My name is Elena Arietti, and I have been working in personal development for many years. From a very young age I was attracted to every path that could promote introspection and the so‑called work on oneself, convinced that the only reality we can fully transform into power is ourselves.
I have tried countless approaches, and in particular, in 2007 I discovered Life Alignment, a deep energetic healing technique of which I became a practitioner and teacher.
At the same time I run a personal‑development training center in Turin called La Sorgente.
I am always interested in expanding my knowledge in this field, both to offer personalized, comprehensive support to my clients and to keep exploring various transformation tools for human well‑being and improvement.
How I Came to Know TAI
After my dog died I went through a period of intense psycho‑physical malaise that resurfaced themes very similar to those I had experienced many years earlier, but in a completely different context. The magnitude of the distress and the strangeness of the “coincidence” made me reflect a lot. I felt as if I were inside a story I already knew. Although the events were not the same, it was like living the unsettling repetition of a cycle.
Looking for a solution, I returned to the EFT technique I had learned many years ago as a self‑taught practitioner and obtained immediate relief. Wanting to go deeper, I “by chance” landed on Andrea Fredi’s website—a site I had first encountered at my center in 2011. Consequently I decided to take part in an online seminar on Ager (a technique devised by Andrea Fredi together with Vincenzo Di Spazio), which “by chance” was scheduled shortly thereafter and dealt precisely with the repetition of traumatic events in cyclic periods of our lives. Because the tool to heal those traumas is TAI, I was struck by how effective and fast TAI could dampen, soften, and even dissolve the painful traumatic elements that my dog’s death had brought to the surface.
I then decided to learn more about this technique and, after a telephone interview with Andrea that helped me understand exactly what I needed, I began TAI training—first the basic course and then the advanced one.
The case I will present concerns the process I carried out with a client who was able to smooth and heal several personal and professional relationships, ultimately allowing herself to assert herself positively in her work.
How I Worked
I used TAI External Art. The TAI method is based on the alchemical motto Solve et coagula—“dissolve and coagulate”—that is, to break down what caused the stressful/traumatic situation, let it go, and finally manifest the desired result in a new reality.
It is divided into three phases. In each phase the participant is guided by the operator to bring conscious attention to our three brains, called Dantians. On each Dantian a specific sentence is spoken with the purpose of focusing the power of intention through language. In this way the alchemical transformation of internal representations occurs. These representations—images, sounds, perceptions, fantasies, beliefs, thoughts, memories, sometimes symbols—are what cause imbalance and dysfunction within a person.
To hook onto the representations I used meta‑questions that identify crystallized impressions (e.g., “What am I reacting to? Where is it located in my perceptual horizon? How do I know it’s there?”) and those that explore reactions (e.g., “What are the bodily reactions? What emotions arise? What thoughts? What is the stress rating from 1 to 10?”).
The TAI method also combines opposite principles such as Yin/Yang, flow/crystallization, Vis (strength, will) / Wu‑Wei (action without action). These seemingly antithetical philosophical principles are skillfully blended like a Tao, representing the interpenetration of opposites—a perfect symbol of the dual reality we experience on Earth.
The sentences are:
I am the origin.
- First Dantian: I reclaim my power and release the energy held in… [scene, fantasy, belief, etc.]
- Second Dantian: I let go of every identification and every attachment to… [scene, fantasy, belief, etc.]
- Third Dantian: I generate order and coherence in myself regarding… [scene, fantasy, belief, etc.]
The purpose of TAI is to move the energy contained in the infinite number of nerve cells present in the three Dantians of the human being. The goal is to dissolve the “space‑time capsules” that keep crystallized, like in an atemporal suspension, the energy that could not flow properly because of disturbing, unprocessed impressions.
By activating the vagus nerve that connects the three brains we can recirculate that frozen energy, updating our system and promoting the transformation and flow that are the basis of life.
At the end of each session I have the client pronounce the harmonizing phrase:
“I harmonize all my systems to the changes still in progress / to this new awareness.”
Triangle Strategy
The issues I present were mainly worked on according to the Triangle schema.
The Triangle Strategy involves working on the three macro‑areas typical of a person’s themes: experiences, fantasies + connected expectations, and thoughts/beliefs. Occasionally we also work on any symbols that may appear in the client’s mind.
We start with the area of greatest intensity and then move to the others, posing specific meta‑questions and applying a complete sequence (or “turn”) of TAI to the emerging themes.
When I did not use the Triangle schema, I worked—according to the description above—directly on the beliefs, thoughts, fantasies, or other sensory representations that surfaced at each moment.
