<A Gentle Trigger Warning>
Although this article is meant to be informative with positive information, due to the words used, and the social context we live in now along with other factors, reading this could potentially raise the stress level for some. Please exercise caution and discretion as you move forward. (Link to Well-Being/EAP for faculty and staff)
<The Pain We are Experiencing in the Year 2020 >
As early as in April, 2020, Dr. Andrew Solomon, professor of medical clinical psychology at Columbia University Medical Center has shared in the following in NY Times.
“There are roughly four responses to the coronavirus crisis and the contingent social isolation. Some people take it all in stride and rely on a foundation of unshakable psychic stability.
Others constitute the worried well, who need only a bit of psychological first aid.
A third group who have not previously experienced these disorders are being catapulted into them.
Last, many who were already suffering from major depressive disorder have had their condition exacerbated, developing what clinicians call ‘double depression,’ in which a persistent depressive disorder is overlaid with an episode of unbearable pain.”
How one would fall into one category or another depends on several factors, including the inner resilience level one already has, the external support that one can get at the moment, and more. Having experienced some mental imbalance in the past as well as being a “highly sensitive person,” I was aware of my potential risk. Combined with several factors hitting me and triggering me in March and April, I did indeed sink into a period of “unbearable pain.” What started out as an Acute Stress Syndrome could have very well be called PTSD, as the symptoms did lasted longer than a month. These are some of the symptoms I experienced.
- intense grief
- terror
- sense of doom
- energy loss
- sleep loss
- desperation
- shaking
- digestive issues, not being able to hold what I have eaten
- then not being able to eat
- uncontrollable negative thinking
- having to be curled up into a ball
- unable to get up at times
- major hair loss
- and more …
However, unlike in the past, I did not spiral down further into prolonged depression. And during the three months of my “COVID-Dip,” part of me was amused at this very unique opportunity to observe the unfolding and unwinding of the symptoms in real time. The reason I was able to go through the situation with this awareness includes the fact that:
- There were some therapists who were supporting me and my family already. They incorporate advanced somatic or brain based modalities in their sessions, such as EMDR, Brainspotting, Somatic Experiencing and more.
- The great community of network of trauma aware practitioners around the globe rallied together to support each other (as a good number of us went into shock as well). We were reaching out to support each others as we did for others, and many have been so generous in sharing their time to give me private sessions, which was extremely valuable and helpful.
- As an employee at this resourceful institution GT with conscientious leaders and colleagues, I felt quite well supported, therefore financial stress was not as high.
- Also, I knew what I was experiencing didn’t have to last, that there would be learning from this experience, and that there was a way out
- I actively sought out further self-regulation modalities, including Breathing, QiGong which were helpful in their own ways.
(I am aware that not everyone on the earth has the same level of support as I did.) Gratefully, I was able to make quite some recovery in a short amount of time. Not only that, I have also come out with a renewed perspective and passion. Some might call it a Post Traumatic Growth (PTG). (Another audio link on on PTG by Dr. Robert Tadeschi) I certainly do not wish anyone to have to go through the same experience I had to go through (it was excruciating.) But I do wish to share that, if anyone happens experience similar stress symptoms, you/they are certainly not alone. And also please know too, that there are many modalities and tools available, to help us and the students to powerfully move forward in our lives. I would like to share a little more about one potent tool “Tapping.”
<The Gentle “Tapping” That Worked for Deep Traumas in Africa>
Meet Gunilla Hamne and Ulf Sandström from the Peaceful Heart Network. Along with trauma expert Dr. Carl Johnson, they have worked with and trained people in Rwanda, Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Chad, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, India, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Together they have served some of the most vulnerable, including the orphans and survivors of the genocides, refugees, former child soldiers, and the professionals who support them. The “Tapping” that Gunilla had synthesized is named “TTT” for “Trauma Tapping Technique.” Here is one story of Jacques one of the first orphans to experience Trauma Tapping Technique in Rwanda. She now holds a Master in Public Health.
“Before I learned the tapping I could not think about those loved ones that I lost during the genocide. It felt like entering a dark fearful forest, not knowing what kind of danger awaited me there. I avoided the forest because it was too painful. But avoiding it also meant that I could not think about my parents and family. This made me feel very bad. Because you know for us Africans it is very important to connect with our ancestors. Therefore I felt like I betrayed them. But after getting to know this Tapping Technique things have changed. The forest has turned into a garden with flowers and different kind of trees. In this garden I can sit down with my family and feel we are all together again. It is a true relief.”
