One commonly overlooked consideration for gut health issues is the emotional & mental contributors as the driving force behind dis-ease and gut symptoms. We all know that you can feel 'sick to your stomach' when something happens, or maybe have 'butterflies in your stomach' when you are nervous, but did you know your emotions can be the driving force behind gut disease? 

Emotion Release Technique & the gut

Giving the enteric nervous system some TLC

Your gut and nervous system are intrinsically linked and it’s a two-way street! In fact, the enteric nervous system is living proof of how vital the nervous system is to digestive function (or dysfunction!)

In some cases of gut disease and dysfunction, it could be that your mental and emotional struggles are the true condition. The digestive problems are merely secondary to your anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or similar.

So if you want to address the gut, you MUST consider the nervous system.

Sure, you can add in some herbal adaptogens, neurotransmitter nutrients, or even a flower essence. But if you are experiencing ongoing stress or emotional blocks, those need to be released before you’ll see full resolution of your gut health issue.

And the simplest way to do that on the spot? Using Emotion Release Technique to identify and process those stressors, emotions and even trauma.

Addressing the emotional drivers of symptoms

Often practitioners will consider the impact of the nervous system from the perspective of stress and its impact. But many will overlook the potential for emotions to act as drivers for symptoms.

You might be working on your daily work stress and your stress tolerance. But what you might be missing is the emotional patterns from months, years or even decades ago that continue to drive your gut condition.

Research is slowly catching up in this arena. Some studies have even found a link between certain emotions such as worry & anger and IBS. While negative emotions aren’t a problem if they are felt and processed, many people will suppress feelings and avoid them. The lingering presence of these negative feelings can increase inflammation and alter immune function, both of which are bad news for the gut.

Clearing beliefs that may hold them back from feeling better

After you’ve had a gut condition for some time, it’s natural for fears and beliefs to arise. For example, people with IBS may fear being out without knowing where the nearest toilet is. Those with chronic constipation can fear going to the toilet and worsen the condition (particularly children!)

While those fears and beliefs have served you in a way, it’s not conducive to long-term recovery. Even once you have tackled the physical causes, these can continue to drive symptoms for weeks, months or even years. This is why it is so important to use Emotion Release Technique as a part of any gut healing plan you have in place.