Attention & Focus · “You Become What You Hold”
The 9 Gamut & Floor-to-Ceiling Eye Roll
To ‘balance’ the brain mid-treatment by tapping one point while running through nine eye-movement, humming, and counting actions; and to clear residual distress with a slow vertical eye sweep.
9 Gamut in one breath: Tap the back-of-hand Gamut spot (between little- and ring-finger knuckles) while, head still, you: close eyes, open eyes, look down-left, down-right, circle eyes one way, then the other, hum a tune, count to five, hum again. Then re-tap your main sequence. Closer: at a lingering SUD of 1, tap the Gamut spot and slowly roll your eyes floor → ceiling over ~6 seconds.
What it is
Sitting inside every full TFT round is a curious little interlude Callahan called the Nine Gamut Treatment — a ~30-second sequence of nine actions (eye positions, eye rolls, humming, counting) performed while you continuously tap the Gamut spot on the back of the hand.
He claimed it “balances” the brain hemispheres so the main tapping sequence can take full effect. The companion move, the Floor-to-Ceiling Eye Roll, is a slow vertical eye sweep used to clear the last sliver of distress (a lingering SUD of 1) and as a quick stand-alone relaxer.
Together they are the bridge between the two halves of a TFT round — and the most distinctive, oddest-looking part of the whole method.
The Method
The 9 Gamut (done between the two major-treatment sequences):
- Find the Gamut spot: on the back of either hand, in the hollow about an inch behind the knuckles, between the little-finger and ring-finger knuckles.
- Tap it continuously (~5 taps per action) while performing, in this exact order, the nine actions — keeping the upsetting thought in mind and the head still:
- Eyes closed. 2. Eyes open. 3. Eyes down and to the left (head still).
- Eyes down and to the right. 5. Roll the eyes in a full circle, one direction. 6. Roll the eyes in a full circle, the opposite direction. 7. Hum a short tune (a few notes — e.g. “Happy Birthday”).
- Count to five (out loud).
- Hum the short tune again.
- Then return to the major-treatment tapping sequence (e.g. eyebrow → under-eye → under-arm → collarbone) and re-rate your SUD. The Floor-to-Ceiling Eye Roll (the closer):
- Used when the full algorithm is done and distress is down to a 1 (not yet 0) — or any time you simply want to relax.
- Tap the Gamut spot continuously, holding the head level and still, while keeping the thought in mind.
- Look down toward the floor, then slowly, smoothly raise the eyes vertically until you’re looking at the ceiling — taking roughly 6-7 seconds for the full sweep.
- Can be repeated once; you may switch hands. This typically takes the residual 1 down to 0. (Sourcing note: the Gamut-spot location, the precise nine actions and their order, the head-still instruction, and the slow vertical eye-roll closer are documented in Callahan’s manual and book. Faithfully summarised.)
Source & Lineage
The 9 Gamut originates with Callahan’s TFT in the 1980s, drawing on applied-kinesiology notions of cross-lateral “brain integration.”. The eye-movement component visibly parallels Francis Shapiro’s EMDR (developed around the same era), where bilateral eye movement accompanies trauma recall — and TFT, EMDR, and EFT are often grouped together as “power therapies.” The 9 Gamut carries over almost unchanged into Gary Craig’s EFT as the optional mid-round “9 Gamut Procedure.”.
The Traditions' versions
EFT 9 Gamut Procedure — the same nine actions, retained as an optional intensifier.
- EMDR — eye movement + distressing recall; the closest mainstream cousin (mechanism still debated). → (if present) / clinical literature.
- Humming / toning — vocalised exhalation as vagal/relaxation input; overlaps with toning practices.
- Attention-loading / dual-task distraction — deliberately occupying working memory while holding a charged image (a recognised way to blunt emotional intensity).
- Gaze / oculomotor regulation — slow vertical eye movement as a calming somatic act.
Common refinements
Moving the head with the eyes. Keep the head still and move only the eyes — that’s the point of the drill.
- Rushing the eye roll. The closer should be a slow 6-7 second sweep; a fast flick does little.
- Dropping the thought. Stay tuned to the problem during the 9 Gamut — the distraction works against a live image, not an empty mind.
- Skipping the humming or counting. The vocal actions (humming = exhale, counting = verbal task) carry much of the real effect; don’t silently skip them.
- Doing it as a stand-alone cure. It’s a bridge inside a round, not a complete treatment; the eye roll alone is fine as a mini relaxer but won’t resolve a major distress.
- Dizziness from fast circles. Slow the eye rolls; stop if lightheaded.