(From “Resolving Yesterday,” p.85)
There are many more real life case studies in their book “Resolving Yesterday” which is available for free on their website. (Also available for purchase on Amazon.) In the videos below, you can see Gunilla and Ulf taking us through the TTT Tapping protocol. The first video has a calming music, and the second one is more fun and energetic where you can see the youth joyfully Tapping and dancing along to the great music 
Calm TTT Tap Along Video
-> https://youtu.be/_jHWq6n6WNM
Energetic TTT Tap Along Video
-> https://youtu.be/Sl0AkZfRGNE
The masterfully combined Tapping, breathing, strokes, moving along beats and music, all have calming effects on the brain and the nervous system. And while some other Tapping modalities use words to carefully and intentionally trigger some stress (for the purpose of processing the emotions,) TTT Tapping does not use setup phrase or affirmations, therefore can get past language barriers and is also quite safe way to Tap. TTT Tapping have been successfully demonstrated its efficacy with the collective healing out in the field as well as in the following study, and continues to be shared.
A study on TTT: “Evaluating a 3-Week Model for Reducing Symptoms of Stress in Traumatised Youth Using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) for Self-help: A Pilot Trial”
<Research on “Tapping”>
The cousin of TTT Tapping, EFT Tapping is an evidence based modality, with over 120 published peer review journals, including several meta analyses. EFT Tapping is has proven to be effective for anxiety including test anxiety, depression, phobia, food cravings, also long term weight management. Listed below are well known sites that collect EFT Tapping related research.
Some of the recent highlights include “Australian Psychologist of the Year 2019” recipient Dr. Peta Stapleton’s research which show changes in the brain pattern based on fMRI studies. This information has been published in an easy to read book “The Science Behind Tapping;” In this study EFT group had showed an impressive 43% drop of cortisol in a 1 hour session, compared to the 19% reduction in psychoeducation group. Dr. Amy Gaesser has published a study that shows EFT Tapping as effective in reducing adolescent anxiety amongst high functioning students as well. Dr. Liz Boath at Stafforshire University (UK) have also been researching EFT as well as Dr. Dawson Church.
<The Why and How “Tapping” Works>
Based on a Harvard Medical School fMRI study on acupuncture treatments, it appears that stimulating the designated acupuncture spots (which Tapping utilizes) causes a down regulation in the amygdala (fight or flight response.) It appears these points have better electric conductivity than others. As we activate the brain with stress, then do the Tapping, the neuro-wiring is shifted to where brain no longer responds to stress in the same way – rather it is now retrained to respond calmer. So, the original stress trigger is, no longer able to trigger stress in the same way it has just moments ago (this is where trauma memory feels distant, or becomes blur.) It is also considered that as the amygdala calms down, it affects the 10th cranial nerve, also known as the vagas nerve. This then now sends down a different message down the nerves, causeing shifts in the hormones produced in various organs (… such as the 40% drop of cortisol that was proven by studies). All these cascade of neurophysiological shifts can be reinforced with repeated Tapping (such as not getting upset or nervous all the time any more.)
The Polivagal Theory which has been developed by Dr. Stephen Porges is often on the spotlight as we try to better understand the responses to threat at the autonomic nervous system level. Dr. Porges proposes three major stages of progression, in how we deal with stress and threats. While acknowledging the risk that this is over simplified, here is my current understanding and how it worked this year.
- The first and ideal state is “Ventral Regulation” where despite some stress, we can manage, we can get through, feeling resourceful. If we are challenged in this stage, our natural instinct is to seek, confirm and/or further attempt to build social emotional connections so we can increase our sense of safety.
–> GT leaders and various communities have demonstrated this beautifully during this crisis.
- If the challenge continues and this level one strategy doesn’t work well enough, the next level response is “Sympathetic Immobalization Response.” This is where we go into flight/fight mode, where we are flooded with energy and our bodies are neurologically compelled to take actions (even if it doesn’t really make much sense)
–> Perhaps all the attacks we witnessed on social media is one example of the “fight” response as the sense of safety was compromised?
- If that still doesn’t work, the final level is to go into “Dorsal/Vagal Immobalization Response” This can also be called a collapse, freeze, or flop response – where the overwhelm and loss of control overpowers you and our body gives up in a sense.
–> I believe this is what I have personally experienced as well (but was able to move back out of, thanks to the various neuro-regulation techniques available.)
<Tapping on College Campuses & Education>
Being an academic researcher and in a university, I asked Dr. Stapleton a few questions:
Q. How do you project the pandemic to impact college age students, current or incoming?
A: Universities are being impacted due to international students not being able to travel, and this will affect incomes. For current students already at college, or school, the pivot to online learning has been steep – technological issues can occur, and just being online has resulted in fatigue like no other! Plus the lack of connection in the classroom, to the teacher/lecturer has really impacted some students emotionally.
Q: Do you think Tapping can be a valuable tool for colleges to incorporate as a service on campuses?
