How to Lose Weight Using Tapas Acupressure Technique

Many people spend years trying to lose the same 20 pounds. I was one of them. I spent the better part of 5 years struggling with my weight. I would muster all the will power and focus I could and I would get my weight down for a short time and then gradually gain it all back plus extra. This pattern continued to the point where I could no longer bring myself to step on a scale. The reality would just hurt too much. 

I estimate that my weight reached somewhere between 240 and 250 pounds. That is about 55 to 65 pounds heavier than when I ran track in community college. I was a former college athlete who went from being in great physical condition to severely out of weight in just five short years. 

How did that happen? 

• I always had an appetite and now with more time to kill since I wasn’t competing I ate even more. Except at that point I wasn’t training 4-6 hours a day.
• After quitting track I worked more hours at my part time job and could afford to enjoy more food. 
• Growing up poor, food was always scarce. Since I was deprived for so long it was hard for me to control my urges. When I could get my hands on food I ate it. 
• I ate emotionally. Eating was fun and it felt good. I ate when I was stressed. I ate when I was bored. I ate when was celebrating. I ate and I ate. 
• Most of the food I ate was fast food. I was raised with some very unhealthy eating habits.

At first, I tried to lose weight by focusing on exercise. I thought if I could get an intense enough workout then I wouldn’t have to change my diet. The problem was that by that point I was too badly out of shape. One time in particular,  I worked out too hard and then couldn’t raise my arms over my head for a week. Things like this would constantly happen causing me to lose all my momentum. Not too mention the injuries I had accumulated over the years had worsened due to my inactivity which made it even harder to exercise. So naturally I gained weight. 

This was my main strategy for about five years. I would exercise. Lose weight. Get hurt. Gain more weight. There were maybe two variations to this pattern. 

Variation 1: Exercise. Lose weight. Get busy with school/work. Gain more weight.

Variation 2: Exercise. Lose weight. Get busy with something else. Gain more weight.

The Winning Strategy

Fortunately for my health while my weight was spiraling out of control I was beginning to experiment with TAT as a way to deal with social anxiety and work stress. I had been aware that Tapas, the creator of TAT, developed  TAT: Weight Loss program. 

I hesitated to buy it because I was getting so many benefits from TAT in other areas of my life that I thought I wouldn’t need the weight loss program. I assumed that the weight loss program would mainly consist of doing TAT for traumatic events that could have resulted in weight problems. I could think of a few without some program and I thought if I really gave it some time and put effort into it I could think of most of them. I thought if I just did TAT on those events I could clear out all my issues resulting in my weight problems and not even need the program. 

I did this for a time and I’m sure I healed a few traumas and felt better overall but I probably didn’t lose any weight. 

So I finally bought the program and dedicated myself to following it. The program consists of a booklet with page after page of example statements to use during Step 1 and Step 2 of TAT. The booklet suggests reading through the example statements and doing TAT on the ones that resonate with you as issues that need healing. The idea is to go through the TAT steps as usual only using the given statements during Step 1 and Step 2. If this is your first time to doing TAT read this.

I was determined to lose weight and over the course of around 4 months I did TAT twice a day eventually using every statement in the book. At the end of the program I brought my weight down from around 240-250 pounds to around 200. By most standards that is considered amazing. I almost wish I was using NutraSystem so I could star in one of their commercials. 

Since then I have given away my TAT: Weight Loss booklet but I will outline a few of the strategies by memory. This will help you get started but I highly recommend buying the product. It’s actually only around $20 and it’s the most helpful weight loss tool I’ve ever come across. 

Limiting Beliefs

The booklet starts with examples of limiting beliefs that make it impossible to lose weight. The very first limiting beliefs are subtle veils which prevent TAT from working. 

Here are some example statements to use during Step 1 and Step 2:

Step 1-My weight problem is too big for TAT to work. 

Step 2-It’s not true that my weight problem is too big for TAT to work.  TAT can easily help me with my weight.

Step 1-It will take too long to fix this problem.

Step 2-It’s not true that it will take too long to fix this problem. This problem is being fixed now. 

Step 1-Losing weight is hard.

Step 2-It’s not true that losing weight is hard. Losing weight is fun and easy.

Next, the booklet moves on to limiting beliefs about life in general and eating habits. Here are some examples:

Step 1-I always have to struggle to make progress in anything.

