Never Too Late to Heal: How One Round of Tapping Changed Everything for a 72-Year-Old with Chronic Back Pain

A man named Gary shared this story with us, and I just had to pass it along to you:

“I was diagnosed with 3 bulging disks in my lower back in 2009. Had 2 ablations, acupuncture, chiropractor, much physical therapy and regular exercise. Nothing worked. Did one round of tapping. Yes, just one. Went from an 8 to a 1. 3 days later … TOTALLY GONE!! That was June 2024. Since then my wife and I have gone through 2 of your books and just about every tapping and challenge you have. Tapping has really helped us. Oh, by the way, I’m 72 and my wife is 70. Teaching an old dog new tricks that work … Priceless!! Thank you so much!!” – Gary

Gary, first let me say how thrilled I am for you and your wife! Your story absolutely made my day. After 15 years of chronic back pain and trying virtually every conventional treatment available, you experienced relief with just one round of Tapping. That’s remarkable—and yet it’s something I’ve witnessed countless times in my work.

What I love most about your story is how it challenges two powerful myths that keep so many people stuck: first, that chronic pain is something you just have to live with, and second, that there’s an expiration date on healing and transformation. At 72, you’ve proven both of these notions completely false!

“There is no expiration date on healing, growth, or transformation. Our capacity for change remains with us throughout our entire lives.”

When Pain Disappears “Overnight”: Understanding the Science

Gary’s experience—going from years of persistent pain to complete relief after one Tapping session—might sound unbelievable if you haven’t witnessed the power of Tapping. But there’s solid science behind why this can happen, even after years of suffering.

The Pain-Brain Connection

Here’s something fascinating that most traditional pain treatments overlook: chronic pain isn’t just about physical damage. In fact, research has shown that the correlation between structural issues (like bulging discs) and pain is surprisingly weak. Many people with “perfect” spines on MRIs have debilitating pain, while others with significant “abnormalities” have no pain at all.

That’s because pain is ultimately processed and experienced in the brain. Your brain receives information from your body, interprets that information, and then decides whether to create the experience of pain. And here’s the crucial part: this interpretation is heavily influenced by your nervous system’s overall state, your emotions, your previous experiences, and a host of other factors beyond physical tissue damage.

The Neuroplastic Nature of Pain

Dr. Lorimer Moseley, a pain scientist, explains this phenomenon with what he calls “pain neurotags”—essentially neural pathways that your brain activates to produce pain. The longer you experience pain, the more sensitive and efficient these pathways become.

This is why Gary could have structural issues in his back for 15 years, try numerous physical interventions, and still experience persistent pain. The pain had become “neuroplastically embedded”—his brain had essentially learned to be in pain.

But here’s the hopeful part: the same neuroplasticity that can reinforce pain patterns can also be harnessed to break them. And that’s exactly where Tapping comes in.

“Your brain learned to be in pain. With Tapping, it can learn to be comfortable again.”

How Tapping Can Create Rapid Pain Relief

Tapping works directly with the brain and nervous system rather than just targeting the physical location of pain. Here’s how this creates the possibility for what seems like “miraculous” pain relief:

1. It interrupts the brain’s pain circuits: When you tap on acupressure points while focusing on your pain, you’re sending novel sensory input to your brain, disrupting the established pain neurotags.
2. It regulates the nervous system: Chronic pain keeps your body in a state of threat, activating the sympathetic “fight-or-flight” response. Tapping helps shift your system into a parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” state, where healing can occur.
3. It processes emotional components of pain: As Dr. John Sarno’s work on TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) demonstrated, unprocessed emotions often manifest as physical pain. Tapping provides a framework for releasing these emotions, removing a key driver of persistent pain.
4. It changes your relationship with pain: Fear, anxiety, and hypervigilance about pain actually amplify it. Tapping helps break this cycle, allowing your brain to downregulate its pain response.

This isn’t just theory—it’s supported by research. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease found that Tapping significantly reduced pain severity in veterans with PTSD by 41%. Another study in the journal Explore showed Tapping led to significant reductions in both severity and frequency of tension headaches.

Never Too Late: Why Age Is Just a Number When It Comes to Healing

I absolutely loved Gary’s playful reference to “teaching an old dog new tricks.” At 72, he experienced a transformation that had eluded him for 15 years—and this speaks to something profound about our capacity for change at any age.

Your Brain Remains Plastic Throughout Life

For decades, scientists believed that our brains became increasingly fixed as we aged—that neural pathways became more rigid and less adaptable. But modern neuroscience has completely upended this view.

Research now shows that neuroplasticity—your brain’s ability to form new neural connections and change existing ones—continues throughout your entire life.

What this means is that your nervous system remains receptive to change regardless of age. There is no point at which your brain becomes “too old” to create new patterns, heal old wounds, or release chronic pain.

The Paradoxical Advantage of Age

What’s particularly fascinating is that in some ways, greater age can actually be an advantage when it comes to emotional healing and nervous system regulation.

