TTT from New York to Kabul

TTT training on subway train number one in New York.

Went for a meeting in the UN building in New York the other week. I have this friend there who is a highly skilled “connector”. She wanted me to meet some people and tell about our work. That was among others the buddhist sister Chan Khong from Vietnam who for over 50 years has been working with one of my life heroes and role models: poet, peace activist and monk Thich Nhat Hanh. If you haven´t read any of his books – I can highly recommend them ( www.plumvillage.org). There was also Laura Hassler from the Netherlands who has started Musicians without borders (www.musicianswithoutborders.com). After the meeting I went to sit in the meditation room initiated by the Swedish former UN Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjöld. The solid rock in the middle makes the room very still. A contrast to the rest of New York.

When I came back to the UN reception hall to my big surprise a friend from Sweden and Sierra Leone came in through the door: Hjalmar Joffre-Eichhorn who is doing theatre work in reconciliation processes in different parts of the world. Since five years he is based in Kabul in Afghanistan (www.ahrdo.org). 

After laughing at this serendipity and exchanging experiences about life since we last met, Hjalmar asked if I wanted to join him  to see a theatre performance in the Latin American areas  of New York – portraying the difficulties of being immigrant in the US. “Of course” I said. We left the UN building and walked towards the subway train number 1 where three of Hjalmar´s Afghan colleagues joined us. 

When entering the subway train and finding space to sit down in spite of the rush hour, one of them, Salim Rajani, asked me: “Could you please teach me that trauma tapping? Hjalmar showed us once in Kabul but I don´t really remember how to do it properly”. “Of course” I said “just a pleasure. But it has to be here in the train because this is the only time we have together. Is that OK with you?” “No problem!” was Salim´s non-hesitant answer.  

So I started tapping Salim and explaining the technique at rush hour on the red line of the New York subway train between Wall Street and the Bronx. People were watching. But nobody really cares in a city like this. For a theatre worker like Salim a stage or a subway train makes no difference. He was happy. I was happy And we proved it again: TTT can be taught any where at any time as long as the participants feel comfortable with the place. 

xxxxxxx

A couple of weeks later I got an email from Salim who was then back in Kabul:

 “Dear Gunilla

Thank you for teaching me the Trauma Tapping methodology and sending me your web address. I downloaded all videos.

I just had a  training with victims of the war, mainly widows, in Afghanistan and did  Trauma tapping. We used the TTT when they were telling their story. It was really great and useful!

I could not take any pictures this time because the participants were too conservative. But next time I do the Tapping I will take some.