Case Study (Client “Ginevra”)
The client, whom I will call Ginevra (a fictitious name), came to me for three months, meeting once a week regularly. She worked with steady determination to get out of a blockage in her business and to resolve relational difficulties stemming from anger, frustration over not being recognized, and difficulty freely expressing her talent.
For brevity and clarity I have summarized the salient moments of our sessions, preserving the chronological order of events and the client’s stages of awareness.
I first met Ginevra many years ago outside a therapeutic setting. She is an open‑hearted, hard‑working woman who has been in fashion for years; she designs some pieces herself and runs a very interesting clothing store. Recently she moved her shop to a new district. After an initial burst of enthusiasm and good sales, she experienced a sharp decline in business and several disappointments with customers—especially female ones—and also with neighboring shop owners.
She came to me because she wanted to understand what was blocking not only her professional growth but also her personal development.
What hurt her most was feeling repeatedly and unjustly attacked by certain clients—usually women—who triggered anger, rigidity, and a sense of helplessness that she could not control, which certainly did not help her relationship with customers. Even though she loves her work and is highly skilled and attentive to her clientele’s needs, she sometimes feels overwhelmed and blocked by this anger. To make matters worse, a competing clothing store opened just a few steps away from hers.
Below is a list of the main themes we worked on, presented chronologically and grouped into chapters for ease of reading. For each chapter I indicate whether we used the Triangle schema or the most relevant TAI sequences.
| Chapter | Main Theme |
|---|---|
| 1 – The Marchioness and the Nun | |
| 2 – Aladdin’s Lamp | |
| 3 – The Rival | |
| 4 – Not Good Enough & the “Disappear” Strategy | |
| 5 – A Difficult Sister | |
| 6 – Suspicion and Trust | |
| 7 – The Fashion Show and a New Sign to Shine |
Notation:
G = Ginevra (client)
O = Operator (myself)
Representations worked on are shown in brackets or italics.
1. The Marchioness and the Nun
Ginevra arrived very discouraged. She felt angry, unfairly judged by some clients, and unrecognized for her effort to serve their needs. Moreover, a competing clothing store had recently set up right next to hers.
Her anger was through the roof and the fear of being overwhelmed by competition was extremely high. Ginevra’s strength lies in a loyal clientele built over years, many of whom followed her when she moved districts and even became friends. Unfortunately, a few clients cause her great difficulty. It is a draining challenge on all fronts.
I asked what troubled her most—whether it was the nearby competition or the difficult client relationships. She said she wanted to work on the latter because she felt especially wounded by arrogant, judgmental people who sparked both anger and contempt. She dislikes that feeling; it makes her feel bad. Even though she does her best to mask what she feels, she knows her distress shows up to customers, creating dynamics that damage her business relationships and leave her feeling powerless, exposed, and uncomfortable with herself.
I asked what she considered the primary cause of her unhappiness at work. She replied that a particularly difficult client immediately comes to mind, whom she nicknames “the Marchioness” because of her haughty, provocative manner. She would even rather lose that client than see her again, yet the client keeps returning and nagging her. That is her perception.
In the mental scene, the client looks at the sample collection Ginevra offers, and as she closes the catalog she comments, “I expected something better…” What triggers Ginevra most is the client’s voice, which she describes as shrill and arrogant.
I probed further. Ginevra visualizes herself in the scene; the focus is on the auditory representation of the tone, coming from her left ear. The emotion evoked is anger, but especially contempt felt in her stomach. Stress rating: 10.
First TAI turn – Experience
She feels her breath flowing again, sees the scene from outside while the shrill voice makes her smile:
Ginevra: “It feels like a cartoon; I can’t really get angry.”
Operator: “While you’re still connected to this experience, does any thought, image, or anything else arise?”
G: “I know this contempt is a negative feeling and I’m afraid it will turn against me.”
O: “What hits you more—the belief that it’s a negative feeling or the fear that it will turn against you?”
G: “The fear.”
She identifies the fear as a tightening in her throat, simultaneously seeing her shoulders hunch as if closing the body.
Second TAI turn – Fear (Future Catastrophe)
She feels more relaxed; the throat tension eases, but she still senses contempt and injustice.
O: “Regarding these emotions, what else surfaces, perhaps from past situations?”
G: “I recall being judged unfairly… I remember the convent of the nuns, when I wet myself because a nun prevented me from going to the bathroom, then scolded and dragged me because I couldn’t hold it. I felt tremendous anger at the injustice and also contempt toward that adult who should have been caring for children.”