Step 2-It’s not true that I always have to struggle to make progress in anything. I easily make progress in everything.

Step 1-Life is stressful and hard.

Step 2-It’s not true that life is stressful and hard. Life is fun and easy.

Step 1-It takes a lot of work to eat healthily.

Step 2-It’s not true that it takes a lot of work to eat healthily. Eating healthily is easy.

Step 1-I need to feel full in order to be satisfied.

Step 2-It’s not true that I need to feel full in order to be satisfied. I enjoy feeling light.

Traumas

Next, do TAT on any traumas related to food, health, weight, etc. 

If you can’t think of any specific examples you can use this for Step 1 and Step 2:

Step 1: The most influential incident resulting in my problems with over eating happened.

Step 2: The most influential incident resulting in my problems with over eating happened. It’s over. It’s no longer resulting in my problems with over eating. I’m okay and I can relax now. 

Triggers

We all have our triggers that cause us to over eat. This part of the booklet was very important to me since I would often eat for reasons other than simply to sustain myself. 

Here is a statement that was immediately beneficial to me:

Step 1: Whenever I am bored it triggers me to over eat.

Step 2: It’s not true that being bored triggers me to over eat. I handle this in a healthy way. 

Not Everyone Lost Weight

Even though I lost an amazing amount of weight, not everyone I know who tried using TAT for weight loss actually saw any change when they stepped on the scale. My girlfriend went through the TAT booklet with me and lost about 17 pounds. My mom and brother however, went through the TAT booklet as well and, to my knowledge, lost no weight. My mom said she felt less stressed but did not lose any weight.

So what made the difference? Why did my girlfriend and I lose weight while my mom and brother didn’t? While my girlfriend and I were using TAT to heal our traumas, limiting beliefs and stuck emotions, we were also changing our eating habits. We bought fresh organic fruits and vegetables and ate fast food less. It doesn’t help to do TAT for weight loss and then continue  the same poor eat habits. 

So then how is TAT helpful if it comes down to diet anyway? Easy, I had been trying for years to lose weight and I never could. If I could have changed my diet at the snap of a finger I would have. I just couldn’t.

I had too many limiting beliefs. I thought it was hard to eat healthy. I thought it cost too much money. I thought healthy food wouldn’t taste good. 

I was traumatized. There were a few times in my childhood when there was nothing in the fridge except condiments. There were times when I wasn’t sure where my next meal would come from. So when I could afford food I had it, lots of it. 

I had emotional attachments to food. It comforted me. I remember, a few years ago in college, I came home after landing my internship and I felt overwhelmed with excitement and I had to eat to handle the emotions. 

So even though my weight loss came down to diet, it was doing TAT that allowed me to change my diet and stick to it. And it was easy! There was no struggle. Not to mention it felt great to finally let go of all the unresolved issues that resulted in my weight gain. 

One Year Later

It’s been about one year since going through the TAT booklet. Since then my weight has dropped from 200 to around 173 pounds. Now, it isn’t solely because of TAT that I have lost more weight. But TAT does make it amazingly easy.

The main reason why I have lost more weight and even now continue to lose weight is because I have started to compete athletically again. I have been training in olympic weightlifting. Competition has given me the motivation and TAT has allowed me to do it. 

So how do you know it wasn’t just genetics that allowed me to lose weight? How do you know TAT will work for you if you’re not training in a sport? Yes, competing in a sport is my main source of motivation to lose weight. However, all the years I had competed in a sport before I always had poor eating habits. I had trouble with my weight through four years of high school wrestling. Each wrestling season, I would only have “six pack” abs for about a week or two. That was as long as I could regulate my diet. During my time running track in community college, I was by no means fat but my teammates would still jokingly refer to me as the “short fat Mexican.” By regular standards I was “buff” but by the standards of college athletes I had a bit of a gut. Plus, even though I’m training in a sport, at this point I do close to zero cardio. So you can rule that out as an explanation. I may be “gifted” athletically but I have never had it easy losing weight.

It’s been a year now since I’ve completed TAT: Weight Loss so I purchased and continue to use the TAT That! Lasting Weight Loss card game. It’s a deck of cards with examples of what to do TAT on in order to continue losing weight. I have already done TAT on many of the issues presented on the cards but another round of TAT can only help. Some of the issues on the cards are new and different than the booklet. Plus, going through the cards often gives me fresh ideas for things to do TAT on. And at about 10 bucks there isn’t a lot of reason to not buy it. 

