I’m a certified Grief Recovery Specialist® and EFT Tapping Practitioner, based in Zürich, Switzerland but originally from Uppsala, Sweden.

After losing our firstborn daughter to a genetic disease in 2006, I have chosen to make it my profession to help individuals from all over the world heal their grief and let go of old emotional issues that keep them from living a wholehearted and joyful life. I work in Swedish, English and German.

Karin Andersson Hagelin
PHN Ambassador
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+41765219607
www.hagelingriefrecovery.com

During 2015 more than one million refugees have come to Europe. Many of them carrying inner wounds from the wars and conflicts they have fled from in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan. The psychiatric resources are not enough to help. Waiting time is over one year and more in many countries, which is, of course, totally unacceptable.

We have been working with people in Germany, France, Sweden, Norway and Finland who want to help the refugees manage stress (and trauma). To emphasize the “non-specialist” level of self help that is possible for everyone to do we have chosen to present TTT as a simple relaxation exercise instead of the powerful therapeutic tool it can be – with great success. To do so we simply translate the abbreviation TTT :Tension Tapping Technique (instead of Trauma Tapping Technique).

You can also take initiative and support this spreading of stress management for those in need.

PHN held a workshop at the refugee center Grytan outside Östersund in the north of Sweden. Both refugees, volunteers and staff participated.

The inviting organization “Hej Främling” wrote on Facebook afterwards:

”Thank you all for joining the Trauma Tapping Technique workshop with Gunilla Hamne tonight! Around 70 people came to learn the TTT, – we really packed the room to the limit!

Thank you Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan for helping out, thank you everyone who bought tickets and made it possible for refugees to join and thank you Samira and Qadir for great translation! We are very happy to see how much appreciated this workshop came to be and we really hope that tomorrows session in Östersund will be just as cool!”

Our colleague in neighboring Finland, Martina Lindroos, who is responsible for Red Cross refugee centers has arranged several workshops with TTT. She has put into system that those refugees who have learnt TTT go to other centers and teach it other refugees.

More can be done with your support! Let 2016 be the year when inner peace can be spread to many more. Pass it on. Pay it forward.

The west coast of Canada is a stunningly beautiful place, with huge, tall rain forest trees, open seas where whales jump, otters play and seals appear in the harbours. But under the beauty there are many of the native people living in distress with transgenerational traumas in need of relief. Thanks to an invitation to a conference, PHN got the chance to plant seeds of healing to some of the First Nation communities.

Peaceful Heart Network was invited to Victoria in British Columbia in the far west of Canada by our colleague Karen Ledger, a great supporter of our work and EFT practitioner since 25 years. She sent us an email: “The CAIET conference (the Canadian Association for Integrative and Energy Therapies www.caiet.org) will be here in my hometown Victoria. Take the chance and come and promote your book! ”

We could not miss this opportunity to bring out Resolving Yesterday, do networking and last but not least meet one of the world´s trauma experts Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk who turned out to be the key note speaker (if you haven´t read his book The Body Keeps the Score – order it!) (link)

“Without tapping I could not do my work”, he commented during his speech. Afterwards we asked him for a comment about tapping and trauma.

”I have been studying trauma for the past 40 years or so. I find Tapping acupressure points extraordinary helpful to calm people down and make people more focused. It is a very integrate part in the work I do with traumatized individuals.” (link)

Before we decided to participate in the CAIET conference we made sure there would be able to teach TTT to people in need of stress and trauma relief. We asked Karen to contact the First Nation communities on Vancouver Island where Victoria is situated. It turned out to be a very well received initiative.

Last time in Canada we learnt about the struggle of the native people there. Many of them have been deprived during generations. Especially those who were taken away from their families to be brought up in the so-called Residential Schools, often run by Catholic priests and nuns. There they were not allowed to speak their language, have contact with their families or use their traditions. They were stripped off their culture and lost the belonging to family and community. This – in combination with other forms of discrimination – has given deep psychological effects to a large part of the native population,.