I explain that she is experiencing the scene with such intensity because it feels as if the memory is trapped in a space‑time capsule where she is still three years old.
Third TAI turn – Experience (Being Dragged)
The most striking representation is the sensation of the nun’s hand pulling her along the corridor while scolding her. Stress rating: 9.
During the turn she feels she can detach from the hands, freeing herself from the pull, which almost halves the rating to 5.
O: “What makes up this 5?”
G: “The looming, round, gray figure of the nun over me.”
Fourth TAI turn – Visual Representation
O: “Now that you’ve re‑connected to this experience, do you think any belief or thought has arisen from it?”
G: “Yes, I know I get scared of dominant women who raise their voices; most of my clients are women, and they can be very demanding, so I’m often under stress.”
She sees this belief carved in marble before her eyes. Rating: 6.
Fifth TAI turn – Belief
G: “Now this thought seems totally silly. I have no reason to be scared. When people act that way, they’re probably much more insecure than me…”
She laughs; the rating drops to 0.
2. Aladdin’s Lamp
In our second meeting Ginevra tells me she feels calmer with clients, even with the Marchioness, who now appears far less aggressive. Yet she remains highly sensitive to criticism, to the point that she prefers to stay out of sight—or even feels it’s better to be invisible.
I notice her shop is pleasant inside but barely visible from the street, which is unwise for a business that should attract passersby.
G: “It’s not my right to be the protagonist. My mother always told my sisters and me that we must be humble, invisible, and that vanity is a terrible flaw.”
She recalls that her mother, orphaned as a tiny child, was raised by very strict nuns steeped in punitive religiosity. The little girl wasn’t even allowed to wear a short‑sleeved blouse. Consequently she grew up believing that showing herself was “not proper.”
G: “If I raise my head, I could be humiliated. My mother always told me that.”
I ask her to connect to this Fantasy and we run a TAI turn. At the end she says:
G: “I remembered that when my mother was 17 she was expelled from the house of the sister she lived with. Her brother‑in‑law had his eyes on her.”
Perhaps she had drawn too much attention and suffered exile humiliation. Unaware of this, Ginevra concluded that being noticed, standing out, and being seen is unacceptable—indeed forbidden. We run TAI on this Belief.
O: “After contacting this belief, does any memory surface that might confirm it?”
G: “Unfortunately I received hateful attention from a cousin when I was a child. I couldn’t even trust an uncle who had inappropriately touched my sister. We were always on alert, even with family.”
O: “So you might have thought it was better not to be noticed and to disappear?”
G: “Absolutely, I remember telling myself: I want to be a ghost.”
We also performed a TAI turn on the scene where the child narrowly avoided a worse fate thanks to her mother’s arrival.
At the end of the sensory (visual and auditory) representation turn, Ginevra says she feels light as a cloud and sees herself as Aladdin’s lamp glowing above the abuse scene (Symbol). The change is so radical and sudden that I suspect it isn’t merely a compensatory fantasy, so we do a third TAI turn focused on the symbol itself.
After the turn Ginevra remains serene and uplifted:
G: “I realized I can allow myself to shine and obtain the success I deserve.”
Clearly it was not a compensatory fantasy.
3. The Rival
In the next session Ginevra reports feeling more upbeat. She is far less affected by the temperament of clients. Her mood is lighter and more welcoming. However, the rival shop continues to worry her.
“How can two stores that sell almost the same items coexist?” she asks. She also does tailoring, but the neighbor’s garments are practically identical to hers. There is no room for both. He is young and very active on social media; she does not know how to manage it. This is a real blow to her business and should not have happened.
She tells me the rival entered her shop to meet her, which irritated her but she handled it diplomatically. Still, it left her with a sense of defeat. No other sensory representation emerges, only that feeling.
I probe deeper.
She describes layered sensations, like a waking dream. She feels heavy around her, legs bent as if kneeling, perhaps a distant rumble of thunder in an epic scenario. Almost all her senses are involved. We need to dismantle them all.
O: “How do you know this is a defeat?”
G: “Because my legs bend and I can’t do anything. I’m on my knees, numb and disarmed.”
O: “Are you inside the scene or outside?”
G: “Inside, and the stress level is 9.”
We run a TAI turn on the visual representation. At the end she says the image is now blurred and almost neutral, except for a lingering thunder noise in her ears.
We then address the auditory representation, which she hears not only in her ears but also in front of and behind her head. After the turn she reports the thunder has quieted, but the sensation of bent legs remains, now aching. Stress rating: 5.
