Testimonials

"I came to the TFT training suffering from Panic Attacks. On the first morning I arrived feeling sick and wanting to go home. I was able to complete the first day without running for my car and going home.
Day 2 - I came to the course and was able to enjoy the learning and not be worried about panicking. Thank you to the TFT team for coming to New Zealand and helping me with my journey. I will see you in Australia one day soon."

Glen McLeod - Mortgage Consultant/Director

"This weekend of learning TFT has been amazing. I suffer from panic attacks and also the side effects of trying to come off AROPAX which has been extremely difficult, I have been on Aropax for 10 years and I am 27. I feel I now have the tools to overcome my anxiety and my PHYSICAL ADDICTION to Aropax. I feel fantastic and excited about my life!"

Elise Daly - Childcarer

"DREAD, FEAR, PANIC OVER THAT THE DAY HOLDS IN STORE FOR YOU!

I've lived this life waking up every morning with these feelings and gone to bed every night with the same expectations for the next day. I've lived this way for over 7 years. I don't consider myself to be an uneducated person in fact I feel I am quite intelligent but along the way I became debilitated, like being sucked into a vacuum with no way out. My future looked bleak and any plans were put on hold. I became a recluse a prisoner in my own home, with my thoughts being my captor and the paralyzing uncertainty my thoughts created being my cell. How did this all come about, in my case it was the start of an era called 'PANIC ATTACKS".

Those of you who have never suffered a panic attack would have no concept of the quiet anguish suffered, of the time lost, the despair, the feeling of inadequacy, the constant onslaught of feeling you are slowly going mad, the incapacity of completing the easiest of tasks that once were taken for granted but most of all the loss of faith in oneself to overcome this illness.

What are the actual feelings associated with a panic attack. For each individual they differ in intensity, duration and actual symptoms so I can only explain what I experience. My attacks commence with a physical feeling that my body has become over sensitive to. These feelings could be present by my period pain, when I am ovulating even when I feel the need to pass a bowel motion. All feelings in some way associated with childbirth or labour pain my subconscious automatically takes over and my body prepares itself to do battle, even though consciously I know I am not pregnant or in labour. This all stems from the birth of my first child. I had an induction labour and neither my body nor the baby was ready to be born. So my doctor prepped me for induction however my body would not respond, he would then increase my IV so that my labour pain would intensify. I spent 7 hours in constant pain with no relief from one contraction to the other. I remember asking my husband to get me a gun so that I could kill myself, as I could not endure this pain any longer. This was ongoing with my so-called doctor sitting at my bedside calmly reading the paper whilst my husband and even the midwives present wept for my pain. Eventually the good doctor decided it was time to take action and agreed to an epidural, the first epidural didn't work and when I told him this he didn't believe me so he tested me by cutting me with a scalpel, let's just say he then believed me. The midwives were outraged and my husband appeared to be falling apart in front of my very eyes. Luckily the monitor showed that the baby was not in distress so that did not add to my pressure of worry. Finally the second epidural was administered with immediate relief, I was finally able to relax and breathe without fear of pain. The doctor then commenced the procedure for a forceps delivery, the first time he slipped and my fears returned for the well-being of my baby, luckily she was born fine. The next day he visited me again and asked how I was told him I was still in pain every time I moved, his reply to this was that I was just a crybaby. Once he left I advised the nurses of my pain they inspected me and found that he had sutured part of my skin together they cut some of the stitching and again relief was felt. I never went back to that doctor again. Unbeknownst to me at the time I did not know how traumatized I had become over the actual labour until I fell pregnant with my second child. On the onset of my second pregnancy I suffered horrific morning sickness to the stage I became dehydrated and was hospitalized. It was in hospital that I suffered my first panic attack and would regularly need to be sedated, as there was no other way I could remain calm. I then visited a psychiatrist who after listening to me determined that I was traumatized over my first labour and once I gave birth to this baby I would be fine. He filled me up with prescriptions to keep me calm and I visited him every week with no change, just more medication. My concern for my child even though he assured me the medication was the fine led me to seek another psychiatrist who I felt more comfortable with and who fully explained to me what my body was experiencing. He too placed me on medication because at this stage I was having 1-2 attacks daily ranging from 2-12 hours in duration. I was never able to stop an attack without the aid of medication even though this doctor did show me relaxation techniques and completed various techniques on me. I finally gave birth to another beautiful girl, a natural labour that lasted approx. 30 minutes. Yes, there was pain but it was natural pain and I handled it well, however my attacks did not stop if anything they increased. I was a nursing mother for 15 months and though this time I was still on medication to help me with my attacks, thankfully this did not affect the baby. After weaning my daughter off the breast I decided it was time that I became more involved with finding a way to care for myself in order to be able to care for my family. I continued with my psychiatrist who was also situated at a well known mental facility that specialized in panic attacks. I attended the hospital for two weeks, it did help but not much, I sought the aid of a naturopath, psychologists, another psychiatrist iridologist, breathing specialist, and I was even accepted into St Vincent's Anxiety Clinic. I left no stone unturned, every time I saw an article about panic attacks I was there.