Today the suicide rate and levels of depression and anxiety are much higher than among the majority population.

Monique Pat and Penny Cooper, aboriginal nurses at Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC.

Lately the First Nations in British Columbia have been allowed to develop more of their own health system. This makes a big difference. That made it also easier for them to invite us to do the TTT stress and trauma trainings.

At one of the hospitals (Victoria Jubilee Hospital) there is now a ceremonial room where traditional forms of healing may be arranged. That was where we held the workshop. One of the Aboriginal nurses, Monique Pat, introduced the workshop by smudging us all with sage.

“Thank you for bringing this tool to us. We can now begin to work on the traumas with a different approach” she said.

“It actually works! It will be very useful in our communities where there is a lot of suffering.”

One of the participants in the workshop in Pacheedaht commented:

“We have had eleven suicides just in our family. I am myself a survivor of sexual abuse and suicide. Now I want to help others in the community. I hope to be able to use this tool of TTT”

TTT participants from the Health Center in Pacheedaht First Nation community.

Glenn Patterson and Gilbert J at Victoria Native Friendship Center.

Thank you all for the confidence!

Shortly after our visit in Canada, Mr Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister. He took initiative to ask forgiveness to what the First Nation people have been exposed to.

The First Nations of Pacheedaht and Tseycum, the Aboriginal Health Team of  and the staff of  all took the opportunity to learn TTT.

During decades the island of Lesbos in Greece has been a gateway of despair and hope for refugees coming from Syria, Afghanistan, Africa and other places of turmoil. During the fall of 2015 several thousands of refugees risk their lives in small rubber boats made for 10 people, paying over 1000 Euros each to traffickers, filling up with 80 at best, venturing over the dark waters to the rocky coasts of the nearest island with two lighthouses to guide them.

When they get ashore they are greeted by volunteers at best, with luck by doctors from one of the larger NGO’s. It is cold and hypothermia is a big risk for the elderly and small. The whole situation is a monument to the failure of humanity driving these people from their homes into an unstructured rocky coast and the wonder of humanity in the volunteers traveling at their own cost to help.

We travelled to Lesbos by invitation from the Lighthouse Refugee Relief Project to train volunteers and staff in stress and trauma management. During the last months up to 3000 refugees could land by boat every night and the turnover of staff has been large and anybody who stays around for more than a couple of weeks is considered a veteran. Volunteer burnout is common already after a few days due to a number of reasons.

• There is a constant sense of alert “when is the next boat coming?”
• The need for sleep, food and water is underestimated because of lack of training.
• Some of the landings can be pretty chaotic with people passing out in hypothermia
• There is no training in how to relate to the impact of human suffering exposed

Among things we heard people there say about the art of volunteering the following stay on our radar:

“You need to think about every person as somebody you know, a family member, how would you like somebody talking to your mother in this situation?” A volunteer about greeting refugees

“As a volunteer you need to ask yourself if you are coming from a sense of guilt or a sense of abundance” A volunteer about volunteer motivation

“I remember a father with his children singing at the top of their voices during the long walk from the landing, simply because they made it ashore” Volunteer about meetings

Advice for volunteers

Here is some advice for those of you finding yourselves in a mass incident situation:

“You need to have a plan in mind and you need to be able to improvise”
“You need a coordinator”
“Maintain your role or make your change known to the incident coordinator”
“You need an easy way out for the wounded – a car with headlights can be great or a block”
“You need to tell the difference between anxiety/stroke/heart attack”

“The need for stress and trauma management for those working with the endless stream of refugees, in any area, is not to be taken lightly. All of you who care and reach out should be aware of the risk for incorporating the emotional distress of others. Learn the signs and the techniques that can be used to create resilience to counter them!”

“Some years ago my daughter got Leukemia and I made a deal with God, if he took care of my baby I will gladly offer a month a year wherever he wants me to go, so I volunteer for things like this and it had changed my life, I want to do even more of this in the future…” A Volunteer in Lesbos Lighthouse Refugee Relief camp – one of many who have travelled privately to make a difference.

