Dr Carrington's newsletter told recently about how she used the Tappy Bear for an adult who had suffered childhood trauma.  This resonated deeply in me and so I went immediately to check out TB.  Much to my dismay it was well out of my price range although very cute. 

But then I figured why not make my own?  So I got a really cute flannel stuffed dog and sewed shirt buttons (the tiny ones) on the tapping points and Wallah!   A cheap surrogate alternative!   

But here's what I didn't expect:  This is fast becoming my favorite toy/tool.  I'm looking for things in myself to tap on wheras before it was sometimes a chore ....and Oh! the yawns I get. I really can hardly believe how it's making me feel.  My inner child feels comforted by a friend which means some things are safer now to tap on, I guess. 

Originally I'd planned on using it when I treat children, but they may have to get their own!  LOL! :D  Just wanted to share.  K

Kirsten - Thanks so much for sharing this.  I had tears come to my eyes as I was reading it and realised it is exactly what my inner child needs right now.  I've been doing a lot of inner child healing but reached a little bit of a block and didn't know how to get past it.  I suspect that this is the answer to the question I put out to the universe on this.  Thank you!!!!!

Best wishes,

Jo

Jo - I'm so glad it resonated w/ you.  My Daughter had the same reaction and so now we are sharing the stuffed animal until she can find one that's 'just right' for her inner child.  Then we'll sew the buttons on, even tho' she knows the tapping points.  I think the buttons help with the intent.

I hope it helps you!  Blessings, K

 I made a tappy bear for my neice and she loved it.  I tried with a bear I loved but I loved him so much I couldn't turn him into the person I was angry with.

Personally I am now finding it so beneficial to adapt the Inner Parent technique which I mentioned on the Inner Child thread.  Its based on a Gestalt therapy technique where I imagine I am taking on the energy of the person I am in conflict with and imagine tapping on them.  It seems to help me have compassion and understand how the other person is doing their best.

It is interesting how resistant some people are to bears and some people arent.  Another technique is to tap on your first finger as you tell someone how you feel about them.  I have experienced that and also see it work very effectively.  Its lovely as the tapping and ranting progresses the cognition changes and people soften and see the 'other' side.

I think for kids though, the bear is wonderful!   It might stop them getting so angry so that we don't get to the stage that we feel sorry for our bears when we are pretending they are the people who hurt us:)  Apparently a tip for this is not to choose a bear you really love but one who can be more 'impersonal'.

Gill

Gill- I made sure that the stuffed animal I used was 'neutral' as far as feelings went, so that there was no sentimentality attached.  This was an instinctive thing for me, because I knew I needed the toy to do a job that would be interfered w/ by past emotions.  And we didn't use a bear on purpose, altho' the reasoning was slightly different.  This was a stuffed dog.

I like the tap and rant thing as well, but the purposes provided by the animal would not be assisted by that technique, since it was about security/ safety for the inner child to bring up deep issues.

Hi everyone

I just thought it would be fun to report a side benefit I've had from buying my inner child a tappy dog after reading Kirsten's initial post.  We went to the second hand clothes store last week and I thought we would bring home a teddy bear, but as soon as we spotted the dog he had to come home with us.  Ever since I've been a lot lighter than my normal more serious self, I've found a real playful side has come out, and my imagination has become quite childlike too.  There is definately a benefit in having a tappy buddy that is there simply as friend for the inner child, rather than proxy for someone we have issues with. 

Another interesting result was that it brought up an issue for me that I didn't even know I had about not having a dog when I was a kid, even though my sister did.  So all in all I'd definately recommend taking your inner child shopping to find him/her a tappy friend if you haven't already!

Thanks Kirsten!

With a cheeky smile,

Jo

Jo!  I'm so glad you shared this with me.  I found the same thing, but thought it was just me.  :) 

I think there is validity in nourishing our inner child.  I was speaking to a friend of mine who went to a workshop last week.  At the workshop she and some other people found the games taught for children were helping her so much, but the presenter said she couldn't do them she had to do the adult technique.  (grrr)  I say we are all children down inside and all of us need a toy and a bedtime story from time to time... And a coloring book!  :D

SO glad it helped you!  K

Me too. I found a soft bear with a kinda goofy smile and I have been looking at any number of stuff animals looking for just the right one for me. This guy is pretty cute and I am going to sew different color buttons on the tapping points. I have also seen a dog that I really like that is a yellow lab. It's fun to look for something that speaks directly to our inner child...my daughter helped me pick ours out and we lined up a couple of them to see which one we liked the expression of the best. Tappy Bear may just be out of range for many people and this makes a great project to do with a child. I have seen many really nice stuffed animals at the thrift stores and right now there is a good selection in stores for the holiday season at reasonable prices. My bear is on the larger side, I'm going to use it for teaching, but I like the idea of a smaller one that a child could take in his/her backpack with them.

I'm starting to notice something pretty interesting doing my healing with Benji (my tappy dog!)  Whenever I do any EFT now, Benji tends to be sitting on my lap.  If I trip onto something big for my inner child, more often than not now I tap on Benji as a proxy for my inner child and use "you" phrases (Even though you felt powerless, I deeply and profoundly love, accept and respect you).  What this allows is for me to keep a separation of "her" feelings (the stuck emotions from the event) and any impatience etc that comes up in me now - I can tap on Benji for the past feelings using you phrases, and on me for now feelings that come up (Even though I'm feeling impatient because all these tears have been flowing by I still have this pain in my neck).  This helps to prevent my inner critic from stopping the show!

Well this morning I was listening to an audio interview about EFT and I was holding Benji while listening.  I found myself spontaneously starting to tap on Benji as I was listening, and all of a sudden I started yawning and burping and had all the signs of releasing lots.  I have no idea what it was, but it just kept going as long as I tapped.  This is really interesting to me because when I first got Benji I tried tapping on him and it felt strange so I decided to just have him as my companion while healing, to help my inner child.  Well now it seems that she's decided that tapping on him is a good idea, and it seems to let me process things that don't need to come into my conscious awareness.  This is seriously cool!

This has also led to something else for me.  I'm working with a long time physical pain and there is clearly a lot of fear associated with the originating incident.  I've had a lot of difficulty connecting with myself at the time it happened and it's been a bit frustrating - I've worked on my own and with three practitioners on it.  Well as a result of the tapping this morning, when I sat down to do the session afterwards I suddenly had the idea that I could ask my inner child if it would be OK for me to tap on Benji for her, while she ran the movie of what happened.  I said she didn't have to say anything at all, she could just run the movie in her mind and I would tap for her.  Again I had no idea what I was tapping on, but a few emotions surfaced, lots of tears fell, and a huge amount of yawns and burps suggested some major release.  I've been frustrated at not being able to use the Movie Technique or try Karl Dawson's Matrix Imprinting with this because I have no conscious memories of the incident - well very vague but nothing that I could make a movie of.  Perhaps this is a way that we can access things that a part of us doesn't feel safe enough to go into any details on at the start.  Interesting.

I'm so thankful that you started this thread Kirsten!  Benji is too, he loves living in the caravan with us! <little jo grins!>

Very best wishes to all,

Jo

I have to share this because it made me so happy. Well made my inner child happy. I found the cutest TY bear--must be one for this season-- that is about 10" total length at a Ralph's grocery store. It was about $6. They probably have them anywhere they sell TY. What makes it so cute is that in one arm it is holding its own little plaid bear that is about 2" long. It's a perfect size for a backpack or to sit on a desk. I bought some tiny bright colored buttons and sewed them on to make a "tappy". I'm going to give it as a gift to a practitioner friend of mine. It may be hard to part with because I found myself carrying it around under my arm without really noticing and then my daughter asked if she could have it! All's well though I bought two extra just in case.

Hi everybody,

thanks so much for this discussion! It is inspiring to read your posts.

I am actually lucky to own a tappy and have sold several on my workshops since, especially since they are offering the affiliate program, which is very generous.

What I noticed is that the moment when people feel they just have to have one is when they get to hold him. Till, the owner did something very remarkable, that I haven't seen with any other bear: He designed him in the exact proportions of a newborn baby. Then he put eyes on him that look forward, with a gentle, yet neutral look, so that he doesn't get in the way of the tapping and people can use him without being distracted. But the most amazing thing is actually, and I wish I could demonstrate that here, that he holds his arms and legs in PERFECT hugging position. For moms, it seems impossible to hold tappy without putting him either on one hip or hold him like a baby. He just wraps his arms and legs around the person holding him, which is extremely comforting. When I work with clients on inner child issues, Tappy's  hugs are so welcoming that it becomes easier for people to connect and let go.

And the firmness of him is just right as well.

Well, I guess I had so many positive results with tappy that my excitement shines through. I know he is more expensive than a TY. But try him out some time. Would love to hear of your experiences!

Blessings

Ingrid

Jo  It is so wonderful to hear your successes.  I'm so glad you'll share!  :)  I yawn every time when I'm tapping on my 'Tap Me' friend also - often without identifying why.  I find myself tapping on the tiny buttons anytime I hold him, too.   I never tho't about using the movie technique for my IC with it.  It might be helpful for me to approach my most major issue - being molested by the anesthesiologist while under general for surgery.  Obviously there are no conscious memories.  I've been able to clear a lot with 'IF I remembered what happened..' but there are still places we don't go.

And Ingrid, the animal me & my mom made has the same dimensions and arms in the same places.  Maybe it is not the same weight but it still seems to be doing the job for me and I don't feel the price tag I couldn't/shouldn't afford.  I think the TB has a huge place and offers its own uses  and I'm certainly not trying to take away from that, but I also think finding a Tap Me friend just suited to *you* can make this tool accessible and affordable to many more people.  To me it is more about blessing the world 'Gary Craig style' than about keeping a corner of a market.  Just my $.02

And Nancy It sounds like you found the perfect little toy for your Inner Child!  :)  K

 Hi Kirsten,

good for you! I'd love t see a picture. Yes, it can be so much easier to do EFT when there is something else to tap on.

Good luck!!!

Blessings

Ingrid

Hi!

I just got my TappyBear, and I loved him the minute I saw him. Besides the "hugability" that I noticed, too, I really like his eyes. He has this warm, concerned gaze that is sooo comforting in itself.

Hi Ingrid! Just wanted to say that Tappy Bear Rocks! I am a practicioner who is getting to know and love the Bear! As you said, this little Bear is designed Perfectly and begs to be held and loved and give love...very comforting.

I do have a quick question...Do you know if the Affiliate Program is still on...I have sold Tappy but received No commision and no sales registered on the affiliate site. I sent e-mails and made phone calls but received no answer. Is Tappy Bear still in business?

Either way, I love Tappy Bear hope we can still buy the Bear.

Thanks for your insights!

love and light,

Jim