwhelmed and bombarded with demands for instant decisions, take a moment for ESR. Put your hands on your forehead (as in the diagram). Let everything flow over you. In a few seconds a priority of importance in the decision making or a clarity of ideas will come. If you are a person who makes lists, now is the time to pick up a pen and make notes as the awareness comes. You will find the panic, sense of being overwhelmed and nervousness you felt before have gone. You can move calmly and confidently through your day.

How does ESR work?

Emotional freedom with ESR activates special reflexes (called NV points or GB 14 points), which bring more blood to the frontal lobes of the brain. Front brain thinking is creative, with new options and new alternatives. When we use the front brain we tend to find new ways of looking at old problems, new possibilities and alternative solutions. Back brain thinking is the survival response mode. Here we generate automatic reactions based on the alarm and vigilance responses as well as on past experiences.

The stress chemicals seem to have the effect of reducing front brain/back brain and left brain/right brain integration. This prevents us thinking creatively under stress. Emotional freedom with ESR reverses this process. This has the effect of reducing or erasing the biochemical triggers to the old stress memories and thus relieves stress.

The ESR Balance

First make an Assessment

Assess your stress level (or your emotional energy towards your ’day’) on a scale of 0 – 10.

Helping yourself with the ESR Balance:

1. Close your eyes and lightly hold your frontal eminences. (On the forehead above the eyes – see photo.)
2. Focus on the event or problem.
3. See the details. (Be aware of the colours, sounds, shapes, smells and feelings involved.)
4. Make it real. (You may notice shallow breathing, flickering of your eyes or tearfulness.)
5. Continue to lightly hold your forehead, breathe and relax. These signs of stress will pass.
6. Now play the day (or event) as you would like it to happen. Fantasy is OK here.
7. When your mind starts to wander you know the event is cleared of immediate stress.

Now make a Re-assessment:

Reassess how you feel (or your emotional energy towards your ’day’) on a scale of 0 – 10.
Repeat the process as different aspects of the stress comes to mind. It is okay to do it often.