Summing up our experience

As we travelled back to Sweden the truce between the EU and Turkey should have stopped the boats. At the airport somebody said on that side of the island it was one boat per hour since 11pm the night before. Here are some video clips of people we worked with about stress management with the tools of TTT and the Peaceful Heart toolbox.

“Sometimes all it takes is one person who is able, willing and knows what to do” Dr Siyana, volunteer medical doctor at the Moira camp.

“At times up to 70% of the people on location helping out during an incident can be unknown volunteers.” Kate Letheren, Medical coordinator at the Lighthouse Refugee Relief Project.

Training adrenaline blow-out on the beach. “It was a great stress management workshop, actually we were surprised that it worked that well” Kevin, Volunteer, about the workshop.

The Lighthouse Refugee Relief Project were donated a microphone for detecting boats at a distance, the team huddled around the fireplace in the ruins around one of the actual lighthouses take turns listening for the sound of a boat with a broken engine floating in the dark – a better giveaway than the infrared camera and less battery dependent.

“We hid with animals 24 hours without food, police was looking out, we waited for the boat and when we loaded I saw it was bad but nobody listened. My friend stayed, it looked too dangerous. We packed bags and 80 people and started. First the engine broke then the boat started to sink. We threw all our bags overboard, everything. Children were crying, and some women, everybody was praying. We called friends who called police and Coast Guard but they said it is not their side of the water. Both on Turkey and the Greek side. Finally somebody from Lesbos came to our rescue. All I have now is my belt pouch. I even lost my shoes.”

See The Lighthouse Refugee Relief Project

The road to Bugasera prison in Rwanda.

Had a training at a prison in north of Rwanda the other day. 70 prisoners gathered in the low brick house named “Cantine” a place where you can buy soda and bread on the visiting days when relatives and friends – hopefully – come. Not everyone gets visits. Some have been rejected.

The cantine is inside the big entrance, but outside the big gate in the wall surrounding the actual detention buildings. A place in between freedom and seclusion.

The prisoners were already sitting waiting on the wooden benches when we came. Happily greetings us welcome back again. Ready with writing pads and pens and the instruction we had printed for them the first time. All dressed in their pink and orange uniforms: short sleeved shirts and kind of long shorts. Pink for those who have their verdict. Orange for those who are still waiting for their final judgement.

It was not the first time Murigo and I came here. For me the second time. For her the third. We have been doing trainings in all except one prison in Rwanda. That makes 13. More or less 3000 inmates in each prison. To some we have been coming back several times. Like Bugasera. In each prison the best educated have been chosen to participate in the workshops: teachers, medical doctors, pastors, priests etc.

They asked Murigo to tell her story again. It is fascinating to see their interest in her story of surviving the genocide and moving from hatred and vengeance to commitment and compassion for everyone, also for the prisoners, they who are the reason for her being an orphan. It is an open dialogue about their crimes and her situation that is difficult to imagine possible for many. Here it is.

When we have showed one of the videos with the TTT song performed by Mibirizi, a famous Rwandan singer, one of the participants says: “I am a musician too, I will also write a song about TTT!”

“Wow! That would be great” I respond.

Afterwards the prison Director asked us to come to the office. We sat down in the big black leather sofas. Her secretary offered us water. She was busy behind her desk.

After a while the Director joined us and commented:

“From what I have seen this technique is very helpful for our inmates. And I have to admit – also for myself. Could you do it with all the prisoners next time? That would be very good!” They are 3 000. “

I could only answer one thing: “Of course, we will do our best.” At the same time thinking how to make it possible teaching so many at one time. The date was decided.

Murigo and I prepared us with videos, projector and some orange cloth to make visible those inmates who already knew the technique so that the others would be able to see whom to look for.

We came on motorcycle taxi. The road is rough the last part, meandering through the fields and bushes. So when getting off the motorbike the backpack had obviously bounced open and all the stuff fell down to the ground. The laptop took the ground hard and didn´t wake up again. “Alas – no video. We will have to do something else…” We are allowed to pass the first gate after leaving telephones and id-cards to the guards in the boot. We get escorted by Jean Baptiste, the social secretary.

