At the Kiloby Center for Recovery, we employ various forms of mind and body tapping along with mindfulness. This combination is called “Restful Tapping” by Scott Kiloby. When used skillfully, tapping and mindfulness together create is a powerful tool for living more peacefully and restfully in the present moment and transforming mental and emotional suffering into presence.
Scott Kiloby was deeply influenced by his work with Marina Bajszar, a former lead facilitator at the Kiloby Center for Recovery who is now working in Scott’s online training and facilitation program. Marina Bajszar is a highly skilled certified FasterEFT practitioner (a style of tapping) and a Senior Trainer/Facilitator of Scott’s Living Inquiries. Marina helped develop the training manual for FasterEFT. Marina also helped Scott open the Kiloby Center and worked closely with him in the first year to develop the programs at the Center. Scott was also influenced by his own Qi Gong practice which involves certain forms of body tapping that release bodily sensations and emotions. Scott now uses “restful tapping” at the Center. Restful tapping, or “Active Rest” as Marina sometimes calls it, is the combination of these various forms of tapping along with Scott’s mindfulness approaches, “Natural Rest” and the “Living Inquiries.” Scott attributes this contribution to his work to Marina as well as to Qi Gong.
To understand the powerful benefit that tapping and mindfulness provide together, one has to understand a bit about the differences and similarities between the two approaches, the history of each approach, as well as how each approach complements the other.
The aim of mindfulness is to be present in the moment and fully accept or allow whatever arises without judgment. This includes being aware of thoughts, emotions, and sensations and all other phenomena as they arise without clinging to, resisting or identifying with them. Through the practice of mindfulness, one becomes conscious and frees oneself from the cycle of mental and emotional suffering or discomfort.
Mindfulness is an ancient practice, dating as far back as Buddha’s time. The following words of Lao Tzu, author of the Tao Te Ching, sum up the benefit of mindfulness quite well:
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past.
If you are anxious, you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”
Mindfulness is quickly becoming an evidence-based practice in the U.S. for the treatment of all sorts of disorders. There are now a lot of studies and research showing its positive effects on addiction, anxiety, depression, stress, physical pain, OCD, trauma, and other forms of suffering. Here are just a few examples of those studies:
1. Addiction. Mindfulness efficacy in the treatment of addictions, showing changes in one’s relationship to core addictive elements such as Craving (this article cites over 50 other articles and studies for support of its conclusion). Craving to Quit: psychological models and neurological mechanisms of mindfulness training as treatment for addictions. Judson A. Brewer, Hani M. Elwafi and Jake H. Davis, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, Department of Philosophy, City University of New York, Graduate Center, New York, NY, USA
2. Anxiety, Depression, Pain, Distress. Marchand, W. R. (2012). Mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and zen meditation for anxiety, depression, pain, and psychological distress. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 18(4), 233.
3. Depression. Piet, J. & Hougaard, E. (2011). The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on prevention of relapse in recurrent major depressive disorder. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6):1032.
To read more about mindfulness studies and research, visit our blog page “Mindfulness: An Evidence-Based Treatment for Addiction, Anxiety, and Depression.”
Tapping is a practice that began in China. It dates back as far as 4,000 years. It has the same origin as acupressure and acupuncture. Its aim, throughout the years, has been directed mostly at healing, rather than mindfulness or presence. However, Marina Bajszar began to truly incorporate mindfulness with tapping during her work at the Center. In this way, she is leading what Scott believes is the next evolutionary step in tapping. To read more about Marina’s work, visit Marina.
There are many forms of tapping and each comes by a different name and has a different place in history. These forms include, but are not limited to, Energy Tapping, Thought Field Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and FasterEFT. Most of these forms involve tapping on various “meridian” points mostly on the face and neck, but also sometimes under the arm. This kind of tapping essentially involves bringing up uncomfortable stories, anxiety, depressing thoughts, trauma, pain or addictive cravings and using a tapping pattern to untangle and relieve the suffering associated with these things. The styles of tapping are too numerous to describe here. You can find a lot of information about these forms of tapping on the Internet.
Although tapping may sound a bit crazy or “out there” to some, there is solid scientific support for its benefits. In 2012, the American Psychological Association Journal stated as follows:
“A literature search identified 50 peer-reviewed papers that report or investigate clinical outcomes following the tapping of acupuncture points to address psychological issues. The 17 randomized controlled trials in this sample were critically evaluated for design quality, leading to the conclusion that they consistently demonstrated strong effect sizes and other statistical results that far exceed chance after relatively few treatment sessions. Criteria for evidence-based treatments proposed by Division 12 of the American Psychological Association were also applied and found to be met for a number of conditions, including PTSD.” Feinstein,In Press
Body tapping or “knocking” comes from Qi Gong and has a separate history and origin from the tapping modalities mentioned above. It involves tapping or knocking on various parts of the body (not just the face and neck) in order to activate the natural healing power of the body’s energy, known as Qi or “Chi.” Although the practice of Qi Gong involves a variety of body movements and techniques, the tapping-on-body aspect of the practice is used mostly at the Kiloby Center.
At the Kiloby Center, we have combined the aim of mindfulness (to be present) with the aim of tapping (to heal) for the purpose of “presence tapping,” as Scott calls it. Marina’s influence on Scott’s work has provided Scott and his facilitators another gateway into healing addiction, depression, anxiety, and many other issues.
Restful tapping involves first being mindful of the thoughts, emotions, and sensations that are arising in the moment and then radically allowing them to be as they are. In this way, clients learn to fully accept their experience instead of trying to change or get rid of it. As the thoughts, emotions, and sensations are observed, clients begin to tap on various parts of the head and body for the purpose of dis-identifying from these elements. Although healing certainly takes place through this approach, its central aim is to be more fully present and to see through the identification with thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Scott and his facilitators combine his Living Inquiries with restful tapping in order to take clients even deeper into a true transformation of consciousness. The result is not just a healing of a particular issue, but a radical shift in perception that changes clients’ lives and that continues providing positive benefits long after clients leave the Center.
