Nick Ortner's Blog, page 40
July 6, 2017
Is There a Link Between Autoimmunity and Personality Traits?
I just read a GREAT article that explores the idea that common personality traits could be linked to autoimmune disorders.
Besides the listing of the 15 traits (check to see which ones you match up with), I really appreciated the 3 disclosures because they address the pushback that some people might have to this concept.
If you’re struggling with any sort of autoimmune disorder (or really any health challenge), I think you’ll appreciate this read:
My Autoimmunity + Personality Theory: Could Common Personality Traits Be Linked to Autoimmunity?
After you’ve read it, comment below and let me know if you agree with the blog’s premise.
One of the things that I think is SO important to remember when linking stress, emotions, or our personalities to ANY sort of disease, is to acknowledge that they are only contributing factors. It doesn’t mean having “this” trait equals “this” disease.
It means that having this trait + this genetic predisposition + these lifestyle choices = might potentially acquire this disease.
We try to make things black and white and it doesn’t serve us, because then we just try to fix or address one aspect of the challenge.
So whatever you’re struggling with today, just think about it in terms of, “What are the various factors that might be contributing to this current state of being, and what can I do to start to change them?”
When it comes to autoimmune challenges, we’ve seen incredible results over the past year with our “Tapping Solution for Autoimmune Disorders” program.
It’s on sale for the next 6 days, so if this is something you’re struggling with, I highly suggest you check it out asap.
Do you agree with the blog? Comment below!
The post Is There a Link Between Autoimmunity and Personality Traits? appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
Related posts:
Lissa Rankin Mind Over Medicine
Why Your Stress Might Be Physically Harmful to Your Children, and How EFT Can Help
It’s time to laugh…
Is there a link between autoimmunity and personality traits?
I just read a GREAT article that explores the idea that common personality traits could be linked to autoimmune disorders.
Besides the listing of the 15 traits (check to see which ones you match up with), I really appreciated the 3 disclosures because they address the pushback that some people might have to this concept.
If you’re struggling with any sort of autoimmune disorder (or really any health challenge), I think you’ll appreciate this read:
My Autoimmunity + Personality Theory: Could Common Personality Traits Be Linked to Autoimmunity?
After you’ve read it, comment below and let me know if you agree with the blog’s premise.
One of the things that I think is SO important to remember when linking stress, emotions, or our personalities to ANY sort of disease, is to acknowledge that they are only contributing factors. It doesn’t mean having “this” trait equals “this” disease.
It means that having this trait + this genetic predisposition + these lifestyle choices = might potentially acquire this disease.
We try to make things black and white and it doesn’t serve us, because then we just try to fix or address one aspect of the challenge.
So whatever you’re struggling with today, just think about it in terms of, “What are the various factors that might be contributing to this current state of being, and what can I do to start to change them?”
When it comes to autoimmune challenges, we’ve seen incredible results over the past year with our “Tapping Solution for Autoimmune Disorders” program.
It’s on sale for the next 6 days, so if this is something you’re struggling with, I highly suggest you check it out asap.
Do you agree with the blog? Comment below!
The post Is there a link between autoimmunity and personality traits? appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
Related posts:
Lissa Rankin Mind Over MedicineWhy Your Stress Might Be Physically Harmful to Your Children, and How EFT Can Help
It’s time to laugh…
June 26, 2017
Manifesting Your Greatest Self Day 2 Tapping Meditation
This is a great meditation to use when you’re struggling to feel and see the positive. With repeated use, it can help your brain be more balanced, less prone to always resorting to the negativity bias.
To begin, take a deep breath, and check in with yourself.
Now that you’ve noticed your brain’s negativity bias at work, what emotions do you feel about whatever caused your brain to go negative? Also notice your physical experience. In this negative state of mind, do you feel tension, tightness, or pain anywhere? Do you feel any clenching, tingling, heat, or cold?
After noticing these different aspects of your present moment experience, notice how intensely negative you feel on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being extremely negative. Then take three deep breaths. We’ll begin by tapping on the Karate Chop point.
KC (repeat three times): Even though I’m feeling all this negativity, it’s so hard to feel positive, I love myself and accept how I feel.
