Have you ever thought about your life if you weren’t so afraid of flying? You would have visited many different countries and explored many different worlds. And what if you didn’t get on your high horse every time someone didn’t think like you? Wouldn’t everything be easier? Wouldn’t life be simpler and more pleasant? It’s precisely to regulate all these emotions that the tipi method offers a solution. Based on a study of 278 emotionally distressed individuals, this practice was designed to free you from the feelings that most often handicap your daily life. It enables you to overcome even the deepest anxieties, doubts and fears. Ultimately, this is a simple method that can cleanse you of harmful emotions.

From now on, do more than just imagine overcoming your phobias, live a new life and become a different person. Find out more about the application of this technique in this article.

The tipi method: what is it?

This acronym, which stands for “Technique d’Identification des Peurs Inconscientes” (Technique for the Sensory Identification of Unconscious Fears)

This technique was born in the early 2000s. At that time, a French trainer and educational consultant named Luc Nicon asked one of his students under stress to describe what he was feeling in his body. On answering the question, the student felt relaxed and zen.

Following a study carried out between 2003 and 2007 on people suffering from phobias, depression, anxiety, irritability and inhibition, Luc Nicon created the tipi method. This involves getting in touch with the physical sensations that arise in the body when an unpleasant feeling is experienced. Then let yourself be carried away until a spontaneous and lasting feeling of well-being takes hold. The aim of this method is not to eliminate a polluting emotion, but to change it into a positive one. In fact, unlike other methods designed to regulate an emotional block, this method does not seek to identify the origin of the negative feeling, but rather to return to the situation that caused the emotion in the first place.

Thus, applying the tipi method involves working on related physical sensations such as palpitations, hot flushes, tingling, clammy hands, muscular tension and so on.

According to Luc Nicon, “Every disturbing emotion has its origin in fear, and particularly the fear of dying. A non-conscious memory, stored in the cells, most often from the foetal period or at birth, which caused us to lose consciousness for a few moments”.

By sensorially reliving this loss of consciousness, we then produce a kind of electric discharge. This is how the tipi method helps to regulate emotional block and overcome fears.

Why do we feel negative emotions?

When we are confronted with a situation, thoughts or memories – whether good or bad – our body reacts physically accordingly. If the physical sensations are negative, it’s obvious that the emotion we feel will also be unpleasant. This is why, for example, when faced with a frightening situation, our palms get sweaty, our throat tightens, our heart rate accelerates… We also become tense and anxious. This is where the tipi method comes in, as we no longer (re)act normally.

However, it’s important to remember that this is the body’s natural reaction to everyday life. As human beings, we cannot avoid painful sensations. While it’s perfectly normal to feel them, it’s unusual not to. Although they are a source of problems, they nevertheless alert us to the fact that something isn’t working properly. The simplest example is fear: it helps us react to danger. Anxiety, on the other hand, leads us to reconcile. To achieve this, we use the tipi method.

On the other hand, positive emotions promote a sense of well-being, carefreeness and disconnection. However, they make us less aware of the dangers that can arise and less attentive to the details that go on in our lives. In any case, rest assured! We all have a natural ability to regulate our emotions. In fact, we’ve all experienced an unpleasant situation at one time or another. But as it eventually passes, we’re ready to enjoy life to the full again. This is particularly true after a break-up.

The tipi method in practice

The technique of identifying unconscious fears is based on the principle that every individual has a function for regulating his or her emotions, but that this function is sometimes blocked. This leads to unpleasant feelings. Therapy therefore doesn’t begin on the day of the session, but a few days before. In fact, the therapist asks you to describe by telephone or e-mail a particular situation that has caused you to experience a negative emotion. This enables the therapist to prepare for the session. The session is divided into four distinct stages.

THE FIRST STEP
The first step in the tipi method is to identify the invasive fear you want to get rid of. To do this, the therapist asks you to describe it, so that we can look a little more closely at the reaction it provokes.

THE SECOND STEP
This involves reliving the emotion and the bodily sensations it generated, by returning to the situation that provoked the negative emotion. This step, which lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes, requires you to let go, but also to let yourself go into the memory. In this second step of the tipi method, you can concentrate on the physical sensations present in your body. This means you don’t have to resist what you’re feeling. Instead, let the emotion come naturally and transform itself.

THE THIRD STEP
This step is a short rest during which you enter a kind of hypnosis. The aim is to dissociate the physical sensations from the negative emotion.