“They are all waiting for you”, he says smiling. “We are all looking forward to this.”

Some of the prisoners are working outside the wall sewing uniforms. They wave to us smiling them too. The orange and pink prison fabric shines. Others are on their way to work in the fields, carrying the hoes over the shoulder.

We walk along the wall, a monument of red brick, giving an impression of a fort.

The director welcomes us in her office while the social secretary hands over impeccably handwritten program for the visit, given in eleven points. One program in English for me and one in Kinyarwanda for Murigo. When reading it we realize that we are now the guests, and not responsible for the content of the program. The prisoners have prepared to the program to the last detail. We have just to follow and fill the points named “6. The history of TTT” and “8. Murigos testimony”. This means no laptop needed… What comes next was one of the absolute highlights of this TTT work.

We are escorted in through the high dark brown gate. On the inside there is a lot of activity going on, inmates on their way out with barrels to get water down in the lake, others carrying planks and iron sheets, mixing cement for a new building, cooking in huge pots in a tent (originally white but darkened in black by the charcoal smoke) placed in the middle of the yard. But the spot that soon brings our eyes attention is a podium with a table decorated in white cloth and an arrangement of red textile roses. In front of the podium sits “our” 70 students from last time on the low benches. They are all dressed in their well-ironed orange and pink uniforms. The rest – several hundreds sitting on benches and others standing around are all in ordinary clothes – in a scale of blackish brown. The pink and orange stand out.

We are welcomed by one of the “chief” prisoners, responsible for the TTT activities. He directs me to one of the white plastic chairs behind the table and introduces Bernard, who is appointed to be my interpreter. Murigo is there beside, the social secretary and a bit later the Director.

The program starts. More and more people gather around. Somewhere around a thousand inmates and staff. I introduce myself with my poor Kinyarwanda. “Ndishimye cyane kubaboba..” I’m happy to see you…” Already after that first sentence everybody laughs and gives me applauds. An easy way to connect and get appreciation.

The “Master of Ceremony”, inmate Mr Francis (I think he is a Pastor) takes over:

“We are grateful to have learnt this technique from Mme Gunilla and Murigo… it has helped us a lot to remember our happiness again.. We want to show our appreciation by singing some songs that our fellow musicians here at Bugasera prison have composed.”

They have two guitars, one electric base and one Inanga, a traditional string instrument similar to a lyre. The sound system is well arranged with three microphones and a mixer board. The oldest of the inmates start. How old? Quite some age since the genocide was staged 21 years ago and they were obviously old already by then. They call them Mzee – the wise old ones. They have their cow canes in their hands, wagging to and fro (seems to be no worries that anybody will start a riot. The cow sticks are in heavy wood, easy to beat and hurt someone severely).

“When you use the fingertips to heal your trauma,

the wounds inside,

you realize it was long time ago,

that you felt that happiness for dancing,

you start remembering your childhood.

Everybody hails and clap their hands. More people join around the stage, curious about the show.

Another song is performed. I get the notes: it is written as if by a computer, but it is done by hand by one of the inmates who obviously have written notes many, many times.

Feel your body, shake your body

Don´t think now you´re misfit

Even though you cry, don´t despair

Sooner or later you´ll be very happy

TTT is your chance to laugh with the world again

Yeah, yeah, yeah

TTT TTT TTT

For those traumatized by genocide, war crimes and rapes,

endangered by loneliness and heart broken

casualties, orphans and who ever all over the world

beleaguered by different cruelties

TTT brings to you the new alluring smile

For making you feel all right,

until you reach your seventh heaven

TTT TTT TTT…

Then it is mine and Murigo´s turn to perform. The already TTT trained prisoners spread among all the others, showing the gestures with deep seriousness. I find a bench to stand on so that also those further back can see. I tell some stories and how impressed I am by their program and the songs. More laughter.