Eyebrow: All this negativity
Side of Eye: So much negativity in my brain
Under Eye: It feels so real
Under Nose: This negativity seems like the truth
Under Mouth: It seems so real
Collarbone: All this negativity
Under Arm: It’s encoded in my brain
Top of Head: It’s meant to help me survive
Eyebrow: This negativity bias
Side of Eye: It’s trying to protect me
Under Eye: It feels so real
Under Nose: It feels so true
Under Mouth: This negativity bias
Collarbone: It’s very convincing
Under Arm: It’s here to keep me safe
Top of Head: But it also makes my world feel dark
Eyebrow: This negativity bias
Side of Eye: It squashes the light
Under Eye: And makes things feel dark
Under Nose: It feels so true, though
Under Mouth: It feels so real
Collarbone: This negativity bias
Under Arm: It’s so convincing
Top of Head: It’s just trying to protect me
Eyebrow: But it’s too dark
Side of Eye: I don’t need it right now
Under Eye: I can let myself feel the light
Under Nose: And see it, too
Under Mouth: I can trust the light
Collarbone: I can move toward the light
Under Arm: The light is real, too
Top of Head: I can let more light into my life
Eyebrow: It’s safe to feel this light
Side of Eye: And let it seep into my brain
Under Eye: I can let it into my body
Under Nose: And feel the joy it brings me
Under Mouth: I can trust this light
Collarbone: And let it ll me now
Under Arm: It’s safe to trust this light
Top of Head: I can let more light in
Eyebrow: Relaxing into this light now
Side of Eye: Allowing myself to open to this light
Under Eye: I can feel safe with this light
Under Nose: I can see this light and feel safe
Under Mouth: Letting myself feel peaceful now
Collarbone: I can trust that this beautiful light is all around me
Under Arm: I can trust that this beautiful light is real
Top of Head: Feeling peaceful within this light now
Take a deep breath, and check back in with yourself, emotionally as well as physically. Notice any shifts you experience by rating the intensity of your negativity again on a scale of 0 to 10. Keep tapping until you get the desired relief.
The post Manifesting Your Greatest Self Day 2 Tapping Meditation appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
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June 21, 2017
Do You Know Grog and Thor?
In celebration of the upcoming release of my new book, “The Tapping Solution for Manifesting Your Greatest Self”, I’ve pulled out Chapter 2 for you to read. Enjoy!
Day 2 – Negativity, Hardwired: A Look at the Primitive Brain
Grog and Thor sit perched at the edge of their cave.
You know Grog, your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-ancestor. You’d recognize him; you both have the same nose. He’s waiting patiently but alertly with his friend Thor. They’ve been hearing some saber-toothed tiger sounds, not too far from their lovely abode.
Grog says, “Ughr all ogg ogg ralf woomr.” Oh, you don’t speak caveman? I’ll translate for you the rest of the way.
“I’m pretty nervous about that tiger. It sounds like a big one, and it’s coming our way.”
Thor, twiddling his thumbs, half meditating in a lotus position, says, “Brother man, there is nothing to worry about! The sun is shining, we’ve discovered fire and some basic tools, and this cave is luxurious. Bask in gratitude and the joy of life!”
Grog looks around nervously. It sounds like the tiger is getting closer, and quickly.
“Thor, I’m going to higher ground. We’re tiger meat in this spot, and I don’t think the two of us are going to be able to handle this guy.”
“Grog, you are so negative! Always talking about what could go wrong, always ‘moving to higher ground’ or worrying about this or that. You know, you’re just not going to attract what you want in your life with that attitude!”
Sensing the tiger’s approach, Grog scampers away at a full sprint toward higher ground, where the tiger can’t climb. He makes one last desperate call to Thor, “Please! Run!”
Thor continues his peaceful meditation.
And is swallowed almost whole by one of the largest saber-toothed tigers to roam the ancient world.
Well, at least Thor seemed happy until his untimely death.
Grog lives, and with him, his DNA. And partly because of his negative, pessimistic, cautious attitude, he survives.
Thor has vanished, along with his “happy” genes.
And so it goes, again and again and again and again . . .
And thus, the human brain evolved, literally clinging for dear life to something we call the “negativity bias.”
YOUR BRAIN’S PRIMITIVE PANIC BUTTON
Yesterday we looked at peace and panic, and we began using tapping to have a new experience.
