FAQs for TRAUMA RELEASE PRACTITIONERS

Q1: How can I help a client identify the key issue?

Often a client is not aware of the link between a life event and the non-resolving physical issue. The retained trauma could have originated years ago.

Ask “What was going on in your life when this health issue started?” For example, a client with a chronic stiff knee volunteered that she had injured her knee around the time her house had burned down.

Alternatively, you can simply ask these two questions:

1.    Is there something in your past that really upset you?

2.    Are you ready to let it go?

Please note that clients do not have to answer aloud. However, they do have to be honest with themselves. There’s a tendency for people to insist, even internally, “I’m over it.” Suggest they try the technique on the first issue that comes to mind.

Q2: How many of my client’s issues can I address in a session?

Address one issue per session. More than that will not be effective. Either the body will refuse to process more, or you will interrupt the release of the first issue. That release can continue for hours or even days.

Q3: How often can I perform the procedure on a client in a session?

Some people’s systems can handle only one round. Has the emotional intensity reduced to 0, 1 or 2 out of 5? That is enough for the session. The person will continue to process. However, if other aspects of the issue occurred to the client while processing, that signals the need to continue on and perform a round on each of those aspects.

Q4: Do I start over from the beginning for each aspect of the issue?

Yes. Ask the client to hold the intent to clear the specific aspect that first comes to mind, and start the procedure from the beginning.

Q5: What if nothing happens?

The body is in charge as to whether it is ready to release an issue. For example, nothing happened in a workshop when one student attempted to release her car accident trauma. It was as if her body was cautious, resisting because it had no idea what the effects might be. Three months later, she retook the workshop. In that practice session, her body flung around as if it were reenacting its movements during the accident. That definitely released the impact trauma stored in her body! My suggestion is to start with relatively minor issues, so that the body/mind develops confidence that it can successfully release major issues in future sessions.

Here are other reasons no release may happen:

• The person got up too soon. That stops the process immediately.

• If the person has experienced one trauma release already that day (or week), the body is still processing and has had enough for the time being.

• The person may be worried about what might happen, such as crying in front of others. Try releasing a mild issue first.

Wait at least a week between sessions. The body needs time to integrate the change. Note that some people may take longer than a week to process the trauma release. If you hold another session too soon, or try to do this too often, the body will simply refuse to process the release. The body is in charge and knows what it can handle!

Q6: Why did I/my client feel cold?

When a body releases energy, it can feel chilled. Therefore I recommend that the person be covered with a light blanket while processing.

Q7: Are there any side effects?

If a person has not released all aspects of an issue, s/he may be upset, irritable and unsettled in the days and weeks after the session. Suppressed layers, manifesting as old memories and nightmares, may surface. After each session, remind the recipient that we retain trauma in layers. Ask him or her to write down or text you any issues that come up so that they can be dealt with in the next session. This is part of the process of releasing trauma. Occasionally a session is “one and done,” but that is rare.

The best approach is to teach and empower the person to do trauma release on themselves. That way there is no delay in addressing the aspects that arise.

Q8: Where do I make the moves on the back?

Your intent is to activate every nerve exiting from the left and right of each spinal vertebra. The nerves (yellow in the image) are accessible between the vertebral transverse process bones. Ensure your fingers move over the dip between the 24 transverse processes on each side of the spine plus down over the sacrum to the tailbone, for a total of 29 moves.

SPECIFIC ISSUES

Can we release the cause of emotional eating?

Many people overeat because food makes them feel better. The key is to address what is causing the person to feel bad. It could be stress, feelings of inadequacy, or one of many other possibilities. The person must first identify what triggers the eating. If the person responds with something general like, “It helps me relax,” you have to keep digging for the origin. Help by asking, “How old were you when the emotional eating started?” or “When did you start gaining weight? What was going on in your life at that time?” The person needs to narrow it down to a specific incident (e.g., “When my classmates laughed at my 5th grade project.” “After my best friend stole my boyfriend.”) or an individual (e.g., “My boss picks on me.” “My mother’s constant criticism.”) Then intend to release that specific cause underlying the emotional eating.

Sometimes emotional eating is connected to a happy time of your life. The food recalls those feel-good memories. For example, most of my life I loved eating cake with icing (aka frosting), and often baked sugar-loaded chocolate desserts. Unfortunately I ended up eating most of them myself! Then I realized I associate frosted cake with happy childhood memories of birthday parties. I still love cake, but I no longer bake it. A framed photo of a long-ago birthday party evokes those happy feelings, without the calories!