THE FOURTH STEP
This final step consists of going back once again to the unpleasant moment and seeing how you feel about it. If the emotion felt is positive (a feeling of well-being and calm), the session has been a success.

In principle, one session of the tipi method (2 or 3 at most) is enough to regulate emotional block and overcome fears. What’s more, the method only treats one emotion at a time. In other words, if you have 10 negative emotions, you’ll need to follow up with further sessions. A session can last from several minutes to an hour.

This practice is suitable for all categories of individuals (children, adults, the elderly). Whatever your age, you can treat your phobia with tipi. What’s more, emotional regulation using this technique is easy to learn.

When is a tipi session advisable?

As we’ve said, the technique of identifying unconscious fears is for anyone wishing to resolve their emotional difficulties: fear, phobia, anxiety, depression, chronic stress, irritability, irrational anger, violence and so on. These difficulties can also manifest themselves through physical sensations and behaviors, such as :

feelings of being stuck;
anxiety attacks;
sleep and eating disorders;
etc.

These are all signs of malaise, and generally indicate that the emotional regulation function is no longer functioning normally. And this is precisely where the tipi method comes in. This technique offers several undeniable advantages. It allows you to get rid of all forms of negative feelings that get in the way of a better life. What’s more, according to Luc Nicon’s own research, it’s simple, fast and effective over the long term. In fact, of the 278 people studied, 79% were able to regulate their emotions from the very first session. The remaining 21% had to wait until the second session to see any change.

As you can see, the tipi method can help you get out of emotional pain. And it does so by permanently eliminating the manifestations of unconscious fears. Of course, for this to work, you have to want to do it and believe in it.

How to apply self-tipi?

The tipi technique is generally applied during a consultation with a therapist. However, it can also be applied at home. This is known as autotipi. The principle remains the same: get in touch with the physical sensations that arise when an unpleasant emotion is experienced, and let these sensations carry you through to a feeling of spontaneous, lasting well-being. It’s a tipi method, except that you apply it without anyone else’s help. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps.

Close your eyes and think of an emotion, then plunge back into the heart of that emotion and identify the sensations it aroused.
Immerse yourself in this memory and focus on the physical sensations present in your body.
Let the sensations evolve on their own, without control.
Wait for the moment of calm.

It’s important to remember that the aim is not to eliminate the pain caused by the emotion, but to feel it more serenely. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the tipi method depends on not fighting against the physical manifestations experienced. So don’t judge them. Instead, welcome them and observe how they evolve until they disappear.

Approaches to regulating emotions

There are a number of approaches to managing emotions that you can combine with the technique of identifying unconscious fears. This is a more in-depth approach that will enable you to become more autonomous. To optimize the effectiveness of each combination, all you need to do is apply it properly.

Here are a few ideas to take you further.

SELF-AWARENESS AND THE TIPI METHOD
It’s essential to get to know yourself better, especially when painful sensations start to make themselves felt. By combining this self-awareness with tipi practice, you can, among other things :

understand your emotions;
identify your needs;
identify your values;
create a life project;
etc…

To achieve this, a number of exercises can be used, such as meditation, coaching, self-observation, etc.

THE SETAN GRID FOR ANALYZING AND UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS
One technique to help you understand your emotions is the SETAN grid: situation, emotions, thoughts, actions, needs. Unlike the tipi method, you’re encouraged to welcome and understand a strong emotion as it arises. The steps involved in using the SETAN grid are as follows:

analyzing emotions;
understanding related thoughts;
analyzing the brain’s reaction;
identifying the related need.

In this way, you can easily think about how to respond to this need in order to limit the intensity of the negative emotion.

CREATE THE EMOTION YOURSELF
Of course, personal development involves managing emotions, but that’s not all. In fact, it’s just as possible to apply the tipi method and improve your potential by creating emotions. You need to know who you are and what your life mission is. Then you can feel aligned and find your place in the world.

It’s true that most people experience this lack of alignment. And by trying to solve problems separately, they waste energy and time. So why not create the emotion yourself for a more fulfilling life? In reality, you can better understand the state of things and live in harmony with yourself. You can suppress all your doubts with the tipi method. This approach opens the door to overcoming invasive fears and getting the life you deserve.

Have you already tried the unconscious fear identification technique? Have you achieved satisfactory results?