Ever wondered why we even need to do that? Why there always seems to be something — or several things — standing between us and happiness, us and peace, us and fulfillment, and so on.
Why is it so much easier to choose panic over peace?
Sometimes it seems like our “default” setting is to be negative and fearful… and that’s because in large part it is.
For our own protection—cue Grog and the “negativity bias” that saved his life — the brain evolved to assume the worst. It’s biased toward negativity. In his book Hardwiring Happiness, Rick Hanson, Ph.D., explains this concept in more detail:
Our ancestors could make two kinds of mistakes:
(1) thinking there was a tiger in the bushes when there wasn’t one, and
(2) thinking there was no tiger in the bushes when there actually was one.
The cost of the first mistake was needless anxiety, while the cost of the second one was death.
Consequently, we evolved to make the first mistake a thousand times to avoid making the second mistake even once…
In general, the default setting of the brain is to overestimate threats, underestimate opportunities, and underestimate resources both for coping with threats and for fulfilling opportunities. Then we update these beliefs with information that confirms them, while ignoring or rejecting information that doesn’t. There are even regions in the amygdala, which an almond-shaped part of the mid-brain that’s intricately connected to the body’s “stress response” that’s specifically designed to prevent the unlearning of fear, especially from childhood experiences. As a result, we end up preoccupied by threats that are actually smaller or more manageable than we’d feared, while overlooking opportunities that are actually greater than we’d hoped for. In effect, we’ve got a brain that’s prone to “paper tiger paranoia.”
Most of us can recognize this experience in our daily lives. We get an e-mail or text that feels unclear, whether in meaning or tone. Immediately, we go to the negative. Or we get a call, and someone says something vague like, “Hey, do you have a minute? We need to talk.”
For most of us, it takes only a second or two to assume the worst. Without thinking, our brains translate “we need to talk” into “something’s wrong.” Similarly, rather than noticing that the text message we just received is unclear, we default to the negative—deciding, for instance, that it’s hurtful or insulting.
We then feel fearful, angry, sad—any number of negative emotions that reinforce our need to defend ourselves from (yet another) attack. Before we’ve even considered that the person may have been in a rush and carelessly worded the text message, we’re ready to retreat and/or attack him in return.
And because of how our brains have evolved, this process is so automatic that we often don’t even recognize when it’s happening.
When you really think about that, it’s pretty extreme. It’s also the reality of the human brain, which defaults to a negative lens so powerful that it easily and quickly taints our entire experience.
TRICKY, SNEAKY, AND SUBVERSIVE, TOO
Sometimes the “negativity bias” is even subtler and harder to notice. For example, in the off-kilter morning I shared in Day 1, my negativity bias might look like me deciding that I can’t control my mornings, even if I don’t love how they feel.
Oftentimes we brush off these decisions casually.
“What are you gonna do?” we ask.
“It’s just life,” we say as we return to our to-do lists.
While it’s true that we often have limited control of the external world around us, these reactions can, at times, support us in lowering our expectations.
In tiny ways we don’t consciously recognize, we then give the brain’s negativity bias room to thrive.
Best-selling author Brené Brown sums it up this way: “We think if we can beat vulnerability to the punch by imagining loss, we’ll suffer less.”
We see this tendency to focus on negative experiences more than positive ones in research studies, as well. The psychologist Daniel Kahneman received the Nobel Prize in economics for showing that most people will do more to avoid loss than to benefit from an equivalent gain. In intimate relationships we typically need at least five positive interactions to counterbalance every negative one. And for people to begin to thrive in life, they usually need positive moments to outweigh negative ones by at least a three-to-one ratio.
I would argue that these numbers might be even larger than the research suggests. I know that one negative review of my books on Amazon can easily overwhelm 100 positive reviews — if I don’t tap on it, that is!
For people to begin to thrive in life, they usually need positive moments to outweigh negative ones by at least a three-to-one ratio.
So how can we reverse this “negativity bias” in the simple everyday ways that allow our greatest selves, and then our greatest lives, to emerge?
It starts with cultivating simple awareness about how those three pounds of gray matter that you’re carrying around (aka your brain) actually work. Just being aware of your brain’s negativity bias is a huge first step in overcoming it.
That basic understanding encourages us to view positivity as a practice rather than an attribute or personality trait.
