Tapping the Healer Within: A Simple Way to Find Emotional Relief
If you’ve ever wished for a simple, natural way to ease emotional stress, you’ll love Roger Callahan’s Tapping the Healer Within. It introduces a brilliant technique called Thought Field Therapy (TFT), designed to help us manage negative emotions like anxiety, fear, stress, and trauma- just by tapping specific points on our bodies.
What Is Thought Field Therapy (TFT)?
Callahan’s approach blends ideas from psychology and acupuncture. He suggests that emotional issues are caused by disruptions in the body’s energy flow. The good news? By gently tapping on certain meridian points (a bit like acupuncture points), we can unblock these disruptions and feel better almost instantly.
The beauty of TFT is that it puts the power in your hands – no need for medication or endless therapy sessions. The book provides clear, step-by-step instructions on how to identify the right points to tap, depending on the emotional challenge you’re facing.
Mary’s Story: A Life-Changing Moment
One of the most eye-opening stories in the book is about Mary, a woman who had a severe fear of water that plagued her for years. She couldn’t even look at water without feeling physically sick- her phobia was so intense it caused stomach pains and nausea. Despite years of therapy, nothing seemed to work.
In a session with Callahan, things took a surprising turn. He had been studying acupuncture and decided to ask Mary to tap under her eye, a spot linked to the stomach meridian. Since Mary felt the fear “in her stomach,” he thought it might help ease her anxiety.
And here’s the amazing part: it worked. Instantly, her fear of water disappeared. Mary could walk to the edge of the pool without feeling the usual panic or discomfort.
The best part about TFT is its simplicity. It’s something you can do yourself, whenever you need it. Whether you’re struggling with everyday stress, anxiety, or even deep-rooted fears, TFT gives you a way to calm your emotions quickly and naturally.
Roger Callahan’s Tapping the Healer Within is full of real-life stories and practical tips to guide you through the process. It’s an empowering approach, offering real relief without the need for complicated treatments
I highly recommend reading this book if you have time to invest.
For all you busy bees with no time to dive into a full book, here’s a quick and easy way to release/ease phobias and fears!
I use modified tapping techniques in my clinical sessions with clients, and while it’s a little different from Callahan’s version, it works just as well!
Here’s how the tapping point looks (photo), and below are the simple steps to follow:
Steps:
1. Close your eyes and focus on the phobia or fear that’s bothering you.
2. Rate how intense the feeling is on a scale of 1 to 10
(with 10 being the worst).
3. Start gently tapping the point shown in the photo while thinking about or visualising your phobia.
4. You may feel waves or sensations – keep tapping until they ease (do not forget to breathe while tapping!).
5. Once the sensations subside, stop and rate the intensity again.
6. You can repeat this a few times a day or as needed.
7. If your fear is really intense, you can start by just saying the name of the phobia without visualising it, and then begin tapping.
8. Each round of tapping usually lasts about 30 seconds to a minute. You can go longer, but be gentle to avoid over-tapping or bruising!