How do I explain what I was feeling?
I could be sitting quietly and comfortable and suddenly I would have this feeling/sensation sweep my body, this would manifest into a heat coursing through my body. My heart would begin to palpitate rapidly and I could actually hear the beats, I was surprised no one else could hear them, the pace would then intensify and I would start to hyperventilate and perspire like a tap. I could not keep a concept or idea in my head and no matter how hard I tried to stay calm the feelings would increase and I would then enter the stage of fear or flight. I wanted to do both, I felt I was going crazy and all I wanted to do was run like crazy and scream like a banshee, I would then experience pins and needles in my fingers and feet, I would become nauseous, I would have diarrhea and to top it all off my body would start to shake uncontrollably. I could not stand to be comforted, touched or crowded, I would get angry if someone tried to talk to me or if my kids asked me questions, couldn't they see I was dying I would think, but then how could they didn't have access to my mind. I could not complete the simplest tasks; I was immersed in my own nightmare and could see no end to this torture. I would need to be medicated to allow my body to systematically relax, this could be ongoing for hours just like when I was in labour. One thing all the doctors I visited did conclude was that when I was in labour with my first child the way that the procedure was handled left me traumatized and left me with the concept that I have no control over my body. The doctor who performed my delivery took all control from me, by his attitude to my pain and to my feelings to the stage that I had lost all confidence in myself handling similar sensations, feelings to those I experienced during labour. I was in a downward spiral, I could not step out of my cell (home) without raising my anxiety levels to the stage where I wouldn't even try. I was a prisoner to my very own thoughts. Although there were days that I was at my lowest ebb and actually considered killing myself because it would be a whole lot easier I could not place this upon my husband and family, although I did pray many a time for God to take pity on my plight and end it for me, I was so immersed in the fact that I had no control I didn't even pray for a way a sign from God to help get rid of these feelings. So my search continued I could not live the way I was and I felt that there had to be something out there that could help, even if it helped me to just get the kids to school. I would forgo spending holidays with them, even attending family functions as long as I could endure stepping out the door, listening to the girls, helping with homework, comforting them when they were ill, hugging them and praising them on their achievements. Just enough to be a loving wife and mother. Just to be there for them not immersed in my thoughts and fears.