Being positive then becomes a skill we can consciously choose to hone every day.
DAY 2 GREATEST SELF CHALLENGE: REDIRECTING YOUR BRAIN
So how do we actually bring positivity practice into our lives?
On a day-to-day, week-to-week basis, how can we reprogram our brains to recognize and accept positivity without becoming so detached from our surroundings that, like Thor, we’re prematurely devoured?
Start by simply noticing when you default to the negative.
Start with the little things, like that e-mail or text that feels unclear. Your brain’s natural bias will lead you to assume the worst. Your brain’s innate negativity bias will support you in feeling judged, accused, and so on.
Starting today, make a point of simply noticing when your brain’s “negativity bias” is being activated.
Remember, it’s a hardwired response that we all experience, so there’s no need to blame or shame yourself for it. Don’t stress or worry about it. Just notice it.
And once you see your brain’s negativity bias at work, pause and ask yourself: Could this be my brain’s negativity bias talking?
That’s it — just notice it for now, say hello, maybe introduce yourself, and we’ll use that awareness to build from in the coming days.
Make sure to take time to use the Day 2 Tapping Meditation: Turning toward the Positive to begin reorienting your primitive brain to notice and value the positive. (I’ve included a link to it below so that you can already start using it)
(audio link coming soon)
You’re beginning to create an important foundation for choosing peace!
Can you relate to any part of this chapter? Please leave your comments below – I’d love to read them!
The post Do You Know Grog and Thor? appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
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June 20, 2017
There Is Greatness Within You!
There is GREATNESS within you.
You might not fully believe it. You might doubt yourself. You might have had too many experiences that have “proven” otherwise…
But I can tell you without a doubt, that there is more peace, more abundance, more love, more greatness available within than you can imagine!
It’s just a matter of uncovering it. Unearthing it. Cleaning up the old stuff and letting yourself shine.
I want to share a video today that you might have seen making the rounds on Facebook, because it’s stunning!
As you watch it, I want you to pay special attention to how you feel at about 3 mins in, the moment this little girl starts singing…
THAT feeling! That’s the feeling that is whispering to YOU that all is well, that you CAN create a life you love.
Creating a life you love is part of the subtitle of my new book, “The Tapping Solution for Manifesting Your Greatest Self,” because I believe we do just that – we CREATE a life we love.
When we clear away self-doubt, when we cultivate inner peace…
It’s from that place that greatness abounds!
The book isn’t set to be released for a few months, but as part of a special pre-launch celebration, I’m making some great gifts (over $150 worth!) available to you right now when you pre-order a copy.
Learn more about the book and gifts here
FYI, Amazon just discounted the Ebook to 50% off, and I’m not sure how long that will last, so reserve a copy today!
Until next time…
Keep Tapping! (And discovering the greatness within you!)
Nick Ortner
P.S. My friend Gabby Bernstein just finished reviewing the book, and here’s what she had to say about it:
“I believe that a daily practice creates powerful change. In his new book, The Tapping Solution for Manifesting Your Greatest Self, Nick Ortner offers 21 daily exercises for life-changing growth and profound transformation. Nick’s unique Tapping Meditations will help you create quick shifts and feel immediate relief.
I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone on a path of personal growth.”
– Gabrielle Bernstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Universe Has Your Back
Learn more about my new book here!
Do you feel inspired after watching this video? Leave your comments below!
The post There Is Greatness Within You! appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
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May 31, 2017
Breaking News in Tapping Research!
A few months back, Dr. Peta Stapleton from Bond University in Australia told me about a clinical trial she was running that was fascinating…
In a nutshell, she was planning on putting subjects in a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) machine, show them pictures of food to see how their brain would “light” up, have them do Tapping for 4 weeks, and then put them back in the machine to see what had changed.
Honestly… I had my doubts! Lol!
Not because I don’t believe in the stupendous power of Tapping, and not because I haven’t seen stunning results around the topics of cravings, over-eating, or weight loss… I just didn’t know if all of that would show up on the machine itself.
And I was very, very, very pleasantly surprised with the results. 
May 17, 2017
How to use “In Between Time” to transform your life
Do you know what the most transformational time is in any person’s day that most people never use?