With age comes perspective, self-knowledge, and often a deeper understanding of our emotional patterns. This awareness creates fertile ground for techniques like Tapping that work with these emotional dimensions of our experience.

I’ve worked with countless clients in their 60s, 70s, and beyond who experienced profound breakthroughs after decades of struggle. Many report that they’re finally able to address emotional issues they’ve carried their entire lives, leading to a kind of “late-life renaissance” of wellbeing.

“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.”

Tapping for Chronic Back Pain: A Practical Approach

If you’re inspired by Gary’s story and dealing with your own back pain, here’s a practical approach to using Tapping that addresses multiple layers of the pain experience.

Step 1: Acknowledge the Physical Pain

Start by focusing directly on the physical sensation. This creates a baseline and helps your nervous system begin processing the pain differently.

After this round, take a deep breath and notice if there’s been any shift in the intensity or quality of the pain. Rate it again on a scale of 0-10.

Step 2: Address the Emotional Layers

Often, chronic pain has emotional dimensions that, when addressed, can lead to significant physical relief.

Step 3: Address the Fear of Relief

Paradoxically, when we’ve had pain for a long time, there can be subconscious resistance to letting it go. This round addresses that possibility.

Step 4: Supporting Physical Healing

This round focuses on sending positive messages to your body to support the physical healing process.

After completing all four rounds, take a moment to check in with your pain level again. Notice any changes in intensity, location, or quality of the sensation.

Beyond the First Round: Creating Lasting Change

While Gary experienced dramatic relief from just one round of Tapping, for many people, lasting change comes from consistent practice. Here are some strategies to build on initial success:

1. Tap at the First Sign of Pain

Don’t wait until pain is severe to begin Tapping. The earlier you interrupt the pain cycle, the more effective Tapping tends to be. Even 30 seconds of Tapping when you first notice discomfort can prevent a full pain flare-up.

2. Explore Different Angles

If your initial Tapping brings partial relief, try approaching the pain from different angles:

• Tap on the frustration of having the pain
• Tap on specific activities the pain prevents you from enjoying
• Tap on any fears about the future related to your condition
• Tap on how the pain affects your relationships

3. Use the “Personal Peace Procedure”

This is a systematic approach where you make a list of every stressful life event you can remember and methodically tap on each one. Often, physical pain resolves as these emotional burdens are released—even when they don’t seem directly related to the pain.

4. Combine Tapping with Gentle Movement

While Tapping directly on pain can bring relief, combining Tapping with gentle, mindful movement can amplify results. Try Tapping before and after gentle stretching, walking, or other activities that feel good for your body.

“You weren’t born with this pain. Your brain has learned it. With Tapping, it can unlearn it.”

The Wisdom of Beginning Again at Any Age

Gary’s story reminds us of something profound about human potential: there is no expiration date on healing, growth, or transformation. At 72, he not only found relief from his chronic pain but embraced an entirely new approach to wellbeing that he and his wife are now exploring together.

This speaks to what I believe is one of life’s great truths—that we are never too old, too set in our ways, or too anything to begin again. Our capacity for change, for healing, for learning new approaches to old problems remains with us throughout our entire lives.

I’m reminded of something Mary Catherine Bateson wrote: “We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.” Gary and his wife embody this principle beautifully. After seven decades of life experience, they remained open to something new, and that openness transformed their experience.

Your Turn: Taking the First Step

If Gary’s story resonates with you—whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, another health challenge, or simply feeling inspired by the possibility of transformation at any age—I encourage you to take that first step.

Try the Tapping sequences above, or explore other resources to begin your own journey. Remember that Gary’s dramatic relief came from just one round of Tapping. Your first round might bring complete relief, partial improvement, or simply a new awareness—each of these is valuable and can be built upon.

What matters most is beginning—opening yourself to the possibility that your nervous system, regardless of your age or how long you’ve struggled, remains receptive to change and capable of healing in ways that might surprise you.

I’d love to hear your experiences. Have you tried tapping for chronic pain? Did you experience relief after years of struggle? Or are you just beginning and have questions about the process? Share your story in the comments below.

Ready to explore more resources for Tapping on pain relief?

• The Tapping Solution for Pain Relief Book – My comprehensive guide to using Tapping for reducing and eliminating chronic pain. This book is also available in audiobook format in The Tapping Solution App.
• Find a Certified EFT Practitioner – For personalized guidance on addressing chronic pain with Tapping
• The Tapping Solution App – Features specific meditations for back pain, chronic pain, and pain relief, along with others to help you process emotions, release limiting beliefs, and more.
  • Release General Pain
  • Releasing Overwhelm and Frustration about Chronic Pain
  • Grow Younger Active Transformational Meditation

Note: You can access these meditations by clicking the links above using your mobile device, or type the name of the meditation into The Tapping Solution App’s search function.

Until next time… Keep Tapping!

Nick Ortner