Finally Getting Fit

*NOTE: Anyone who comments on any of Dawson’s posts (spotlight today, guest post tomorrow, interview on Friday) is automatically entered to win a copy of Dawson’s book - The Genie in Your Genes!

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Hello and welcome to Finally Getting Fit, Dr. Church.

1. Could you give the readers here an easy to understand definition of epigenetic work and what you talk about in your book, Genie in Your Genes?

Epigenetics is the science of the signals that activate genes. Our 24,000 genes contain blueprints for building various proteins. Which genes are active, and which proteins get built, depends partly on the signals we send to our cells. In The Genie in Your Genes (www.GenieBestSeller.com), I show how our consciousness is one of the primary purveyors of epigenetic signals.

2. Is epigenetics all energy work? If not, what other things does it incorporate?

Epigenetic signals are sent to the genes in a variety of ways. Some ways are: messenger molecules like neutrotransmitters, neural synaptic signaling, electromagnetic fields, and possibly using light in the form of biophotons. These can be generated by external environmental cues (food, temperature, predators) or internal ones, like the shifts in consciousness produced by meditation, belief, and EFT.

3. What is EFT?

EFT is short for Emotional Freedom Techniques. It’s the fastest consistent method I’ve ever found for reducing the emotional charge of traumatic memories. It involves pairing the memory with a self-acceptance statement, and then tapping on 12 stress-reduction sites on the body, which send an epigenetic piezolelectric signal through the connective tissue. It often works on physical pain, and cravings, too.

4. Could you share a story of healing?

We use EFT to work with veterans suffering from PTSD (posttraumatic stress syndrome). In a clinical trial I published in a peer-reviewed journal, I tell the story of a particular Vietnam veteran with a particularly troubling memory. He usually went on patrol with his best friend, who would walk on his left. This particular time, his friend was on his right, and was killed by a sniper’s bullet in his right side. This veteran had blamed himself for decades for not “taking the bullet” and saving his friend’s life.

After EFT, his cognitions about the event shifted to include the recognition that his friend would willingly have died for him. Another time I worked with a doctor who had recently fractured her wrist. On a 0 through 10 scale, her pain was a 7. For about 10 minutes we did EFT on a traumatic childhood memory, after which the pain dropped to 1.

5. Can energy medicine and conventional medicine coexist? Is one better than the other?

Integrative medicine combines the best of both. You use conventional medicine for conditions it’s good at treating, such as fractures and infections. You use energy medicine for conditions for which it’s suited, like autoimmune diseases, anxiety and depression.

6. Can epigenetics help couples to achieve a healthier pregnancy?

Without a doubt. Much fetal development is governed epigenetically. The emotional state of both the man and the woman affects fetal development, and when one or both parents are committed to cleaning up their past emotional wounding, they help create a healthy womb environment.

7. Does energy work and other practices mentioned in your book offer hope to anyone suffering with a health problem?

Even if you have a serious disease like cancer or heart disease, energy medicine can help. If you achieve inner peace and emotional balance, studies have shown that the stress reducing effects of peace of mind correlate positively with the need for pain medication and doctor’s visits. The book is full of examples of energy psychology and conventional medicine working harmoniously together, whether it’s for a minor problem like a cold or cut, or a major disease.

8. Where do you think/hope epigenetic study will be in ten years?

In the last 20 years, medical science has developed advanced tools like gene chips that can measure the expression of every single gene in the human body simultaneously. We are now turning this technology to the study of consciousness, and investigating how shifts in consciousness like beliefs, meditation and energy work affect genes. I predict we will find very large and important effects on the genome resulting from changes in consciousness, and we will start to use these findings to bring energy psychology into primary care settings. Expect it in hospitals and clinics within a couple of years.

9. What are you hoping readers take from reading Genie in Your Genes?

The understanding that you have enormous leverage over your health. Also that there are a dozen things you can do in ten minutes or less that can have widespread positive epigenetic effects throughout your body.

10. Where can readers go for more information?

To buy the book, go to www.GenieBestseller.com. If you know a veteran who needs help, send them to www.StressProject.com. And if you have a sports team or business that needs a quantum performance increase, send them to www.EFTPowerTraining.com.

11. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Love yourself. De-stress yourself. Experiment with different stress reduction techniques, and find a toolkit of them you can make your own. A calm emotional environment is the incubator of creativity as well as health. This gift is within your reach, and you deserve it. Don’t put it off; do this today!