First-Aid Stress Tool (FAST) for Quick Stress Relief and Pain Relief

What is First Aid Stress Tool?

First-Aid Stress Tool (FAST) is a mind-body stress relief exercise designed for you to easily use yourself. It was developed in Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) as a simplified version of the full NET procedure, to support patients in managing stress and pain in between office visits.

Although FAST has less depth than the complete NET procedure—which is only performed by specially trained, licensed healthcare practitioners—many people find it to be very effective for pain and stress relief, and it is quick and easy to perform. All you need is two free hands!

Please note that this guide is intended for information purposes, and it is not medical advice, and does not replace NET, NET remedies, or any other health care. Feel free to call (925) 310-5314 for an appointment if you would like the support of the full NET procedure, and NET Remedies.

How Does First-Aid Stress Tool (FAST) Work?

Both Neuro-Emotional Technique and FAST are designed to extinguish conditioned responses that are causing ongoing stress. Often, everyday life has subconscious reminders of past stressful experiences, and these reminders trigger stress responses. We can experience these stress responses without even knowing that it was a past stressful experience that triggered them, and these stress responses are often accompanied by symptoms.

Symptoms of stress responses can be mental, like feeling anxious or tired, or they can be physical, such as pain. In fact, it is common for there to be a stress component to a physical complaint. To the extent to which mental or physical symptoms are related to stressors, using FAST and or NET may help relieve them.

How to Use First-Aid Stress Tool (FAST)

1. Think about the symptom that you want relief from.
2. Place the back of one of your wrists in the palm of your other hand, and wrap three fingers around your wrist so that you are holding the three pulse points on the thumb-side of your wrist.

3. While maintaining the pulse contacts, place your open palm across your forehead, covering the space between your eyebrows and hairline.

4. Close your eyes, relax your shoulders, and take several slow, deep breaths while focusing on the symptom that you want relief from.
5. Switch hands and repeat this exercise.

When to Use FAST

FAST can be helpful at any time, since you could have stressors that you are not even conscious of. I recommend using FAST 5 or more times per day, and pairing it with a cue to help make it a new habit. For example, you might do FAST as soon as you get in your car, and again when you arrive at your destination. You can also use FAST any time that you are experiencing symptoms.

Hand Position Variations to Accommodate Injuries and Arthritis

Occasionally people with injuries or conditions such as arthritis find the recommended hand position for using FAST to be challenging or uncomfortable. If that is the case for you, there is an alternative hand position that may be easier.

If arthritis in the fingers makes bending them less than comfortable, consider keeping all fingers straight while holding the pulse points with the palms facing opposite directions, instead of wrapping your hand around the opposite wrist to hold the pulse points.

How to Measure Your Results from First-Aid Stress Tool (FAST)

Ranking Your Symptom Intensity

1. Start by identifying the symptom that you want relief from. It can be any mind/body complaint, like overwhelm, grief, frustration, headache, back pain, stomach ache, etc.
2. Rank the intensity of the symptom on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the most intense.
3. Perform FAST while focusing on your chosen symptom.
4. Re-rank the intensity of the symptom on a scale of 0-10.

Note the difference between your symptom intensity before and after using FAST. You can convert this to a percentage if you like. For example, if you started with shoulder pain that you ranked as being 4/10 in intensity, and it went down to a 2/10 after you used FAST, then you achieved a 50% reduction in pain intensity.

Tracking Biometrics

If you wear a device that records biometric information that can serve as stress indicators, such as heart rate variability (HRV), look to see what changes there are in these values before and after using FAST.

What if First-Aid Stress Tool (FAST) Doesn’t Seem to Help?

If after you have used FAST, and you have used it correctly, you have not experienced any symptom relief, it may be because the cause of your symptom:

1. requires the full NET procedure to address
2. requires homeopathic support with NET Remedies, which are homeopathic products developed by NET to help your nervous system process stresses
3. is not related to mental stressors. Although many times, people experience symptom relief with FAST, often times, there are other aspects to your condition that are important to address as well.

Please keep in mind that FAST is intended to support you as a first-aid tool, and that it is important to use the full NET procedure–including NET remedies when needed–as well to see the best possible results.

To schedule an appointment for NET, or if you are a new patient, call (925) 310-5314.

Dr. Marla Lerner-Powers is a chiropractor in Lafayette, CA who is triple-certified in Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET). She loves sharing this transformative technique with her patients to help them achieve breakthrough after breakthrough.