Beyond Tissues and Tea: How Tapping is Transforming Recovery from Colds and Respiratory Issues

I recently received this wonderful testimonial that highlights the surprising power of Tapping for physical healing:

“My really big breakthrough has been using Nick’s session on healing colds/upper respiratory problems using the Louise Hay affirmations. I started a really nasty cold, lots of breathing problems on Monday. I used other tapping about healing and then found this one on Wednesday. I have had such an amazing and surprising turnaround! At the end of each session I am breathing so much better and actually feel good now. It did bring up a lot of old family stuff and I’m glad to be letting that go, too.” – Duff

Duff’s experience touches on something I find endlessly fascinating: the intricate connection between our physical symptoms and our emotional landscape. Let’s explore why Tapping can be so effective for respiratory issues, and why those “surprising turnarounds” aren’t actually so surprising once we understand what’s happening beneath the surface.

The Body-Mind Connection in Respiratory Illness

When most of us catch a cold or deal with respiratory issues, we immediately think about viruses, bacteria, or allergens. We reach for tissues, tea with honey, and perhaps some over-the-counter medication. These approaches certainly have their place, but they’re addressing only part of the picture.

What traditional approaches often miss is how profoundly our respiratory system responds to our emotional state. Consider:

• Our breathing patterns change dramatically when we’re anxious versus when we’re calm
• Stress hormones can increase inflammation throughout the body, including in the respiratory tract
• Suppressed emotions can literally manifest as “feeling unable to breathe freely”
• Our immune function is directly impacted by our emotional well-being

Louise Hay, whom Duff mentioned, was a pioneer in exploring these connections. Her work proposed that respiratory issues often connect to feelings of being “stifled” or processing grief, fear, or old emotional material that we haven’t fully expressed, and that colds often have to do with feeling overwhelmed or dealing with a build up of small hurts.

Why Tapping Works When Traditional Methods Fall Short

What makes Tapping uniquely effective for conditions like Duff’s respiratory illness is that it works simultaneously on multiple levels:

1. Physical relief: The actual act of tapping on acupressure points sends calming signals to the amygdala (the brain’s alarm center), reducing stress hormones that can prolong inflammation and congestion.
2. Emotional processing: As we tap and acknowledge the emotions connected to our physical symptoms, we often release emotional blocks that have been contributing to the physical manifestation.
3. Belief transformation: Many of us carry unconscious beliefs about illness, healing, and our bodies that can slow recovery. Tapping helps reframe these beliefs into more supportive patterns.
4. Energy movement: From an energetic perspective, Tapping helps clear stagnant energy and promotes improved flow throughout the meridian system

The science behind this mind-body approach is increasingly robust. Research has shown that EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping can significantly impact immune function, stress hormone levels, and inflammatory markers — exactly what you need when fighting a respiratory infection.

The Physiological Explanation

For those who appreciate understanding the mechanisms at work, here’s what likely happened during Duff’s “amazing and surprising turnaround”:

1. Stress hormone reduction: Tapping immediately began reducing cortisol levels, which allowed the immune system to function more effectively
2. Parasympathetic activation: The sequence helped activate the “rest and digest” nervous system state where healing accelerates
3. Inflammation modulation: As emotional content was processed, inflammatory markers likely decreased, reducing congestion and irritation
4. Improved lymphatic flow: The physical tapping motion, combined with deeper breathing that naturally occurs during sessions, may have supported better lymphatic drainage
5. Release of muscle tension: Often we hold tension in the chest, throat and shoulder areas during respiratory illness, and Tapping helps release these constrictions

The combination of these physiological changes creates the conditions where the body can heal itself more efficiently — which is exactly what Duff experienced.

The “Surprising” Emotional Layer

I put “surprising” in quotes because while many people are indeed surprised by what comes up during Tapping sessions focused on physical issues, the emotional component is actually an expected part of the healing process when looking at it from a holistic perspective.

When Duff mentions that the session “brought up a lot of old family stuff,” this is a perfect example of how our bodies often store emotional content that needs processing. In traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs are associated with grief and letting go. In many cases, respiratory symptoms improve dramatically once we address the underlying emotional patterns.

This doesn’t mean your cold is “just emotional” — far from it. Rather, the physical and emotional aspects are so interwoven that addressing both simultaneously creates the conditions for optimal healing.