So now that I’ve done TAT on weight loss issues so many times I can’t count, I feel like I never have to worry about my weight again. I’ll never have to struggle to adopt healthier eating habits. I’ll never slip into obesity again. I feel very safe. Before my appetite was such that I always had to keep it in check just to stay overweight rather than obese. Now, my appetite is big not ridiculous. And it feels damn good. 

-Jason

 

                                      

 

 

 

 

 

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                                                               After one year

 

The Modified Wayne Cook Posture: When TAT Does Not Work

Have you tried TAT or other energy psychology techniques and had little or no benefits? The other day I was skimming through the book Energy Tapping and I came across a very small section explaining why energy psychology techniques will sometimes not work.

The book briefly explained that a person’s energy can become unbalanced and not cross over from one side of the brain to the other. This can be the result of a trauma or of performing an exercise incorrectly. When this happens TAT may become less effective or not effective at all. In order to correct this energy imbalance and therefore make TAT  effective the book recommended a very simple technique. 

It’s easiest to do this sitting down but I have tried it standing up and it still seems to work. First, cross your ankles, left over right or right over left, do whatever seems most natural. Second, stretch your arms out straight in front of you parallel to the floor with your palms faces out. Next, with your palms still facing out put one wrist over the other and clasp your hands together. Then, twist your clasped hands in and upward so that they are resting over your heart. Finally, take 5 to 6 long deep breaths.  It is believed that this helps to connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain. 

The book recommended placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth during the breaths but I have never done that and have always felt it working. For pictures and perhaps more detailed instructions check out this article. 

While I was reading I immediately recognized this technique as the Wayne Cook posture. I have been using this technique for a while now just never in this context. I first learned about it from Donna Eden’s book Energy Medicine. She recommended using this technique when feeling emotionally overwhelmed. 

In her book she wrote that the Wayne Cook posture can help you:

• Untangle inner chaos
• See with better perspective
• Focus your mind more effectively
• Think more clearly
• Learn more proficiently

We can now add “make TAT effective” to that list. 

So how can I know this actually works?

My girlfriend has not consistently experienced the effectiveness of TAT the way I have. Before I just thought she might have more subtle veils than I do but I now I see that it could be a simple energy imbalance impeding TAT’s effectiveness. So now every time I guide her through TAT we will start with the Wayne Cook posture. 

We have already done this once. She was feeling sick to her stomach so we did the Wayne Cook posture and then went through the TAT steps. For step 1 we used the statement, “The biggest attack on my system resulting in this happened.” For step 2 we used the statement, “The biggest attack on my system resulting in this happened. Its over. It’s no longer resulting in this. I’m okay and I can relax now. 

After doing this she felt much better. I can’t say if the Wayne Cook posture had any effect on the outcome. However, I think if we continue to use the technique before TAT and TAT begins to work for her consistently then there must be something to it. 

In any case, even if the Wayne Cook posture has no impact on the effectiveness of TAT all we lose is about 2 minutes. But I think Donna Eden makes a good case for why that 2 minutes was time well spent.

-Jason

The Consequences of Not Letting Go

If we do not take full responsibility of our emotional issues and proactively seek to overcome them the effects could last for generations. Before doing TAT we dedicate the healing to our ancestors, our family and everyone involved and it truly is much more than just us that will benefit from our self growth.

I think of some of the people I’ve known throughout my life and the issues they have grappled with and the messes they have made. These messes rarely stay localized. They almost always seem to find a way to spill over into the life of someone else.

A friend

I think of one of my closest friends in high school. Who got his girlfriend pregnant and cheated on her repeatedly. My friend was raised by a man who sired 18 kids, 12 of which were out of wedlock. The last time I spoke to my friend he acknowledged that he had 2 kids from two different women. That is what he acknowledged. He once showed me a picture of his pregnant girlfriend that he was flying in from out of state. Then when I saw him again months later he was married to what appeared to be a different pregnant girl. He claims it was the same person and it may be but I would not be surprised if it wasn’t.

I think back to awkward moments in high school when he would cry in front of me  because of his strained relationship with his father. I would give him an awkward hug and bad teenage advice.

I wonder what kind of dad my friend is to his kids and doubt that he is a healthy parent. I wonder about my friends dad and what his childhood must have been like.

