panic – Page 9 – TFT Trauma Relief

Relieving Trauma of Family Car Accident

Excerpted from “The Thought Field”, Volume 18, Issue 5:

Dear Dr. Callahan and Joanne,

I wanted to take the time to thank both of you for giving myself and my family tapping sequences that helped us cope with the trauma and grief of surviving a horrific car accident.

Last summer we were hit “head on” by a drunk driver, the speed at impact was estimated at over 110 miles per hour. The drunk driver died on impact and although we all survived our injuries were extensive. My husband sustained a broken neck, broken lower spine, broken sternum and two broken feet. My 14 year old son fractured his leg and burst the main artery in the stomach lining. I sustained severe whiplash, broken sternum, “dented” stomach from seat belt, broken toes and foot.

Upon leaving the hospital and having necessary surgeries it was very difficult and anxiety provoking to get into a car. Because of the extent of our injuries we had to be taken to San Diego to be cared for by family.

I consulted with Dr. Callahan on October 12, 2010. He took turns asking each one of us different questions and then gave detailed instructions on tapping sequences. Each one of us were given a sequence to use for trauma/anxiety. In addition to this my son was given a sequence to ease the stress of the surgery he had undergone. My husband was given a sequence to clear side effects associated with the medicine he was taking. And I was given a sequence to gain confidence to drive again.

Just after performing the first tapping session we all noticed a more peaceful and calming state of mind. Within in 1 day I had enough confidence to get behind the wheel and run an errand. I was so happy I started to cry. Slowly but surely we all started to get our lives back on track and start the recovery process. We still go back to these sequences any time we have to make a stressful phone call or receive bad news.

I am happy to say that one year later we all doing well and thriving. My husband was able to go back to work in January, my son was able to start a fresh new school year and I am able to make long drives from the desert to San Diego by myself without experiencing severe anxiety.

We are grateful to the Callahan’s for their expertise and sincere concern for our health and healing process.

With sincere gratitude,

Mark, Mary and Tice Ledbetter La Quinta, California

Relieving Post-Trauma Panic Attacks

Panic-Free and Living Life Fully

by Lisa Borg

After experiencing tremendous trauma in my life, I eventually found myself suffering terrible panic attacks. By 1998, I couldn’t stand in line at the bank or the supermarket without feeling panic to the point of fainting. I’d panic at the thought of taking the train or bus—feeling trapped by the crush of all those people.

I rarely shared my pain with anyone, but one day, a hairdressing client of mine gave me a voucher for a psychologist who conducted TFT sessions over the phone. A note with the voucher said it would change my life. If only, I thought. If only that would come true!

I remember feeling strange sitting there on the phone and tapping on myself. I can’t bring up my inner feelings, I thought. Assuming briefly that it would never work, I finished my phone session and walked outside for some fresh air. How relaxed and at ease my body felt!

Two days later, I went to the bank—expecting that familiar feeling of dread. Amazed, I felt nothing but calm.

For six panic-free years, TFT changed my life.

But, for me, the trauma that originated my panic attacks came back in full force as I suffered a miscarriage and was diagnosed with cervical cancer during another pregnancy—eventually losing my dream of having more children. My father committed suicide. Then when my mother-in-law died tragically, I found myself nearing a breakdown and in yet another state of panic.

Since TFT had provided relief six years earlier, I telephoned my previous TFT practitioner and—again—TFT saved my life.

Even today, it continues to help me function. Unfortunately, I’ve been recently diagnosed with an extremely rare disorder, Mal de Debarquement—a balance disorder distinguished by a persistent sensation of motion, difficulty maintaining balance, extreme fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Needless to say, the disorder comes with an extra measure of anxiety.

To cope, I practice the Panic/Anxiety sequence every day before work, and it’s because of TFT that I still manage to work.

Because of TFT, I’ve survived over the past year—even with this debilitating illness. My doctors and psychologist are interested in TFT, now that they’ve seen amazing results in me.

I know that if I didn’t have Mal de Debarquement, my anxiety would never return. TFT is that amazing. I recommend it to everyone. I even talked two neighbors through the anxiety sequence and they were amazed at the instant results. Thank you, Dr. Callahan for giving so many people the power to heal themselves with this simple technique.

