Soul Stories: Thailand, Tamarind, and Tapping

Ok, not gonna lie. Tamarind has nothing to do with this post other than it is delicious and found abundantly in Thai food. It gave the title a nice little alliteration that I couldn’t resist. Please, keep reading.

Many of you know I’ve spent a lot of time in Thailand. It started as an innocent solo adventure trip to learn Thai boxing and get certified in scuba diving. It ended with me standing in the Bangkok airport, abandoned by who I thought I would marry.

I actually traveled to Thailand four separate times, and the third time I went I stayed for about two months. I was leaving my corporate job in Afghanistan, and I had an invitation to come live and teach yoga at a raw foods detox center, where people would travel to have a healthy vacation. Imagine being in paradise, surrounded by beautiful spirits, with access to the most healthy food and best exercise possible. It was truly magic, but, I was there for a greater purpose.

Shortly after I arrived, I learned of an alternative therapy called “NLT” by a British man named Tim Robins. Neuro-Linguistic Tapping (NLT), a combination of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping), seemed new-agey, egdy, and weird. So, naturally, I wanted to learn more! 🙂  I started pouring through testimonials of people who had worked with Tim and how their lives had been changed in just a few hour+ sessions. It was just gimmicky enough for me to be skeptical, and just logical enough for me to be curious. I found the principles within the practice that I agreed with, such as

• People are not their behavior. They act from their own respective level of consciousness, using the resources that they know, and often in response to “fight or flight”.
• There is no failure, only feedback. Because everything is a matter of perception, we can reframe any situation into something that works for us instead of against us.
• The body stores emotions if they are not processed fully and released.

Now that you’re probably getting a little uncomfortable, let me go ahead and provide a full disclaimer. It’s taken me nearly three years now to come forward and publicly subject myself to the backlash of offering this service. Why? Because I know human nature. People will call this pseudoscience. People will call me a quack, even though I have a Master’s degree and am generally respected for my intelligence and objectivity. People will reject me, and I will lose some readers. BUT, I truly feel now, that the benefits outweigh the backlash, because I’ve seen time and time again how NLT has changed people’s lives and perspectives. So yes, I know the risks, and I only have anecdotal evidence from a limited data collection, but for me- that is enough. I do not feel that this is knowledge and experience that I should hold on to for myself, anymore. I feel it needs to be shared.

Okay, bring it back to Thailand. I enrolled in Tim’s training to become a certified practitioner and to address some emotional baggage I personally carried, and I underwent study with some of the most interesting people in the world. From resort owners to sports psychology coaches, technology entrepreneurs and yoga teachers, we had an awesome group. We all experienced personal transformation as we studied and practice this esoteric technique. We went from skeptics to believers as we addressed our most rooted fears and experiences. I was able to help a Columbine survivor release her fear, anger, and pain from witnessing the school shooting. I personally let go of years of self-destruction after losing my brother in a tragic car accident. What I experienced convinced me enough to share NLT and scared me enough to keep it a secret.

During my three years since training, I’ve been through a limited number of sessions with people I only fully trust. I wrote an article about military members who served in Iraq/Afghanistan, and I was amazed to receive reader mail from service members who have undergone tapping therapy and rave about the results. And now, I’m ready to step into the practice and open it to whoever feels that it can be helpful to them on their respective journeys. If it’s for you, then you will find a way to receive it. And if I can facilitate that for you, I would be honored.

xojf