A relative

Most of all, I think of a relative of mine. He was born to a teenage mom. His mother’s parents divorced  when she was young and she never recovered from the trauma.  She was raised in an unhealthy environment by her mother and step-father. She was mad at her dad for not “saving” her and blamed him for the chaos in her life. This did not change as she got older. It almost seems inevitable that she acted out and got pregnant.

After giving birth her chaotic behavior seemed to escalate. My younger brother told me about a time he was hanging out with her and a man pulled a knife on them. Later, she told my brother that she had been sleeping with the man’s brother.

As she raised her son, I couldn’t help but catch glimpses into his future social problems. She just never seemed to be the most supportive, psychologically healthy parent. In fact, she seemed the opposite.

And he did develop social problems. At around the age of ten he developed the habit of immediately doing the opposite of what any authority told him to do. If an adult told him to not touch something he would immediately touch it. He began lying to the point that nobody could trust what he would say.

As he got older his behavior got worse. At one point he reported abuse so that his teacher would give his mom a note stating that he passed a test. As you can imagine Child Protective Services and the police got involved.

Sadly, problems with him worsened yet again. His mom walked into his bedroom and allegedly found him molesting his little sister. She called the police and he went to juvenile hall. He lives with his grandparents now and he can never go home.

Why was there no intervention?

My relative was not born this way. I remember him as a child and he was basically a normal, good kid. He was innocent and had light in his eyes. He was a bit goofy and vulnerable like all kids. 

So then why did his unhealthy behavior go so far? Why was there no intervention for him? I cannot help but thinking that all this could have been avoided if someone would have reached out to him when he was a kid. If a psychologically healthy, well adjusted adult spent time with him and dealt with the issues of not telling the truth and disobeying authority would any of this have happened? If he just had a decent role model to influence and nurture him could this have been prevented?  I cannot help but thinking that the answer is a resounding “Yes.”

So then why was there no intervention? I think the answer is simply that people do the best they can and lots of time they just don’t know any better. I think his mother did the best she could to raise him in a nurturing, supportive environment and her best was just not very good. Just from knowing about my brother’s experience with the mother, I cannot imagine what his childhood was like. What did he see? What did he experience? What was he deprived of that led him to behave this way? 

We must proactively seek growth

The answers to life’s painful questions are not always right in front of us. In fact, I think it is safe to say that they rarely are. We must take full responsibility upon ourselves to proactively go out and find solutions. By proactively, I mean that we must get a little uncomfortable and do things we’re not used to doing. We have to take different approaches and consciously look at our results. 

I am sure that his mother was “actively” attempting to help her son but who cares if she used the same tired, ineffective methods that did not even help her when she was a teen acting out. She was never able to help her son because she never took the initiative to help her self. Outer peace through inner peace is always the answer.

It is our responsibility to seek out and use tools such as TAT. When we heal and release our inner demons it does more than just help us get a better night’s sleep. It stops painful cycles of abuse and trauma such as these. If his mother sought out and used a method such as TAT she could have healed the trauma of her parents divorcing and let go of the feelings of blame towards her father. She would have had the clarity and self-love to not put herself and those near her in unsafe situations. She could have provided a safe loving environment for her children. 

It is not just these major traumas that we have a responsibility to heal. Think of how much better the world will be when each of us takes the initiative to heal our issues with anger, relationships, money etc. So many generations would be free of the burden of inheriting such negative patterns. So many people would be free of the burden of the mess someone else created spilling into their own life. 

Using Tapas Acupressure Technique

To do TAT on my feelings toward this situation my girlfriend and I started by getting into  the TAT pose and dedicated this healing to several of the people involved:

“This healing will also benefit him, his mother, his sister, us, all of our ancestors, all of our family, our conscious and subconscious minds, all points of view we have ever held, all parts of ourselves, everyone involved with this, everyone using TAT and everyone who would like to benefit from this healing.”

I cannot be sure how much healing will take place for others because of our intentions but if it’s even a little I think it’s worth the effort.

Two of the negative beliefs we did TAT on were:

“I should have done something.” Followed by the statement, “It’s not true that I should have done something. I couldn’t have known.”

“This is his mom’s fault.” Followed by the statement, “It’s not true that this is his mom’s fault. She did the best she could.”

