When was the last time you’ve got a nice hug?  I mean, a BEAR hug? 

Well, if you lived in Ames, Iowa, that could have been quite a possibility.  Just ask about 100 women who chose to stop by my EFT/Tapping booth at the Ladies Expo 2009 a couple of months  ago.  Most of them I approached with Tappy Bear in my arms and words, “Could you use a hug?” or even, “Seems like this was a long day for you.  You look like you could use a hug...” 

The reaction was, in most cases, a sincere surprise, followed by a giggle, and then by words, “Sure!  Who couldn’t use a hug?!”  And the women would rush to hug Tappy, who was a total stranger to a large majority of them. 

The transformation was phenomenal and instant – their eyes would come alive, their faces would light up, and their expression lines (don’t you dare to call them “wrinkles”, as I just joined the “40+ Club” earlier this year!) would soften...  No plastic surgery, no expensive cosmetic treatments, no diamonds, and - no chocolate involved!  Just a nice, soft, warm, bear hug from irresistible Tappy.

I’ve seen all of that before.  In my office.  I specialize in helping people, who had been traumatized on many different levels – by car accidents, war, domestic violence, and especially childhood abuse (often sexual, by a close family member).  My job is to guide them through the process of taking the emotional edge off their memories, calling their power back, and reclaiming their lives. 

Now, many of them have not only a very hard time expressing their emotions, but also feeeeeling anything.  No wonder – it’s so heartbreaking to think even for a moment about their past, that many of them unconsciously retreat into some sort of amnesia.  But we can’t just shove something of that magnitude into our subconscious mind and leave it there undisturbed, because it inevitably starts interfering with our day-to-day living.  Usually, we start thinking of ourselves as being “not good enough”, “less than”, “not deserving”, “unlovable”, and even “dirty”, or “stupid”.  And in order to prevent having nervous breakdowns left and right because of that tremendous inner pain that we walk around with, but are not quite ready to face it and deal with it (yet), we develop all kinds of coping skills, like compulsive eating, shopping, gambling, smoking, drinking, taking drugs, and even sleeping around.

Enter Tappy Bear.  And those same adults that have been struggling for so long with their “baggage” and oftentimes don’t feel safe exploring their past on their own, all of the sudden they embrace Tappy, and start peeling their proverbial personal “onions”, removing layer after layer of old hurts, arriving to the core issues, and releasing trauma, pain and tears. 

Tappy is the BRIDGE to their childhood or simply the safe place of unconditional love.  He doesn’t need to be loved back.  He’s not there to judge anybody.  And while it is a lot of fun to tap on Tappy’s points instead of our own, many times I instruct my clients to just snuggle with Tappy and rub the “sore spot” simultaneously, while tuning into the presenting problem.  And the “magic” happens. 

After all, maybe Tappy’s really ARE “magic” buttons...