Another turn helps her stand up. She feels out of the battlefield; the rival now appears small and far away.
O: “How do you feel now?”
G: “Physically better, but I still have a slight fear of losing my clients.” Stress: 4.
One final turn, after which she says, “Why would I lose them?”
We close the session; she looks a bit tired, arms hanging loosely, and I sense that for today this is enough.
4. Not Good Enough & the “Disappear” Strategy
In the following meeting she tells me she feels calmer with the difficult clients and more at peace regarding the rival shop’s opening.
She shares a difficulty unrelated to work: the TAI Chi course she has been attending for two years with satisfaction. The upcoming exam worries her greatly. She feels literally stuck at the thought of being evaluated by the instructor and judged by her peers.
She says she does not feel up to the test.
O: “What could happen if you discover you truly aren’t up to it?”
G: “I might realize I wasted two years of effort. The embarrassment in front of everyone… the terrible shame…” (Fantasy)
She chastises herself for giving so much importance to an event that is, in the end, just a hobby. Yet she often feels not good enough, and this exam is a perfect occasion to cut another leg off the table of this theme.
She defines shame as a black shadow on her face that stretches ahead of her. Her stomach tightens with anxiety. Stress rating: 9.
After the first turn the shadow dissolves and the stomach feels lighter; stress drops to 7. I ask whether any experience surfaces linked to this shame.
G: “Mid‑year the instructor had us perform some movements in front of everyone and I wanted to collapse. I don’t even know how I managed to stay upright.”
She goes on to describe what actually happened during that class:
“In reality the instructor praised me, but the women in the group didn’t like it. The men barely noticed, but two female classmates teased me, saying the instructor was flirting with me and that I was “into it.” That hurt me deeply because, throughout my life, I keep encountering women who judge me harshly. So, even if I were to fail, I would feel less ashamed; however, if I do well, I already know the other women will resent me.”
It becomes clear that an older pattern is resurfacing: the old belief “I cannot expose myself / I cannot be seen.” I do not want to impose this interpretation on her, so I help her observe the situation with clarity.
Operator: “So you think it’s safer not to be seen, right?”
Ginevra nods, indicating she understands.
Ginevra: “It’s to avoid inflating my ego, as my mother always warned me.”
We run a TAI turn on the statement “I must not inflate my ego.” Afterwards we perform a second turn on the frightening scene of her performing in front of the classmates who criticize her. She visualizes the classmates surrounding her, watching without kindness, ready to condemn her. She feels her whole body freeze and a choking anxiety in her throat.
At the end of this TAI cycle she says:
“In my life, it is always women who judge me harshly.” (Belief)
She closes her eyes and sees a legion of faceless women towering over her, unsympathetic—much like the critical clients in her shop.
We apply TAI to this image. After the final turn she reports that the judging women have faded, and even the idea of the TAI Chi exam now feels like a “light weight.”
5. A Difficult Sister
In the next session Ginevra is noticeably brighter. She passed her TAI Chi exam with flying colors. She was not frightened at all and did not care about the audience watching her. Moreover, at the end of the lesson one of the most feared critiques (in her view) turned into a compliment; the instructor praised her and asked her to explain several movements. He told her she was good, and she savored that small but meaningful success.
During the week she reflected on her work with clients, which continues to go well. However, a family gathering is approaching, and she will soon encounter her sister, which already puts her on high alert.
Her sister is now the most triggering figure. She constantly shifts roles—sometimes victim, sometimes perpetrator, sometimes the family’s “savior.” Unpredictable and changeable, she throws Ginevra off balance and makes her feel unsafe.
I ask what fuels this heightened alert.
Ginevra: “She has abused our mother more than once, and I can’t forgive her. I start to cry. I’m thinking specifically of a fight that happened right in my shop, between my sister and my mother, where I defended my mother and had to contain my sister’s rage.”
She rates the stress at 10, maybe even higher.
We work on the conflict scene, which Ginevra primarily experiences as Images.
Ginevra: “I see my sister’s threatening expression and my mother’s frightened look.”
I ask whether she is inside the scene or observing from outside. She says she is outside but simultaneously sees both her sister’s angry face and her mother’s terrified one. The colors are intense and violent. Stress: 10.
After the first TAI turn, Ginevra tells me the colors have softened, like an old film, and both mother and sister have “lost their reality.” Visually the scene has lost intensity, but she says her sister would never have dared to act so boldly.