Excerpted from Callahan Techniques’ latest book, The Tapping Solution: Tapping the Body’s Energy Pathways.

TFT for Survivors of Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami

ATFT UPdate, Issue 17, Summer 2011

Sudden Destruction in Japan

by Ayame Morikawa, PhD, TFT-VT

On March 11, 2011, a terrible earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan. In it’s wake it left 15,019 people dead, 5,282 people injured, and 9,506 people missing as of the time of this report. Approximately 500 kilometers or 311 miles of coastline were affected some of which was totally destroyed. We felt the earthquake in Tokyo as well.

As soon as we were able, our Japan Association For Thought Field Therapy CRT (JATFT), sent two psychiatrists, 2 psychologists (including myself), and 1 nurse to Miyagi National Hospital. The hospital was established in 1939 and has 14 departments but they do not have a psychiatry department. Therefore, our team served as their psychiatry department. The hospital is located in the very south part of Miyagi Prefecture at the border of Fukushima Prefecture. It is located 60 kilometers or roughly 37 miles from the atomic power plant.

The town, Yamamoto-Cho, had approximately 17,000 inhabitants and they lost 900 lives. This town is famous for its strawberry and apple farms. The apple farms are in the mountainous area and they stayed safe, but only 5 strawberry farms were left out of a total of 400 strawberry farms. Most of them were located along the coastline.

Arranging Trauma Care

One of our aims is to support nurses who are working there and those who have lost their families and houses. One of our members, Dr. Nakahara, D.D.S., who works at the hospital is trained at the Diagnostic TFT level. She arranged our schedule and found that a nursing care facility, and a nursing school, around the hospital had lost many old people, workers, and some small children. Continue reading “TFT for Survivors of Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami”

TFT Trauma Training for Survivors of Haiti Earthquake

UPdate Magazine, Issue 16, Autumn 2010

Haiti 2010: TFT Mission to Haiti

By Phyllis Robson, TFT-Adv, and Howard Robson, MD, TFT-Algo

When we heard of the disastrous earthquake that struck Haiti on 12th January 2010, we immediately thought that TFT would have much to offer to the traumatised population following the initial rescue and emergency interventions.

Haiti has a troubled history; It was occupied by European colonists. The native population died out and African slaves were used to replace them.

Plantations and logging provided great economic benefit for the colonists, but at a critical cost to later generations of Haitians. Deforestation caused soil erosion and mudslides. Despite achieving independence over 200 years ago, the country has been marred by violence, instability, poverty and corruption. There is a lack of infrastructure and a susceptibility to hurricanes.

When the opportunity to visit Haiti came later in the year, on behalf of the ATFTFoundation, we were in a position to volunteer. We were to be part of a mission led by Dr. Jean-Murat Carolle (Angels for Haiti), which was part of a larger medical mission led by Dr Charles René.

We immediately thereafter began collecting supplies for the visit, especially as part of the project was to enable the children to express themselves through arts. These supplies included pens, paints, brushes, books and paper, as well as some medical and dental supplies and toiletries.

We were particularly grateful for the help of our dentist and family and friends. We were also grateful for the provision of the TFT algorithm manual in French from Suzanne Connolly, which we modified slightly for the local requirements, and printed sufficient copies for our expected training sessions. We managed to obtain a reasonable rate from the airlines for our considerable luggage excess.

Essential to visiting a country such as Haiti is to understand the local culture and attend to personal safety and health (vaccinations and anti-malarial drugs). We attended to these issues as much as possible, to maximise our contribution to the mission and not be a burden.

We left home in the early hours of 1st July, 2010, via Newcastle, London, Miami and Port-au Prince for La Vallee de Jacmel in Haiti. La Vallee is a mountain village serving a rural population in southern Haiti, 11 miles from the coastal city of Jacmel. The primary occupation is farming; there is economic hardship, and lack of resources and infrastructure.

