Acupressure for Calming Anxiety

What is Acupressure? Acupressure is the application of firm pressure with the fingers on specific points on the body known as Acupuncture points. These Acupuncture points are concentrate areas on the body that provide specific relief for various ailments. These points have “high electrical conductivity at the surface of the skin” allowing “qi” to flow through the meridians. The meridians are energy pathways connecting the acupuncture points to their associated internal organ. Here, one can use acupressure on one location of the body to treat another part of the body. For example, Acupressure on Luo zhen on the hand can treat neck tension and pain.

What can Acupressure treat?

  • Release emotions such as anger, fear, worry, grief, and more

  • Relieve pain

  • Improve Immunity

  • Improve breathing

  • PTSD, trauma, physical ailments caused by trauma

  • Anxiety, depression, abandonment, support PMS, and more.

How does Acupressure Work? Acupressure uses gentle, firm pressure to:

  • Release Muscular tension (similar to trigger points)

  • Promote circulation of blood

  • Stimulate body’s natural self-healing abilities

  • Released stored emotions within the body

  • Alleviate stress

  • Release endorphins through human touch (natural Pain relievers)

    • The endorphins released by the pituitary gland and go to blood through the cerebrospinal fluid

    • Releases toxins

Benefits of Self-Acupressure Practice: Able to practice whenever, wherever you need/want to, individualized treatment, self-empowering through the practice of self-care, connecting, and grounding yourself through your own touch.

How does Acupressure release emotional trauma? The body has a natural defense against traumatic events by discharging the intensity of the event. The “traumatic event causes the body to contract its muscles and harden, like protective armor, to shield the inner self”. Here, the tension prevents the energetic charge and intensity of the trauma from entering your body freely. If the tension of the trauma is not later integrated into the body followed by a release; then, increased stress, emotional, and even, physical ailments may occur.

Any side effects? Acupressure is safe with minimal side-effects. It is important to sit, or lie, comfortably while doing Acupressure as light-headedness, intense release of emotion may occur. There are some general precautions such as: avoid the stomach during pregnancy, or life-threatening disease, apply pressure gradually by avoiding abrupt and intense pressure, use lighter touch in lymph areas including the throat, groin, below the ears, and outer breast near the armpits, do not pressure directly on a burn, recent scar, or tumor, do not perform under use of drugs, or alcohol.

General Outline for Acupressure Practice:

  1. Focus on slow and deeper breathing to increase awareness and to calm.

  2. Sit in a quiet, distraction free area. Give yourself time with the deep breathing to bring awareness to your body and go within. What sensations do you notice?

  3. Do select Acupressure points with deep breathing, hold the points without any other movement, and bring awareness to any changes, or releases that may arise. Any changes in tension? Increase relaxation? Where? Any changes in temperature? Any emotions arise?

  4. As emotions arise, continue breathing-press CV17 in the center of the sternum to open the chest and calm. Understand deep relaxation can release “memories, feelings, variety of involuntary body responses such as shaking, yawning, or light-headedness”. 

  5. When the Acupressure point “releases and the tension surrounding the point softens, or begins to pulse regularly; then, move unto another point.

  6. Image a connection to the Earth: visualize a grounding cord from the base of your spine connecting to the center of the Earth.

  7. Allow yourself to time to unwind, cover yourself with a blanket, allow yourself to shake if needed. Slowly take deep breaths and slowly open your eyes as you reconnect to the present.

  8. After Acupressure session: it is recommended to take a nap afterwards to allow your body to process the release and relax, avoid cold drinks/icy foods, and chaotic environments.

Acupressure Points for Anxiety:

Anxiety is a normal reaction to any anticipated, or imagined, danger to ready someone to fight-flight-freeze-fawn mode. Anxiety can be motivating to avoid danger, or push towards our goals; but it can be uncontrollable with over-worry and chronic tension.

Common symptoms: chest tightness, neck/shoulder tension, headaches, digestive problems, aches/pains, insomnia, poor concentration known as brain fog, restless, irritability, or fatigue

  1. P-6: “Inner Gate”: relieves nausea, anxiety, palpitations, wrist pain. Location: inside forearm, 3 finger-widths above the wrist crease.

2. CV-17 “sea of tranquility”: opens the chest, activates thymus gland, and counteracts anxiety, nervousness, panic, anguish, depression, and more. Location: indentation on the sternum, go 4-finger-widths from its base, hold with fingertips.

3. Yin tang, “3rd eye”: anxiety, stimulates hormones to relieve anxiety, calms the body, relieves nervousness, increasing intuition, and emotional balance

These points are useful in decreasing, calming, and managing Anxiety in-between Acupuncture treatments. If you are experiencing anxiety and would like to learn more how Acupuncture can help; feel free to schedule an Acupuncture consultation by calling 480.690.8933.

Mental Health, Womens Health, AnxietyDanielle DickshinskiThriving with Eastern Medicine & Acupunctureacupressure for anxiety, anxiety, natural anxiety relief, acupuncture for anxiety, postpartum anxiety