Beyond Symptom Relief: The Gift of Emotional Release

What I find particularly beautiful about Duff’s testimonial is the acknowledgment of the emotional healing that occurred alongside the physical improvement. That line — “It did bring up a lot of old family stuff and I’m glad to be letting that go, too” — speaks volumes.

Sometimes our physical symptoms serve as doorways to emotional healing we didn’t even know we needed. This unexpected benefit often turns out to be just as valuable as the relief from the original physical complaint.

Many of us have learned to push through physical illness without addressing the emotional components. We take pride in “toughing it out.” But what if our systems are sometimes asking for more than just rest and fluids? What if they’re inviting us to release old grief, process unexpressed emotions, or let go of family patterns that no longer serve us?

Tapping creates a safe container to explore these possibilities while simultaneously supporting physical healing.

The Power of Specific Tapping Sequences

What worked so well for Duff was finding the specific Tapping sequence for colds and respiratory issues. While general Tapping for healing is helpful, using sequences that are tailored to particular conditions often produces more dramatic results.

The session incorporating Louise Hay’s affirmations works particularly well because it:

1. Directly addresses the specific symptoms of respiratory illness
2. Incorporates powerful affirmations that counteract common limiting beliefs about colds and breathing problems
3. Creates space for processing any emotional content connected to the respiratory system
4. Includes language that sends direct signals to the body about healing and recovery

I’ve seen this same pattern repeat countless times — people try general approaches with some success, but when they find the specific Tapping sequence that resonates with their exact condition, breakthroughs often follow.

Try It Yourself: A Simple Sequence

If you’re currently dealing with a cold or respiratory issue, here’s a simplified version of the approach that worked so well for Duff:

1. Rate your symptoms on a scale of 0-10 (congestion, difficulty breathing, sore throat, etc.)

This simplified sequence gives you a taste of the approach, though the full session Duff used goes deeper and is more comprehensive.

The Bigger Picture

What I love about testimonials like Duff’s is how they remind us that healing is rarely just physical or just emotional — it’s usually both. Our bodies, minds, and emotions are in constant communication, creating an integrated system where change in one area inevitably affects the others.

When we approach healing with this understanding, seemingly “surprising” turnarounds become more expected. We begin to see how addressing emotional components can accelerate physical healing, and how physical relief often opens the door to emotional insights.

Whether you’re currently dealing with a cold, recovering from one, or simply interested in building your resilience, consider how tapping might offer you support that goes beyond conventional approaches — addressing not just the symptoms but the whole person experiencing them.

Looking for More Support with Respiratory Health and Recovery?

If you’re inspired by Duff’s experience and want to explore Tapping for your own respiratory health, these resources can help you address both the physical symptoms and the related emotional components:

• The Tapping Solution App – Our app features numerous meditations specifically designed to support physical healing and respiratory wellness. Here are some I recommend:
  • Support Your Healing: Colds (Upper-Respiratory Illness) – This is the same session that helped Duff experience her “surprising turnaround,” incorporating Louise Hay’s powerful affirmations for respiratory healing.
  • Healing the Lungs (Extended Session) – This extended Tapping process builds off of the work of John Diamond MD and Louise Hay, as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine. It can help release the emotions, memories, and thought patterns that can affect the lungs. As we go through this process, we’ll address these emotions and any other layers of your experience so you can experience greater well-being.
  • Release Constricted Breathing – Designed to help with shortness of breath or any difficulty breathing, this Tapping meditation will help to release stress and tension so you can breathe deeply and with more ease. People often reach out letting us know how much easier it is for them to breathe after this one!
• Find a Certified EFT Practitioner – For personalized support, especially for complex or recurring respiratory issues that might benefit from deeper emotional exploration.
• The Tapping Solution for Autoimmune Disorders – While focused on autoimmune conditions, this program contains valuable insights for anyone looking to understand the mind-body connection in healing.

Note: You can access these meditations by clicking the links above using your mobile device, or type the name of the meditation into The Tapping Solution App’s search function.

Have you noticed connections between your emotional state and physical symptoms, particularly with respiratory issues? Or perhaps you’ve experienced unexpected healing when addressing both simultaneously? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

Until next time… Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner