Those old emotions, especially the unpleasant and negative ones, can linger for weeks, months, and years. It’s not uncommon to still feel the impact of an event that shocked or scared us as children. So what is the solution? Releasing those old feelings once and for all is the only way to be liberated from them. How? There are many paths to finally being at peace with the past and the emotions they fuel. One such method is called Tipi. Developed in France this technique is used by therapists on clients who are plagued by persistent phobias or anxieties. Cedric Bertelli, a San Francisco-based Tipi Specialist, explains how the process works.
What is Tipi?
TIPI, a French acronym which translates as "technique for the sensorial identification of unconscious fears," is an effective system for quickly and reliably eliminating emotional difficulties such as persistent fears, phobias, and anxiety. It is not psychotherapy and is not meant to replace the work of therapists; rather, it is a protocol that uses sensory awareness to permanently remove blocks and restore the body's own capacity for self-regulation.
How was Tipi developed?
This therapeutic method was developed in France by a celebrated French researcher and expert in pedagogy, Mr. Luc Nicon. Between 2003 and 2007, Luc Nicon conducted a study based on 278 people suffering from emotional distress. Out of these people with phobias, fears, inhibitions, depression or irritability, only 7 did not manage to completely overcome the difficulty that handicapped them. In 79% of the cases, the “resolution” of the difficulty took place in only one session. Of the remaining 21%, seldom did it require more than 2 sessions to reach the same result. Mr. Nicon then published a book that summarized his findings from the study in 2007 (now available in English : « Tipi, Technique for the sensory identification of unconscious fear »). The book rapidly became a best seller, bringing public attention to the TIPI work. Today, over 500 Tipi-trained professionals performing about 10,000 sessions a month confirm these results on a daily basis…
But the way, this work truly developed in France was from word of mouth and practical application. More specifically, whether it be therapists that completed the Tipi Professional Training and integrated TIPI into their practices or non-Tipi certified therapists that referred their clients to TIPI specialists for specific emotional difficulties or traumas, therapists quickly witnessed the radical improvement in their clients emotional state when TIPI was provided.
As word of the effectiveness of TIPI spread in the professional community, the trainings filled up and multiplied, the growth and reputation of TIPI continued… The way we are planning to develop TIPI in the US is very much on the same model: to make this work popular based on results.
Regarding TIPI being covered by the National health care system : I checked my information and it is not (yet !) the case, it is being studied. However TIPI is already integrated as a part of the program in what we call in France, « Maisons de Sante ». The « Maison de sante » are places gathering several professionals in order to help people in emotional distress.
Describe what a Tipi session looks like.
We normally like to set aside a half an hour, however the sessions often take less time than that.
The sessions can be on the phone or in person. Either way the client is seated comfortably, the practitioner then talks the client through reliving a specific situation in which the client recently experienced the emotional difficulty they came to resolve. This portion of the session is tailored to each client, based on their needs. The client stays completely conscious during the whole process. Upon reliving the situation “properly” the natural healing ability of the client’s body will take over and resolve the difficulty by releasing the blockage causing the difficulty. When the blockage is released the client generally enters a state of calm, and the session is complete.
An interesting aspect of Tipi is that the Tipi specialist is paid for the result, not their time; how is a result measured?
When you come for a Tipi session, you come with a recurrent emotional difficulty that negatively affects your life in some way.
When successful, there is no remaining charge for the specific situation you came with, nor for any future similar situations and none for the particular recurrent emotional difficulty you came to resolve. That particular emotional difficulty no longer negatively affects your life.
We confirm the result with a follow up call, 10 days after the session and then again in a month.
Shorter answer: When successful that particular emotional difficulty no longer negatively effects your life!
You changed your career to bring Tipi to the United States, what lead you to do that?
From as far as I can remember (probably my kindergarten years) I always have been an anxious person. I held within me, from a very early age, a lot of fears, anxieties, anger… you name it.
As a young child, I could hide this side of me behind work, good results in school, humor… but it expressed itself negatively throughout my body; I was dealing with eczema, asthma, anxiety/anger crisis at home…
I decided to pursue a career in Restaurant business because I wanted to bring joy to people. Once I stepped into the professional world, I became very successful. I did most of my career in the USA, working for a major corporation. If everything seemed easy and smooth for me from the outside, inside, I was still dealing with a great deal of anxiety and fears. You know, restaurants and hôtels are like « Small worlds, small laboratories »… I was able to witness for years at tables with restaurant patrons or in the back of the house with my employees how much « emotional difficulties » rule everyone's lives.
In my mid twenties, I decided to go on a personal « quest » to experience several kinds of body and psychological techniques to get rid of my own anxieties and to help my staff and the people around me better… Although many of the modalities I experienced were powerful, most of them were asking for a lot of effort, a lot of work, control… and the effects were not permanent; it was a lifelong ongoing process. That was not what I was looking for… I believe in work, but I also believe in definitive results!
We have to face it, most of our fears or emotional hassles do not make sense. Sure, we can try to intellectually find a reason why we are the way we are, why we are reacting a certain way in front of situations or people: “I am getting mad in traffic, because people are driving like idiots!”, I am lacking self confidence because when I was a kid my parents did this or that…”, “I can not have a normal relationship because my ex broke my heart 2 years ago…”, etc, etc, etc….
Yes, we can find a reason why, a reason that pleases us, but this understanding, if it becomes a part us, a part of who we are, of what we tell people about us, does NOT bring actual healing. We are still suffering…
After many years in the hôtel business I was feeling «useless» to the World, what I was doing was not really helping anyone… and I was not feeling fulfilled by what I was living anymore.
When I first encountered TIPI in 2009, what intrigued me was that Mr. Nicon offered a « pragmatic », radical resolution to emotional difficulties. I experienced the work on myself, lived the result. Emotionally, I am not the same Man today than I was 4 years ago: I am calm, relax. And one of the good side effects of “deactivating” stress is that I do not have anymore eczema or asthma…
It became clear right away that this work was what I wanted to learn, master and to pass on… and where else than in the U.S, where I feel at home.
Are there particular testimonials that stand out in your mind that have resulted from a Tipi session?
Yes, many… from the person that was suffering from social anxiety and overcame this difficulty in one session, to the woman that couldn’t drive across a bridge (can you imagine the hassle when you live in the Bay area…) and is now completely comfortable with that ; Men who overcame their performances anxiety…
An important one for me was with a Lady that was so angry at her husband disease, that she lost her connection to him as the final days were approaching. She did a session on her anger or sadness toward the illness (depending on how you want to call it) and was able to reconnect with him on a very deep level before his passing.
But the best testimonial, is always the one to come.
Anyone can become a Tipi Specialist. Why is that? What does the training look like to become a Tipi Specialist?
You must remember that the Tipi method is simple and specific. There are no elaborate exercises, extensive cognitive retraining, or intricate physical handling. Only direct statements that guide a person away from "dealing" with an emotion in their mind and brings them back to a concrete awareness of the emotion in their body. This is a skill that every individual has the ability to master and should in order to remain centered and present. Thus, every individual is capable of understanding the specifics required for each step to be successful.
Being a Tipi Specialist is just taking this knowledge further and learning how to teach another person the method and how to identify and correct when someone has performed a step incorrectly. That is the beauty of the Tipi method, that any individual can reach out and help themselves as well as others access their natural healing abilities. This is not meant to be privileged knowledge of the select few. This would lead to limited access to happiness and well being.
The format of the Tipi Pro class is a series of 4 sessions (usually Friday through Sunday) that span across 4 months. Specific details of the topic of each session can be found at www.tipi-us.com/tipi-us.training/tipi-us.training.html. What is not mentioned on the website is the teaching method is very interactive and practical, with many opportunities for direct application of Tipi. You learn the method by actual sessions on yourself, on your classmates, and on a series of role playing performed by the instructor based on actual cases. Classes are kept small, max of 6, to allow for enough individual attention as well the benefits of support and camaraderie Learning is by trial and error for the individual as each student interchanges being the role of client and practitioner. It's also a great opportunity to be the healer as well as the healed in the class, so you grow in professional skill and also personally.
Tipi is also a technique that a client can learn so they can do it on their own to deal with emotions that come up in their daily life. How does self-application of the Tipi technique differ from what is experienced in a session with a Specialist?
In a session with a Specialist, a client comes with a recurrent emotion and a situation that has already passed. The Specialist helps guide the client to relive the situation and bring awareness back to the body.
When a client completes a Self Tipi Training, they will then have the ability to do the same, to address a situation related to an emotional difficulty after the event has occurred. The process and result is not any different. The difference is only in whether a Specialist need be present to cue a client on how to redirect their attention or is the client able to independently redirect their attention. However, in addition, a Self Tipi Training includes instruction on how to resolve emotional difficulties that are happening live, in the moment. This enables the client to remain present with the emotion as it is occurring now, to ensure that the body's natural ability will resolve the emotions appropriately.
How is Tipi distinct from other modalities that are designed to release strong negative emotions?
There are several modalities that are designed to release a strong negative emotions, such as EMDR and EFT. TIPI is distinct in several ways: it is fast and usually requires only one treatment, seldom lasting longer than half an hour, to permanently eliminate emotional difficulties. It is neither talk therapy nor a bodywork modality, and can be taught to the client so that he or she can quickly and reliably apply the technique autonomously to eliminate any emotional difficulty that arises without the intervention of a trained practitioner.
What can someone learn from attending one of your public information talks about Tipi?
We all possess a natural ability to self-regulate our emotions (TIPI specialists are using this natural “tool” to resolve their clients difficulties), the fact is that this natural resource is available to all of us in the precise moment when we are experiencing an emotion. The public trainings are teaching people how to access this natural ability in order for them to resolve their own emotional difficulties when they come up in their lives.
These trainings are also a great platform to answer any questions on the technique, sessions and trainings…
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