We run a TAI sequence on the accompanying Fantasy. Afterwards Ginevra feels more at peace and says:
“If my sister is like that, there’s nothing I can do; I have to accept it. With her I’ll never feel safe, and I must always stay on the defensive.”
That belief also receives a TAI turn, especially because a family birthday dinner for Ginevra’s son is imminent, and the explosive aunt will be invited.
After the sequence Ginevra reports that the alert has vanished; she no longer feels any interest or agitation about the upcoming gathering.
We close with a harmonizing phrase aimed at the forthcoming lunch.
6. Suspicion and Trust
The birthday celebration proceeds peacefully. The aunt, surprisingly, behaves conciliatively, and Ginevra remarks:
“Maybe because I was also conciliatory,”
which I fully endorse. A few mildly inappropriate comments are easily brushed aside—Ginevra calls this her “future‑strategy.”
Three months of weekly work have now passed, and she wants to share a reflection.
Ginevra: “I realized my shop has an almost invisible sign; it’s hard to see me unless you already know I’m there.”
I simply confirm her observation.
Operator: “Exactly, that’s correct.”
Ginevra: “And I realized that if I don’t trust anyone—especially the women who are my main clients—I can’t show up and let them know I’m here for them.”
I agree.
Operator: “That’s right, visibility is essentially an act of trust.”
Ginevra: “It’s as if allowing myself to be visible means giving trust…”
I affirm this insight.
Ginevra: “Yesterday something happened that made me reflect.”
She tells me she received an unexpected gift from her daughter‑in‑law, another woman who is not easy to please: a beautiful lemon tree she had wanted.
Ginevra: “The moment I got the plant, after a brief flash of joy, suspicion surged that the gift might not really be hers but perhaps my son’s. That suspicion stole the joy because things can always be different from how they appear.”
Operator: “How did that suspicion manifest?”
Ginevra: “It hit automatically like a painful knot in my chest.”
Operator: “If you connect to that knot, what does it say, or what does it resemble?”
Ginevra: “I see a judge in a robe saying, ‘Don’t trust anyone.’ I think he sounds like my father.”
The emotion is sadness; stress rating 7.
We run a TAI turn on the robed judge. After the turn Ginevra observes:
“The judge has become tiny.”
She smiles because the tiny judge looks comical and adds:
“I wish I could stop ruining everything with these suspicions.”
A second TAI turn focuses on that affirmation. Ginevra declares she wants to learn to enjoy the present moment by trusting the good things that enter her life.
Thus the final TAI turn works on the intention:
“I can open myself to trust and to everything this represents and means for me.”
We finish with the harmonizing phrase:
“I harmonize all my systems to this new awareness.”
7. The Fashion Show and a New Sign to Shine
For a couple of weeks I hear nothing from Ginevra, and the next meeting opens with good news.
She organized a fashion show featuring summer models for a teen‑focused collection during an event hosted by one of her clients. It was an excellent visibility opportunity. She spent the day dressing teenage girls, even styling and doing their makeup—tasks outside her usual profession—but she embraced the risk of possible failure with a sporty spirit.
She tells me she felt energized, enthusiastic, calm, and confident in what she was doing, while the robed judge stayed silent and “gagged” for the whole day.
Finally she informs me that she has started the process of changing her shop’s signage. She has entrusted (with confidence) a professional who is designing a solution that matches her style and that of her models, making the shop finally and fully visible.
Final Reflections
I have taken the time to narrate a multi‑month journey because I was privileged to witness a genuine transformation. This person managed to transmute the lead of past traumas into the gold of a newer version of herself—more open, more trusting. Her relationships have lightened as the traumatic experiences and limiting beliefs that polluted her inner world have been dissolved, allowing Ginevra to let her talent shine.
If the client’s dedication is any indication, the effectiveness of TAI as an alchemical transformation tool was absolutely decisive in getting straight to the core issues and untangling the essential knots.
Acknowledgements
I want to thank everyone who trusted my early experiments and served as “guinea pigs,” as well as the new TAI colleagues I have met and with whom I have exchanged and shared experiences.
Above all, I express my gratitude to Andrea for his interesting and enriching lessons that have always excited me.
Thank you for your kind, generous disposition that characterizes your teaching style—I have greatly appreciated it.
I also thank you for your endless patience in enduring my questions, doubts, and numerous requests for explanations and clarifications.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you for having invented this methodology—so effective, swift, elegant, and versatile.
Elena Arietti
Personal‑Development Training Center La Sorgente
Via Montemagno 71, Torino – Tel. 333 20 20 640