Following Katrina, I flew to Alabama to volunteer some time working with evacuees. It was a humbling experience and truly one I will never forget or regret. Every evacuee I met touched my heart in ways I can't describe. Blessings to all of them, as well as the survivors of all such catastrophic events. They truly are incredibly strong and courageous heroes.
More and more evidence is stacking up and research being done about using EFT and other energy techniques in the face of trauma, due to the rapid relief that folks experience. Dr. David Feinstein contacted me about my work with Katrina survivors, because he was in the process of writing an article, which appears in the March-May 2006 issue of Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness, published by the Institute of Noetic Sciences (www.noetic.org). You can read Dr. Feinstein's complete article by going to:
www.energytraumatreatment.com
The following are a couple of examples of some of the "magic" I witnessed, as I introduced some folks to EFT.
Alternative
to Pain Medication
Sue (not her real name) and her husband had lost everything
after Hurricane Katrina. They had no idea what was next.
Her husband was hearing impaired, so he opted to observe
while Kay and I worked together. The session was about
a month after the hurricane. In addition to all her anxieties
following the trauma, and her fears about the future,
she was experiencing a great deal of physical pain. She
was shaking from the anxiety, and her pain was so intense
that she was experiencing great difficulty using her hands
or doing any physical activity. She was scheduled for
a doctor's visit the following day and planned to ask
for pain medication. We worked together for about 15 or
20 minutes using EFT, focusing on her anxieties and what
she was experiencing physically. Not only did the shaking
subside, she told me she didn't think she was going to
be needing any pain medication. She was smiling, walking
easier, and she said she now felt hopeful. The tears began
to roll down her face as she told me that while pacing
the floors during the previous night, she had asked God
for an answer. She told me she was amazed at how much
better she felt and said she was sure I had been the answer
to her prayer.
Depression in the Aftermath of Disaster
Linda (not her real name)
had been traumatized not only by Hurricane Katrina, but
also by her subsequent experiences in a shelter after
she was displaced from her home. A month after the disaster,
she was so depressed that she was unable to function,
spending most of her time crying uncontrollably. When
I sat down with her, she sat with one hand over her face,
sobbing and unable to speak. I gently asked for permission
to take her hand and see if I could help her relax. She
agreed, and I began gently tapping on the EFT points on
her hand. Within a few moments, the tears began to subside.
She was still unable to voice her experience, so I just
kept tapping and talking with her. I used a specific EFT
technique which offers relief without the person having
to verbally describe the event. Among other issues, she
was haunted by the screams and sounds of gunshots during
the nights she spent in the shelter. While she was still,
for the most part, unable to speak, I continued working
with her, with her tears coming and going. After several
minutes, her head was held high and she was able to speak.
Then she smiled. Later that evening, I saw her at a gathering
for survivors. Her friends, who had initially put me together
with her, seemed amazed, reporting that she was her cheerful
self again. I will always remember her smiles and hugs
of gratitude.
| Important note: EFT is gentle and easy to use, and has to date yielded remarkable results for relieving emotional and physical distress. While there have been no distressing side effects reported to my knowledge, this does not mean that you will not discover side effects for yourself. IF YOU INTEND TO USE THESE TECHNIQUES, YOU MUST AGREE TO TAKE FULL REPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS WHILE APPLYING THESE TECHNIQUES. You may wish to consult a trained EFT practitioner. If you continue reading through this page and apply these techniques, you are agreeing to take full responsibility for yourself and others when applying the EFT technique, and shall neither hold Gary Craig, myself nor anyone else associated with EFT responsible for any adverse side effects or outcomes... |