For both of these TAT sessions we did Step 1 and Step 2 twice with different statements.

First, we said Step 1 as, “Everything that contributed to my resonating, identifying and connecting with this happened.” 

Then we said Step 2 as, “All that happened. It is no longer resulting in my resonating, Identifying and connecting with this. It is over. I am okay and I can relax now.”

Then we repeated Step 1 as “Everything that led up to this happened.”

We used the next Step 2 as “All that happened. It is no longer resulting in this. I am okay and I can relax now.”

After doing TAT on these beliefs I felt a huge surge of sadness and I cried very hard for a long time. My girlfriend comforted me and it eventually passed. Afterword, I felt much lighter but I can still tell my work isn’t done. I will keep doing TAT on any issues that come up related to this. 

And I will continue digging and doing TAT on all my issues. Now more than ever with the understanding that the healing that takes place in me will also benefit everyone around and generations to come. 

Thank you for reading and thank you for healing yourself. 

-Jason

When Tapas Acupressure Technique Does Not Work

When I first started using TAT I only had the free ebook and my success with the method was inconsistent. Sometimes I would do TAT and the effect would be dramatic and immediate. I would feel this huge relief as the issues seemed to dissolve away. Yet other times I would feel little if any healing take place.  

Luckily for myself, and everyone who had to deal with me, I conducted a 30 day trial of TAT. Over those 30 days I did TAT so many times that even though I would not always feel healing take place, overall, the healing was still profound. 

I went on in this fashion for some time. I hesitated to buy any products that could speed up my progress because in the past I would fall into the trap of buying and reading rather than applying and doing. I would read book after book on spirituality, relationships and self help but I wouldn’t always apply what I had learned. Don’t get me wrong, reading all those books definitely resulted in a lot of self growth. I was just ready for the next stage.

When I was finally confident that I was ready I bought the TAT Pro Manual. 

Subtle Veils

I learned that the effects of TAT should be quick and effortless. When they’re not there is often a subtle veil in place. A subtle veil is a thought that holds stagnant energy in place sabotaging and preventing healing from occurring. 

These thoughts are so subtle that they are easily overlooked. They often seem unimportant and aside from the real issue but they will hinder  TAT’s effectiveness. For example, when working on a very traumatic issue you might think, ‘This works on smaller issues but it probably won’t work on a bigger one.’ This is a subtle veil preventing healing from taking place. 

As you may have guessed, the answer is TAT. Before working on the bigger issue work on clearing out any subtle veils. It will help to write down or type any doubts or  negative thoughts. In the Pro Manual, Tapas gives examples of what typical thoughts will be:

“I can’t get to the problem.
There’s no end to this.
This will never change.
This is just the way it is.
I can’t stop it.
I’m stuck with this.
This problem is bigger than me.
It’s useless trying to do anything about it.
This can never heal.
This can never be all done.
It’s endless.
I can’t reach it.
It’s confusing.
If I talk about it, I’ll be in trouble.
If I am conscious of it, I’ll be in trouble.
No one will believe me.
I will endanger someone if I talk about this.
I can know it, but can’t see it.
I can be conscious of it, but not be able to
speak about it.
It’s hopeless.”

To remove veils do TAT as you would on any negative belief. I prefer to start by holding the TAT pose and making the dedication. Then I state the belief, “This works on smaller issues but it probably won’t work on this bigger one.” Next, I usually follow up with something like, “It’s not true that this only works on smaller issues and not on this bigger one. TAT works with bigger issues too.”

Next, I will say, “Everything that contributed to my resonating, identifying and connecting with this happened.”

Next, I will say, “Everything that contributed to my resonating, identifying and connecting with this happened. It’s over. I’m okay and I can relax now.”

You may or may not have to go through all of the steps. If the issues feels resolved after these statement then move on to the next veil or to the actual issue. Trust your intuition but if you’re not sure just do all the steps. 

Some issues will have tons of subtle veils. That’s okay. It might take some time to clear out all those negative thoughts but as Steve Pavlina says, “The time will pass anyway.” When that time passes you can be a more successful, more conscious, more free and more loving person or you can be the same crazy mess you always were.

In the words of Adam Carolla,

Mahalo

-Jason

How to get along with coworkers

It’s been said that we spend more time at work than we do with our families. I think if you’re working full time then this statement is usually true. So I don’t need to convince you  that it’s important to get along with the people you spend most of your life with. Not many people consciously want to be miserable all day. 