Although some distance from the epi-centre of the earthquake, there had been ten deaths within the region of La Vallee Jacmel which also had suffered considerable structural damage. The experience of the earthquake and after-shocks had affected many local people. There had also been an influx of people from more affected areas. These people had lost homes, possessions and whole Continue reading “TFT Trauma Training for Survivors of Haiti Earthquake”

Relieving Trauma of Refugees and Immigrants

Thought Field – Vol 4 Issue 4

Thought Field Therapy and Traumatic Stress Recovery of Refugees and Immigrants

by Robert L Bray, PhD, LCSW, CTS, TFT-Adv and Crystal Folkes, MS

A pilot project in San Diego has demonstrated the effectiveness of TFT in helping immigrants and refugees to resolve post traumatic stress symptoms. The San Diego Elementary School Counseling Partnership (through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education) sponsored a traumatic stress clinic for children and families in the mid City area of San Diego for two months.

Although short in duration, it proved to be of great value. This project, serving an inner city school area, provided services primarily to immigrant and refugees. Andrew Jackson Elementary School, home base for the study, serves several immigrant communities.

Seventy percent of the 1,165 students at the school have limited English proficiency. Ninety-seven percent of the students receive free breakfast and lunch at the school. This population was chosen for several reasons. Continue reading “Relieving Trauma of Refugees and Immigrants”

Eliminating Severe Effects of Rape

Thought Field, Vol 1 Issue 1

Beliefs, Attitudes and TFT

Fred P. Gallo, Ph.D., Hermitage, PA

In “Transcending Painful Memories: and the emergence of the new psychotherapies”, I reported on one of my first cases of successfully applying TFT. I used the pseudonym of Barbara in the section on Rape Trauma. At age thirteen Barbara was raped while on a date with an eighteen year old boyfriend. The trauma continued to cause her suffering well into her thirties.

Additionally Barbara had a drug and alcohol problem, suffered severe bouts of depression with suicidal intent, and evidenced a number of other symptoms subsumed under diagnoses such as major depression, dysthymic disorder, bipolar disorder, poly-substance dependence, and borderline personality disorder.

She had received treatment at a number of facilities, both outpatient and inpatient, and she was not doing well at all when I first saw her.

When Barbara discussed the rape with me, she definitely appeared to be “reliving” the event to some extent. She cried deeply and evidenced profound remorse and referred to herself in the most negative of terms.

At first I interrupted the reliving episode by having her attend to the external environment by describing what she saw heard, smelled, tactually felt, etc. After she calmed down, I told her that I was working with a technique that might help to relieve the pain that she felt each time that she thought about this event. I asked her if she would be willing to give it a try, and she agreed.

Within several minutes of treating her for psychological reversal and using the basic trauma algorithm, Barbara no longer felt emotional pain while reviewing the memory. What amazed me even more so at the time, however, was the fact that Barbara’s beliefs about herself and the incident were simultaneously transformed.

For example, I asked her what she thought about the event and she replied in an almost casual tone that it was “just something that happened when I was a kid”. I even pushed her on this to test the reality of the transformation by asking with an accusing tone, “Don’t you think that you were to blame? Don’t you think it was your fault?” Her response to me was an unshaken and softly stated, “No, I don’t think I was to blame. I was just a kid.”

I couldn’t believe it. Just moments previously she had gone on about what a no-good so and so she was, and now she was doing an about face! How could this happen in an instant?

I saw her about a week after the treatment and she reported that she continued to not feel bothered about the rape. She told me that she tested this out at times over the week by thinking about the rape, and she did not feel any distress. That was about two years ago and I know that Barbara has continued to do well, since I have had intermittent contacts with her concerning other issues in her life.

As I reported in the article, Barbara was not instantaneously and totally cured, even though the traumatic memory was completely cured within a brief period of time (or even outside of time, depending on how one thinks about such things). While relieving the trauma certainly seemed to have a positive ripple effect throughout Barbara’s life, I should note that I also taught her treatments for addictive urges, anxiety and depression. These treatments were mostly employed during therapy sessions, although she did practice the algorithms at times on her own when she remembered to do so.

Today Barbara is not dependent on drugs and alcohol and her self esteem appears to be on the rise. She went on to complete an undergraduate degree in psychology, is now working on a graduate degree in social work, and is holding a responsible job in the field.