I’m always surprised that more people don’t do this…
But I’ll explain that in a second, first…
I want to make sure you get a chance to access the 100 transformational audios from the Hay House World Summit this weekend because it’s relevant to what I’ll explain in a second.
These audios are incredible and although there are 100 available during the free online event, it only takes one to create a shift that can completely alter the results you’re getting in life.
Check out the video on this page, it’s only 1 minute and 41 seconds long, to get a feel for what these audios are like. It’s a beautiful and inspiring video.
OK, so do you want to know what the most transformational time is in any person’s day that most people never use?
I call it the “in between time”, and I constantly use it to listen to audios, especially during the Hay House World Summit.
Here’s the thing… even if you have plans for the weekend, I know you have “in between time” to listen to transformational audios from your phone.
That’s what I do.
I listen on my phone when I walk around the house, or when I’m driving to run an errand, or when I’m cooking. There’s always “in between time” to listen in.
May 2, 2017
What I Learned From a Ceramic Frog
My paintbrush hung in the air…
It had all been fairly easy so far, though I had been taking it slow.
But now…
This part really looked challenging.
And I could feel this internal pressure to get it right, to not mess up, because once my paintbrush landed on the frog, the color would stand for all time.
Little did I know that in those seconds, I was actually facing a choice that had more profound implications than just the painting of a ceramic frog.
Where would my paintbrush land, and why did it matter so much?
When I took over Hay House’s Facebook page last week in a LIVE session, I answered these questions, and then took everyone through a Tapping Meditation.
Watch it below!
And here are some behind-the-scenes photos of my frog painting.
May 1, 2017
Are negative thoughts running your life?
What do you say or think about yourself?
Are they words of affirmation, or do you often beat yourself up?
Did you know that 80% of the average person’s thoughts are negative? Is it any wonder why so many of us struggle to create the life we desire?
But it IS possible!
And it starts with identifying those limiting thoughts and beliefs, and then eliminating them.
During one of our previous Tapping World Summits, my sister Jessica had the incredible opportunity to interview Iyanla Vanzant, star of the hit TV show “Iyanla: Fix My Life.”
In it, she shares valuable insights on how to purge toxic thoughts and emotions. Today, I’m excited to share this video with you!
Years before Iyanla became a TV star, she was stuck in patterns of toxic thoughts, beliefs, and emotions.
Coping with trauma from childhood abuse, she was punishing herself emotionally, struggling financially with a poverty consciousness, and just stuck in a pattern of low self-worth.
But she learned how to overcome these thoughts and feelings, to create a life full of abundance, joy, and love.
Some of the things Iyanla will share with you in this interview include:
How she started using Tapping to change her life nearly 15 years ago, and why she still loves this technique for creating personal change. (She also uses this technique with guests on her show, even though it’s not always shown!)
Why it’s important to increase your emotional library to be able to express and release stuck emotions.
The power of LOVE! Why she believes that there is no wound deep enough that love cannot heal, and how you can make the difficult shift to finally loving and accepting yourself.
How to overcome lack consciousness. Iyanla struggled with finances even when she was earning over a million dollars a year! She’ll explain why you need to shift your energy and beliefs around money in order to be able to create abundance, regardless of how much you’re earning.
The difference between creating a boundary and a wall (hint: most people create walls, not boundaries).
And much more!
This is a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud video that I know you’ll love.
Until next time…
Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner
The post Are negative thoughts running your life? appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
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April 7, 2017
Tapping Meditation: Unlock Your Creativity
I’ve got a free Tapping Meditation for you today that will be particularly useful if either of these two scenarios applies:
You’re a writer, artist, or creator, and feel STUCK. (My friend Arielle Ford credits a 15-minute Tapping session she did with me to unlocking a whole book for her.)
You don’t think you’re a creative person, or perhaps that your work demands creativity which you don’t have. Well, not to be too blunt… but you’re wrong on both accounts.
You ARE creative! You just haven’t unlocked it. And today’s work, regardless of what it is you do, demands creativity.
Creativity isn’t just about painting a picture or writing a book – it’s about opening your mind to thinking differently, to seeing different ways of fixing problems, and finding solutions.
So, based on those two scenarios… I think you’ll find this meditation useful.
It normally sells for $20, but it’s my gift to you today because I’m just too excited to see what creativity you’re going to unleash on the world.