A: Absolutely – the ability to use tapping to self-regulate, just tapping and breathing to cope, is a powerful tool to have. We offer EFT Tapping Wellness Sessions for staff here at Bond University (we always have a waiting list!), and students are given videos of Tapping as part of coping strategies. In the Staff Tapping Wellness Sessions, I pitch it as introductory, and teach clinical EFT, and then we usually apply to a recent stress situation (no deep dive, no trauma handling.) Anyone who needs/wants further sessions can get referrals to practitioners. I usually briefly flag the evidence, our research and what we are doing, and often get the remark “I didn’t know it had so much research behind it!” The staff also love the food craving research, so I am going back to do another session on food cravings, and they are all bringing food 
Dr. Stapleton further shared that she is working towards the goal of being able to offer a course on “somatic based therapies for trauma.” This is to be offered to students in the Masters of Clinical Psychology and Masters of Professional Practice (Psychology) programs at Bond University (Australia). EFT Tapping will be one segment that will be taught during this course. In France, a new university degree (D.U.) is now being offered at Lyon University Hospital that includes EFT Tapping in their curriculum as well. Dr. Liz Boath at University of Staffordshire (UK) also has been conducting research, as well as Dr. Dawson Church in collaboration with other research groups.
Here in the United States, I am aware of Emory University sharing Tapping during one of their stress management classes, and there are several other universities where counselors/director of counseling are experimenting with and/or finding ways to offer Tapping to students. (Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Dakota at least, and probably many more.)
<In Closing>
“Tapping” is quickly gaining recognition for a good reason, and there is also a good amount of evidence to support its efficacy. While we await to know further on how it all works and why, I would also like to remind ourselves of the following. Over the long human history, there always have been experience based knowledge and wisdom to be nurtured and passed down. Tapping is partly based on the thousands of years Chinese medicine, which have withstood the test of time. In indigenous cultures, drumming and dancing as a community must have served a very important purposes of not just bringing communities together, but now it is understood that there is the therapeutic effect of bringing our nerves into more calm state as well. We now have enough base knowledge in neuroscience and experiences that we can, and would want to, start working closely, kindly, and intentionally with our nervous systems. This would only be supportive in creating positive shifts in our brains and for our overall well-being. Tapping is one of the many neural-regulation tools, which is quite effective, all natural, wholistic, and free. It is literally at our fingertips. In these existential times where we are each needing to be proactive to mitigate the unprecedented and wide-spread impact of the crisis, we might wish to consider unconventional approaches to healing and growth as well. Speaking of EFT Tapping specifically, research shows that the benefits is not just limited to the individuals. With the quicker shifts to be generated, if therapists are to be well trained in this modality this means less therapy sessions to achieve the same results (I.e. 8 weeks vs 6 months), saving precious time, energy and costs for the care provider and organizations as well. At this time, more and more people are starting to feel the Pandemic and Academic Burnout. It would be a good idea to take proactive steps to change the trajectory.
As our Provost Steve has mentioned, “Tech is a community of a fearless solution seekers.” I invite anyone who supports GT’s motto of “Progress and Service, and Improving Human Condition” to perhaps at least consider giving Tapping (or any other empowering somatic modalities such as yoga, qigong, Breathing, dancing, etc.) a try. As we do so, we strengthen ourselves, and we strengthen each other. Thank you for reading.
To our collectively growth –
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<Would you like to experience the emotion balancing effects of Tapping?>
I also love offering “Intro to Tapping” team building workshops. This can be done anywhere between 10-30 min for any on campus units. For this fall semester 2020, I am also offering Lunch Time Tapping for a mid-day stress reset. This is open to all, so please feel free to send your stressed out students as well. Participants will learn the very basics of Tapping, then the tool is yours/theirs to keep to be used anytime, anywhere
<Acknowledgement>
Thanks goes to Ulf Sandström, Gunnila Hemne, Peta Stapleton, John Freedom, Andy Bryce for your support and exchange in generating this article.
<Some More Clarifications on the Different “Tapping” Names>
TTT (Trauma Tapping Technique): Synthesized by Gunilla Hamne. No affirmations or setup phrases are used. Tapping is combined with breathing, stroking etc intended to calm the nervous system. It can be safely applied in most any situation and in groups.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques): Developed by Stanford Engineer Gary Craig, who have generously shared EFT for free adaptation. EFT uses setup phrases, which is to purposefully trigger the nerves, so you can successfully override and tame the stress response. This is also increasingly being used in the business communities as reducing stress can lead to boost in confidence, connections, creativity and more. For research purposes, some follow strict algorithms so that there is consistency, and this can be called Evidence Based Clinical EFT (by Dr. Peta Stapleton), as otherwise there has been somewhat of a confusion as to what EFT actually is (with varying results) since each practitioner tends to develop their own style, some more effective than others.
TFT (Thought Field Therapy): Developed by Dr. Roger Callahan, which is now being taught by his wife Joanne Callahan. TFT is the forerunner of TTT and EFT where the later two were simplified for ease of use, sharing and/or efficiency. I do not yet fully understand the mechanisms (other than the overlap with EFT Tapping) but found it to be effective and supportive in my own recovery.
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