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Transforming Trauma Shifts the Evidence
Truth & Perspective
Day 11 — July 19, 2021 — Life, Art & Reconsidering the Past
I did a tapping session today. Tapping, or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is a therapeutic modality that works to release old trauma still lodged in the physical body. This is premised on the concept that when we are exposed to trauma, especially as children, our bodies store information and energy at many levels, not simply psychological.
During Tapping, acupoints on the body are tapped while considering a traumatic situation or event in a slow progression to maintain a low to moderate level of stress. The practitioner helps the client to assess their stress level and reframe the incident using positive affirmations.
There are patterns of thought and behavior, triggers, and painful emotions that don’t respond to traditional psychiatric approaches, such as talk therapy. In these cases, experts like Bessel van der Kolk suggest body-based approaches that include EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback, and EFT.
I’ve been interested in alternative approaches for years because I’ve lived with partial memories of suspected sexual abuse most of my life. I’ve contemplated hypnosis several times but based on the research have always concluded it is more likely to create false memories than recover…