I have often had trouble getting along with coworkers. I never actively seek out trouble with others but not everyone is like me. The way to deal with people and situations like this is with a cool head which is easier said then done. 

Or maybe your coworkers aren’t actively seeking out trouble with you but maybe they just have a personality or habits that aren’t compatible with your own. Maybe you get along with them but you just don’t find them very much fun to be around. It can be tough spending the majority of your waking hours with someone you don’t actually like. 

How can TAT help with this?

The first way I apply TAT in these situations is by doing TAT on any incidents.

For example, after getting into the TAT pose and dedicating the healing to my ancestors, family, etc., I would start with something like, “Bob ate my lunch.”

Then as Step 1 I would say, “This happened.” 

As Step 2 I would say, “This happened. It’s over. I’m okay and I can relax now.”

Then I would continue with the rest of the steps. 

This will at least get me to the point where that particular incident is a nonissue. I may not be overjoyed to spend time with the guy but at least him eating my lunch isn’t eating away at me. 

I even recommend doing TAT on at least 5 of the biggest incidents causing you stress. After all, it’s these incidents that have lead to your negative beliefs about Bob. “That guy always ruins my lunch. He is thoughtless. He can’t be trusted.” 

I have found that after doing TAT on few incidents like this it is much easier to get along with people. It even opens me up to the possibility of viewing these incidents differently. Maybe Bob mistook my lunch for his. Maybe we use similar looking containers. 

The way you think about your experience determines your emotional responses to them. If you change the way you think about something you change the emotions you feel towards it. If you think Bob is rude and thoughtless then you will feel angry and frustrated with him. If you think of Bob as a lovable goof up then you might see the situation as a bit funny, that is, if you don’t starve to death. 

The role thoughts play with your emotions makes doing TAT on negative/limiting beliefs a very effective way to clear out negative feelings you may be harboring towards people. 

Since I have been using TAT for a while now I am able to notice many of my negative or limiting beliefs as they pop up. I might be at work then the thought pops into my head, “Bob is always trying to undermine me.” This is a thought that could definitely lead to feelings of resentment. Those feelings of resentment smolder underneath the surface and then erupt when something happens as trivial as poor Bob mistakenly eating my lunch. 

To do TAT on this belief after getting into the TAT pose and dedicating the healing, I would first say, “Bob is always trying to undermine me.” Then I would say, “It’s not true that Bob is always trying to undermine me.”

Then, for step 1 I would say, “Everything that contributed to my resonating, identifying and connecting with this happened.” 

Next, for step 2 I would say, “Everything that contributed to my resonating, identifying and connecting with this happened. I’m okay and I can relax now.”

When doing TAT on a belief it’s important to remember that you don’t have to force yourself to believe the statements. TAT isn’t about programing yourself to hold certain beliefs or frames of mind. What TAT does, in my experience, is clear out the emotional charge contained in our beliefs. It’s theorized that by holding the TAT pose while holding in mind opposing thoughts, such as ‘Bob undermines me’ and ‘It’s not true that Bob undermines me,’ we are given the freedom of every thought in between. Our thoughts are no longer polarized. TAT dislodges our stuck opinions and opens our minds releasing trapped negative feelings. 

It’s a great idea to sit down with pen and paper or at your computer and write out any and all negatively charged beliefs about coworkers, work, the commute etc. Then one by one clear them out with TAT. 

I have been going through this process of doing TAT on incidents at work and clearing out negative beliefs related to work and or coworkers for about a year now. And I can say in all honesty that I love my job. Issues with coworkers still come up and these things can still get on my nerves in the moment. However, they’re really more of a blessing because after I do TAT on them, I am just that much more cool headed next time. Then I can enjoy my time at work even more.

In the words of Adam Carolla,

Mahalo

-Jason

My introduction to Tapas Acupressure Technique

When I think back to my life before doing TAT I think I could have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Most anything new that came into my life was followed by an absurd amount of anxiety; Learning how to work a cash register at my first real job, learning how to drive stick, writing my first resume, making my first phone calls to inquire about possible internships. 

These things were all very tough for me but I stumbled through them. I felt the fear and did it anyway, as some would say. 

