Like so many internet trends, I am often late to the party. Most of the time, I couldn’t give two who-who-hoots… I am who I am. This time though, I wish I had come across two nifty little ideas a little sooner. Why? Because, combining them has been a big help for my nervous Nervous System: Butterfly Tapping and the sing-song-sounds of “Every Little Cell Inside My Body”.
OK, let’s look at the song first, then the tapping, then put them together. That way, you’re twice as likely to feel healthier and happier!
“Every Little Cell”
First up – the world wide web is spun through a series of complex tangles and twirls. Hits are mixed with misses, ideas morph and mingle, until it becomes hard to find the origin story. I’ll do my best to work backwards to the source, but apologies if I get the attribution wrong.
The first time I heard the song was on Instagram when a young man with a nice beard and a big smile started singing:
Every little cell in my body is happy
Every little cell in my body is wellI’m so glad, every little cell
In my body is happy and well
As he was singing, he started to pat his forehead, as if he was doing EFT Tapping. I’ve written about Tapping before (here). It’s used to self-regulate a hyper-vigilant nervous system; and I love it.
For the rest of the day, I pottered about the house singing the catchy tune to myself, enjoying the sound of my own sing-song-happy voice. It reminded me of my own home-made lyrics: “Today’s going to be a good day. I can tell, I can tell…” (You can listen to me whisper-singing it here.)
Anyway – liking that Instagram post, meant the algorithm sent me the same song from other people. LOTS of other people. I realized it must be ‘a thing’. When I googled it, I found an article in an Australian newspaper about a music therapist called Allison Davies who went viral during Covid Lockdown. All because she was singing the “Every Little Cell” song. Here’s her singing on YouTube:
[Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE6jnezy1MU]
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The article – coronavirus-anxieties-eased-with-therapists-song – includes Allison explaining that she works with stroke / traumatic brain injury patients and how helpful music can be for improving mental health and speech rehabilitation.
Advantages of singing the tune, according to Allison, include (in order of appearance in the article):
- a catchy tune, sung over and over, helps to regulate our nervous system.
- anxiety, dis-regulation, or feeling as if you are in survival mode turns our pre-frontal cortex off, but we need that part of our brain to make decisions and stay calm.
- research has shown that melody activates more of our brain than any other prompt.
- when we sing, it creates a nice controlled breathing pattern.
- singing something over and over, creates a sense of predictability that is calming.
All of this makes sense to me and is probably why I have been enjoying singing the song – or humming it – because humming is also very powerful and helps your Vagus Nerve feel better (read more here).
Now – quick pivot back to my note about attribution. The Australian video and article about Allison refer to ‘her song’. Embedded in the middle of the article, however, it says she remembered the song from the 1980s, and that it was possibly by Carl Anthony. I did find another YouTube video that attributed the song to a Karl Anthony, and this video includes basic computer drawings and some happy harmonizing:
[Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_95QiVJN-U]
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Still on the lookout for the original version, I found a site which said the song comes from a Unity Church camp song from the US in the 1980s. Also helpful, was the advice that the song is sung to the tune “Shortnin’ Bread”. I found an early rendition you can listen to here: https://singingalive.org/2010/02/15/every-little-cell/.
Spiraling back to Instagram, there are many variations on the theme – the more links you listen to, the more the song gets hardwired into your brain:
This is a version which includes tapping by a Yoga teacher: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcT-HRjqHRt/?hl=en
Here’s an Instagram version where the lady massages her face instead: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY6cRvhx9aT/
And one last one; a lady who adjusts the lyrics slightly to encourage her healing during chemotherapy: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DckgzUbFCR2/
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Butterfly Tapping Hugs
OK, so the second technique to calm your nervous system that I found on Instagram, is called Butterfly Taping, or Butterfly Hugs.
The process goes like this:
- Position your arms: Cross your arms over your chest so your hands rest on your upper arms or opposite shoulders. (You can also hook your thumbs together with your fingers resting just below your collarbone to mimic a butterfly.)
- Breathe slowly: Close your eyes or soften your gaze, then take slow, deep breaths.
- Tap alternately: Gently tap your hands in a slow, rhythmic left-right-left-right pattern, like a butterfly flapping its wings. (Or, if you’re tired, stressed or in pain, just do what I do and tap both hands at the same time (which is I think is actually closer to a butterfly’s flapping)).
- Take a moment: Tap for 30 to 90 seconds (or until you feel calm), take a deep breath and sit for a moment.
The internet provided a few different websites examples, but the advantages listed were all the same:
- Nervous system regulation: The steady rhythm helps quiet the brain’s stress center and signals to your body that you are safe.
- Anxiety and Stress Reduction: Alternating tap motions activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the body’s rest-and-digest mode), which eases panic.
- Bilateral stimulation: Alternating physical touch on both sides of the body engages both hemispheres of the brain.
- Instant Accessibility: The practice requires no tools and can be performed discreetly anywhere, anytime.
- Grounding and Presence: It stops racing thoughts by shifting your focus away from overthinking and anchors your awareness back into your physical body and the present moment.
Again, there are several videos online, but here is a nice gentle one that I really like (3 mins):
[Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGGJrqscvtU]
If you have a little more time available, and want to learn more about the benefits, here is an (8 min) video that explains it well, and adds a guided visualization at the end:
[Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KXqx4GNwSQ]
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Butterflying Tapping Every Single Cell
OK, so it took a while to get here – but my idea, which has been working very well for me, is to combine the 2 techniques. Cross your ams as if you are giving yourself a hug, then sing the ‘Every Little Cell’ song and tap your shoulders to the beat of the song.
You get double the benefits of feeling happy and healthier!
Well done as always for making it all the way through this post – I congratulate you on your commitment to healing – you are amazing!!
All the best my lovely friends, take care taking care,
Linda x
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