Through my search I happened to read an article in a women's magazine about a technique called Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Again grasping for something new I made enquiries and attended the two-day seminar. Now this may sound easy to you but for me to travel an hour to get there set off warning bells alone. I discussed it with my husband and we decided instead of putting me though the anguish we would stay in the city close to where the seminar was being held. We would travel late at night so we wouldn't be stuck in traffic, as my fear was I may need to go to the bathroom and my sensations would commence and I would lose control, which would then induce a panic attack. The strange thing was that even though my husband told me if it was too hard for me we just wouldn't go and if at any time I felt uncomfortable we would leave, this was something I felt I had to do, I felt that I would get something from this and no matter how many nights I stayed awake fearing the time I needed to go. I can only say that there are no better ambassadors for this wonderful technique than Eugene and Karen Piccinotti. Not only does it work but it's natural, it's quick, it's pain free and it's effective. Once you learn the technique you don't need to rely on any one else to help you, you help yourself. In my case I get to take the control that was taken from me back. I haven't completely eliminated all my fears as over the years I build up quite a few but I am peeling the layers one at a time. I have been given hope and a tool that works. I have my breakthrough. I have witnessed many receive instant gratification and I have used the technique on many with the same results. The underlying factor for me is that if one aspect (sequence) of TFT doesn't work for you, you are not then told there is nothing more we can do for you, there are alternative sequences, alternative thoughts you can hone into, you can systematically break down any and all thoughts that have been weighing you down throughout your life and better yet you can complete the techniques on your children so they do not have to duplicate your fears and be paralyzed by these inhibitions. You can help them lift their confidence and esteem so that you can perform to their peak capacity. Even though it is a gradual process for me and it will take time for me to reach the core of my problem (I have even tapped on this) I can feel and see the changes in my persona. I am more tolerant, less negative, more understanding and more approachable. I feel lighter and happier and to be honest sometimes these feelings scare me because it has been so long since I have felt this free. I say to my husband many times, "today I had this feeling that I haven't experienced before but it didn't scare me it was kind of "nice" or "You know what today I could feel my period pain but my mind/body wasn't reacting to it, I didn't need to run for my medication, it felt kind of weird, scary weird, like I should be panicking but I'm not responding". I have a feeling of hope, the occasional self doubt but then I start tapping on that doubt to deter it. I tap everyday, it could be once and it may be many more times. I tap in the shower, outside, at the park, in the car, wherever and whenever I feel the need, I tap on my family, friends and people I've just met. To me TFT stands for "Transition from Trauma". A transitional change from despair and fear to one of hope, peace and gratitude for life and its uniqueness and beauty. People suffer in silence though neglect, lack of understanding and lack of education. Its time people opened their eyes and ears to listen, not to be too proud or too rigid to embrace alternative methods that work. We must unite, as life is too precious to be wasted because our pride, skepticism or monetary value takes precedence over a system/method that works. Lives can be saved, lives can be altered and for many life me life can simply be lived. Therefore we must raise our voices to be heard before the light in our lives burns out because of negligence and lack of endorsement, education and support from our carers.

ITS TIME FOR TFT: TIME FOR TEACHING!!!!

Now you would think that my story would end there, after all, I finally found a technique that has changed my life and my outlook, there is only one major and I believe essential part of my story that has been overlooked.

My family! Now while I was living this, my family in particular my children had front row seats. They were witness to all my fears, all my panic attacks. My youngest while still in my womb was witness to this and for countless years bore witness to my attacks. My older daughter adjusted to being cared for by family and last minute cancellations because mum couldn't cope. They soon gave up asking if I would be attending an outing with them. At times it became confusing who was the carer. I could see the lack of confidence developing within my youngest daughter, on reflection her personality and traits mimicked my own. Now you are probably wondering all families go through traumas and the children learn to adjust but I didn't want my children reliving my life or rather the life I lived through fear and regret, and that is where the true essence of TFT comes through. I had at my fingertips the very tool I needed to ensure that my children were not hampered in life by fears and restrictions. That the vicious cycle resulting from the experience of a carer not be repeated over and over. I could through the use of TFT sever the links before the chain became ensnaring and they too were caught in it. Harsh words, bad days at school, bullying, fears, nerves and pain could and are all treated though a very simple tapping technique. It is not unusual for my children to approach me with a request to do some tapping on them because they had a headache or tummy ache. A bad day at school would result in a session of TFT, where we would sit in a circle and whilst tapping talk about our day. Easy, effective and putting to rest the guilt I carried because I felt I had forever marred my children's lives and their confidence. I now have a technique that I can use whenever, wherever I need to and I can pass it on to them to use. In days to come when my children reflect on lessons learnt from their mother I hope that on top of the list is the technique TFT. It's easy; it's effective and best of all it works.

This is where my story ends. I will forever be grateful for the technique TFT and no matter (how easy this is to say now) how hard the lessons has been at least I can say now that I have the resource to ensure that my children will never have to live through what I did."

Rosa Urso