I have been on the personal development path for much of my life in one form or another. Along the way, I have found many methods, other than TAT, of coping with or even reducing my stress levels. Some of these I would still recommend and will write about later. Yet even with the help of these tools I would still often feel overwhelmed with nervous energy. You know that feeling, when your throat tightens and you choke on your own neurosis. 

My introduction to TAT

Over a year ago, I was heavily involved with this funny little organization ( which eventually turned into a cult  and I might write about that later ) and on the members forum I would notice posts about TAT. People would rant and rave about it’s effectiveness and I would lose interest and scroll down. I wonder if it’s human nature to ignore the answer right in front of you? 

Fast forward a few months or so to a party. My friend approached me about working on a video project with him. He wanted me to help him teach guys how to be cocky funny. Although it may not be obvious at this point I’ve spent years fine tuning my humor. This was my main passion in life for years. I devoured off beat comedies. I spent my free time reliving situations in my mind rethinking what I could have said. Tweaking my responses to be funnier. Needless to say, this project appealed to me. 

I told my friend I was “in” but it would take me some time to get comfortable in front of the camera because of my anxiety. Then he showed me TAT and I took my first baby step towards inner peace.  

After my first time doing TAT I did it on and off for a few months. I noticed that sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn’t. On one occasion I did TAT on an event that was particularly stressful for me and began to tear after, the healing was so powerful. On other occasions, I would do TAT and feel only a slight healing occur or even none at all.

I would do TAT inconsistently like this for months.

30 day trial

Then one day, I realized that certain goals of mine, which I will blog about later, would never be achieved if I didn’t let go of my emotional issues. Mainly, my anger.

I understood that the secret to progress is consistent, diligent effort. So I decided to try a Steve Pavlina style 30 day trial. The basic concept behind this is to try out a new daily habit for 30 days. If you find the habit empowering then it will be easier to continue after you have 30 days of habit forming behind you. If you decide the habit is something you do not want to continue doing then you can stop. The situation is win-win because even if you stop you still accomplished 30 days worth of work. Besides, the true benefit of a habit is hard to tell without at least 30 days worth of it.

With this in mind, I conducted a 30 day trial of TAT. The plan was to do TAT at least once everyday for at least 30 days. As before, sometimes I felt immense healing take place and sometimes I felt very little.  However, I was doing TAT so often that even though sometimes I didn’t feel as much I was still able to string together enough times when I did feel a lot that the healing was astounding.

After just those 30 days, the changes that took place in me were so great that if I could never do TAT again my life would still be changed permanently.

Some of the benefits

Before doing TAT, work was very frustrating for me. I would often snap at people or lose my temper when the situation called for patience and cool headedness.  As you may have guessed, much of my TAT work was on work related events.

After making TAT a part of my daily life, I earned two raises in one year rather than the standard one annual raise. I was given the opportunity to work on a groundbreaking case study. My role in the company expanded. I began to look at my job as something I love doing rather than something I have to do.

Before doing TAT consistently, I had a very unhealthy relationship with someone I respected too much. After doing TAT consistently, I was able to let see clearly enough to let go of this unhealthy relationship. After, I would notice almost everyday how much better my life had become without that negativity.

Another benefit was the improved quality of my relationship with my girlfriend. Melina and I can both be very emotional people. As with any passionate relationship there are ups and there are downs. With the help of TAT we have been able to increase the length of our ups and decrease the length of our downs.

TAT has helped us both to heal our traumas. It’s our traumas that lead us to our unhealthy patterns. We’re traumatized and then we begin to see the world in a negative light. We develop negative/limiting beliefs that lead to unhealthy behaviors. These behaviors develop into habitual patterns that we continue to follow.

These unhealthy patterns are triggered again and again in relationships, especially passionate ones. By doing TAT we have been able to develop into one of those rare couples, the kind that are passionate and actually get along.

Why TAT did not always work

When I conducted my 30 day trial of TAT my experience with the technique was very limited. I only used the basic procedure provided in the free ebook . Since then I have bought a few TAT products and read through the archive. There are a few reasons why TAT might not work and there are very simple solutions. In this blog, I will share those solutions along with my personal experiences. 

It’s now my experience that when applied properly TAT works. I’m not sure what the limits to TAT are but the more I learn about the method the further those limits get pushed back. And I plan to keep pushing the boundaries and if it never stops working even better. 

In the words of Adam Carolla,

Mahalo

Jason