Daniel J. Benor, MD

TWR works so quickly and deeply that it can be disconcerting and unsettling to people who find immediate, profound relief for seriously troublesome problems. This is particularly true with relief for issues that have been present for a long time. One of the ways of dealing with this discomfort is to discount the improvements TWR has produced. Common statements I hear repeatedly are:

“There must be something more behind this [pain or other symptom].”
“It can’t be this easy!”
“I don’t believe this could last.”

The first expression of doubt, which hints at issues underlying the symptoms, is a clear invitation to ask, “So what might that something be?” Following through with further rounds of TWR is indicated.

The others, which are meta-disbeliefs, can set the stage for a return of symptoms. Helpful responses to these resistances will depend on the degree of psychological awareness and sophistication of the person. A range of possible helpful responses could include:

“What does that belief do for you?”
“Is that a helpful or unhelpful belief?”
“Is that a belief you would like to keep or to change?”
“What part of you (e.g. inner child, inner parent) is saying this?”
“Who in your life might be disturbed or upset to know you’re on your way to completely letting go of this?”

TWR works wonderfully well for meta-issues. These respond very rapidly to the tapping and counteracting affirmations. Once the meta-issue has been reduced to an intensity of zero, a replacement meta-positive is installed. Then the person will be ready to return to the primary issue.

Example:

‘Allan’ had suffered with backaches for several decades. He was never entirely free of pain, and often able to complete his day at his office job only with the help of a variety of pills for pain, muscle relaxation, anxiety and depression. He had to take these sparingly and not all at the same time in order to keep his head clear enough to concentrate on his work.

When his pain completely cleared in three rounds of TWR he was initially delighted. But then he became uneasy, doubting that he could really be entirely free of pain so quickly.

While I usually recommend that people with chronic pain pause after attaining a modest level of pain reduction, Allan had surprised me (as well as himself) when his pain dropped from a level 6 to a zero on his third round of tapping. I would normally have recommended that he pause when he reached a 5 or a 4, cautioning him to gradually get used to being a person with less pain. This caution would normally be in anticipation that allowing the pain to drop too quickly can be unsettling, especially when it reaches zero.

Allan used TWR on being disconcerted to find himself without pain. He also came to realize that he was a bit anxious about having no pain at all because he had gotten used to having concessions around some of his obligations at work and at home, such as having to lift heavy objects or take out the trash. Tapping on these anxieties was also helpful.

I cautioned Allan that his pain might return, though probably not at the intensity he had previously been experiencing. (This gave him permission to ‘keep’ a bit of pain if he still needed it.)

With more gradual reduction of pain and other symptoms, sometimes over a period of several months, people who have these sorts of reactions with very rapid changes tend to do better.

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