healing techn

Acupressure for Pain and Traumatic Stress

Anxiety, Crisis & Overwhelm Point in the Outer Wrist: Press point in the indentation on the outside of the crease of the wrist, down from the small finger.Point on Top of the Shoulders: With the fingertips of both hand hold the points on top of the shoulders. The arms may be crossed if this position is more comfortable.Sore Spot: Locate a spore spot in the left side of the chest about 2-3 inchesdown from the collar bone and about 2 inches to the side of the sternum.

Trauma and the Instinct to Heal

There are many new methods being developed to treat depression, anxiety and traumatic stress. Medical professionals studying the impact of trauma on the body, now recognize that the human brain is composed of a "cognitive" brain responsible for language and abstract thinking, and a "limbic or emotional" brain responsible for emotionsand the instinctual control of behavior. The emotional brain controls much of the body's physiology, autonomic responses and psychological wellbeing. Cognitive psychotherapy and medication are the usual methods used for stabilizing and treating traumatized persons, but in many cases this approach is not enough, nor is it appropriate in many cultures.In his book The Instinct to Heal,psychiatrist David Servan-Schreiber, M.D. (2004), says that "emotional disorders result from dysfunctions in the emotional brain. . .The primary task of treatment is to 'reprogram' the emotional brain so that it adapts to the present instead of continuing to react to past experiences... It is generally more effective to use methods that act via the body and directly influence the emotional brain rather than use approaches that depend entirely on language and reason, to which the emotional brain is not receptive. The emotional brain contains natural mechanisms for self-healing: 'an instinct to heal'." This instinct to heal is the natural ability to find balance and wellbeing in body, mind and emotions.

Capacitar: A Popular Education Approach to Trauma Healing

In working with the traumatized, Capacitar's methods involve awakening and empowering this "instinct to heal". Because the experience of grassroots trauma is so vast, Capacitar uses a popular education approach rather than an individual therapeutic approach, placing in people's hands simple body-based skills they can use for themselves to release stress, manage emotions and live with balance in the midst of the challenges of life. A key to this approach is the inherent "instinct" or wisdom in the organism to return to balance and wholeness. Healing occurs through the release of undischarged energy as well as through a strengthening of the natural flow of energy. With the renewed flow of energy the person returns to a state of balance and wellbeing.