(I wonder would it be possible prisoners in Sweden or the US doing to do the same)

More songs. More tapping. More laughter. We do Do-In self massage. It becomes like a dance and the peak is reached. It is crazy and we all laugh while swinging the knees round, round, stepping on the toes, the heels, the outside of the feet and inside. It looks even sillier than TTT. Still it seems they cannot resist joining.

I think: Imagine that these people, in prison many of them for 20 years, some to stay there many years to come – tat they can feel relief from TTT. Then imagine what may be possible.

The Director closes the ceremony by comparing the TTT with the feeling of having had a full meal and milk “You feel calm and satisfied.” I do my best to express to all those inmates present how amazed I am by what we have been given: Mukakoze cyane! We really want to spread you songs to others. Your words and songs can help many to find peace inside”. Like a one-voice choir they exclaim: “Yego!” Yes!

We leave the stage greeting one after the other with handshakes and palm-to-palm claps. Smiles of confirmation. On the way out through the main gate I ask the Director if we could record their songs.

“I can´t say, but try to talk to the General Commissioner, as you know the rules are very strict.

We did get permission. One week later we came back Murigo and myself. We had to wait for quite some time outside the prison wall while the Director had to confirm again with the Head quarters that we really were allowed to take video of the prisoners singing. Nobody wants to risk doing something the superiors are not approving.

We sit waiting chatting in the shadow under the roofed peyote. Rows of prisoners pass in their working uniforms. Some of them greet us with a recognizing smile, doing some TTT-gestures with the hands. Others pass hardly noticing our presence.

The General Commissioner is finally available and gives clear signal to go ahead recording the songs. Yes!

We see the first group coming out of the gate. All dressed up in their “official” well-ironed uniforms. They start singing already when marching towards us. The inmate electrician is connecting the loud speakers by twining two loose cables together.

The inmates gather under the roof with us and start singing: “TTT – yewe – TTT …” Some of them dance in the traditional way with arms in the air and the largest possible smile in the face. They do two songs before the next group appears. It is hilarious

We applaud – also Director join us seeming somewhat astound him too – and praise their creative initiative and their ability to feel change in spite of their condition.

“Your songs can help many to understand the possibility to heal. Bravo!” I say and shake their hands as many as I can.

A heart can find peace also behind a closed gate.

Godelieve Mukasarasi, a longstanding colleague in Rwanda with a copy of the first edition of our TTT book – “Resolving Yesterday”.

I just came to Rwanda after some time in Sweden. This is perhaps my tenth time here, I really don´t know.But it is for sure many times. It is such a blessing to be able to come back, it has built  trust in our colleagues and friends here as well as in eastern Congo. I didn´t really understand that in the beginning, but since then I have gotten comments which have made me realize how important the “coming back” is. Like the comment from my colleague Godelieve Mukasarasi the other day.

Godelieve is the president of Sevota an organization we have been collaborating with since 2008. Together with our Rwandese colleagues Robert Ntabwoba, and Murigo Veneranda I have traveled all over the country giving trainings in TTT, Do-In self massage, back massage and games  to the groups of vulnerable women and children which Sevota supports. They are widows, orphans, women subjected to gender based violence and rape, children born from rape, persons living with hiv and more. Godelieve started Sevota right after the genocide 1994 when she saw the need of her wounded people.

Now Godelieve invited me to their 20 years celebration and asked me and Murigo to do a training with 60 young guys born from rape. “They really need the TTT.” she said referring to the stigma and difficulties they live with.

Godelieve presented me from stage to the 300 women and youth in the hall:  “This is Gunilla who many of you know already. She is a faithful friend, she always comes back to give us ways of healing  our mind and body. She doesn´t forget us even when she is in Sweden. ”

Warm  laughters and applauds filled the room, the best kind of reward.

“All of you youths who haven´t learnt the Tapping before, follow Gunilla outdoors and she has promised teach you”, Godelieve shouts over the chatting crowd.

