We all know that the body and brain are deeply interconnected, in fact, there can be no brain without a body (at least so far), but it’s easy to treat them differently because of the way they communicate. The body lets us know when it needs something through physical sensations- pain, pleasure, inflammation, irritation, and infinite other sensations. We don’t often get physical sensations from the brain, however. As a result, it’s easy to look for non-physical solutions to issues that affect our brains- like stress, worry, and emotion. But it’s been shown that physical activities can be helpful in dealing with stress.
An example of this is Brain Education Healing Point training, or BHP for short. BHP involves pressing on acupressure points in the head to stimulate awareness and release tension. Many people might be surprised to learn that your head has acupressure points! But try it and you’ll learn quickly that a lot of tension and pain can accumulate in your head…
Start from the very top of your head, known as the ‘baekhwe’ or 7th chakra. Using your fingers, or any object that lets you apply pressure (not too sharp!), press strongly. If you feel pain or strong sensitivity, stay there and keep applying a strong but tolerable amount of pressure while breathing comfortably. Let your mind relax and focus on the pain point without resisting.
If you haven’t found your ‘pain point,’ keep moving around your head and testing different spots.
When you find the right healing point, you’ll know. The most appropriate point can be different for each person and may reflect your particular stress condition. Once you’ve found the most stimulating spot for you, stay there and apply pressure for 2-3 minutes. Let your mind relax and open to the sensations and keep breathing comfortably. After 2 or 3 minutes, stop applying pressure and feel the difference.
Take a moment to breathe and feel the changes in your body and mind. You might be surprised to feel the difference in different parts of your body- muscles, joints, even deep inside. Everything is connected to the brain, so stimulating acupressure points so close to the brain can affect the whole body!