Together with more than 50 of young guys we walked out, Murigo and I.  At the football ground below one of the hills with tightly constructed houses we staged a TTT session while the meeting continued in the hall. The sun came out from behind the clouds that had just released one of those heavy rainy season rainfalls. Some laughing somewhat embarrassed, others seriously applying the tapping step by step.

“This really makes me relaxed!” commented one of the young women. The others nodded – agreeing.

“I will use this! Do you have some material? How can we learn more? We do need this!”

Is there a situation in your community where there is a person like Godelieve, who brings people together and wants to help them, where you can suggest a TTT training? Perhaps you are the one.

TTT session with 50 young men and women living with stigma of being born from rape.

Every now and then we get news from our TTT colleagues and in the world, and from people who want to learn and spread waves of healing.

We do our best to encourage and engage their initiatives and make it possible for those who want to learn by linking them to those who already know TTT in that area and offer Skype sessions. (see Ripples of Healing in Sierra Leone and Ripples of Healing in Kenya)

Our goal is to build a strong group of certified Trauma Tappers worldwide who can multiply the technique.

From South Sudan

Here is a email from Maketh Kuot Deng in South Sudan. He was one of the participants in the Trauma Tapping workshop for  Peace Mobilizers in the capital Juba last year (see blog TTT pioneers of South Sudan)  He has since been spreading TTT, even during the violent conflict that started in December 2013 and spread to large parts of the country until a peace agreement was signed in May 2014.

“This is to let you know that me and the others are playing an important role in counseling the people who are very traumatized and have lost hope in their lives.

Like this young man in the photo who is a cattle herder who used to have a lot of cattle.  This can be seen by his brown colored hair which is a sign of his cultural identity: A Dinka who is very rich in cows,

But during a raid by another tribe all his cattle was stolen and his senior parents left dead. Cattle raiding is a huge problem in South Sudan. The young man spent many days without eating, just sustaining his life by drinking water and talking to nobody.

When I met him he told me his condition. He said: “The only thought that keeps coming to my mind is to commit suicide to avoid this world of suffering. We talked and when I told him about my own experiences with the tapping he accepted to try.

When I had finished  he looked at me and said he felt that the tapping had really changed his state of mind and had made it able for him to relax. In the picture you can see that his eyes are open, and you see a faint smile on his face. He is shaking hands with me as a sign of saying he was much better after the treatment. All thanks to the TTT.”

Some weeks later another message came from Maketh:

“I met a man who was in Bor in Jonglei state with his family, when shooting and fighting started. He and his wife with their little baby had to run and hide in the bush near the bank of the river Nile.

The following morning  the fighting came closer  and all those who had been hiding by the riverbank  tried to cross the Nile to get to the other, hopefully safer, side. There were not enough boats to take people across, so it became a competition of life and death to get on board. This man´s wife managed to get on a boat with their baby, but had to go back on land to fetch some luggage that had been left behind. Meanwhile many other people desperately made their way on board this same boat. They didn´t see the baby, and stepped without caution, piling their luggage on top of the baby.

When the wife came back to the boat she could´t´t find her baby. She desperately removed all the luggage and finally found the baby under so many things, dead from suffocation. At the same time the severely overloaded boat left the shore to cross the river. The wife was horrified, mourning the  child she had just lost. The man did his best to comfort her, and himself.

Suddenly, in the middle of the river, the boat got caught by a stream and capsized.  People tried to hold on to some of their luggage, which was floating, but few managed to stay above the water. Most of the passengers drowned, including the wife of the man. He could´t save her. He was able to swim while holding on to some reeds and managed to get to the shore. Also some of the crew survived.

This man lost his whole family in a couple of hours, when they were trying to find a safe place from the fighting.

When I met this man in Juba, his mind was full of fearful images of what had happened to his wife and child. He had problems sleeping at night, with nightmares and the ever present image of his wife haunting him. I offered him TTT, and he accepted. After a while he said he felt a bit relieved in his body, and his mind felt more sound and reflective. The next day I met him he explained that all the bad memories had been treated, and he was sleeping well.”