Shiatsu for the consequences of trauma
Peter Itin
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What is trauma?
Trauma is the designation for:
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The experience or observation of an
unusual event |
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That which comes unexpectedly and is
inevitable |
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That which is a serious threat to
physical health and existence, and |
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That which has consequences that
might last for a long time. |
In a traumatic situation it is not possible
to escape or defend oneself anymore. The
protective mechanism is overpowered and an
overwhelming violation happens. Traumatic
events often happen to fast and to intense
and sometimes also to often.
A crucial element of trauma is that there
are subsequent consequences. After the first
shock the trauma still sits in the nervous
system. Usually, the consequences diminish
by themselves again. Sometimes they
influence the life in the here and now for a
long time after the event and influence
thinking, feeling and acting.
The following symptoms are
indicative for trauma:
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Hyper arousal: quick activation, overly
sensitive, irritability, being jumpy, panic, fear
attacks, obsessive compulsion – which
mirrors the constant expectation of danger |
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Hypo arousal: emotional anaesthesia,
indifference, speechlessness (“I don’t have
the words to describe the horror”), avoiding
people, places (for example not using an
elevator anymore), directions (left, from
where the car came) and emotions – because
they mirror the capitulation, freezing and
powerlessness |
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Reliving in the form of visual flashbacks
(as if seeing the scene with the inner eye)
and nightmares – they mirror the undeletable
imprint through the traumatic experience |
The consequences of trauma are
even more serious if the trauma has
been caused on purpose and it is
effected by:
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The closeness of the relationship with
the person that committed the crime |
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The length the traumatizing actions
happened |
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The age the person was at the time of
the traumatization |
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The bigger the danger and the
affectedness were |
Natural disasters and accidents that
where unavoidable or strokes of fate create
less stress than violence, abuse and
violations.
Traumatized people often react within
rigid patterns in stress situations. These
stereotypical ways of reacting are selfprotecting
automatisms of the organism.
Traumatized people aren’t capable to react
to different degrees of stress in an accurate
way and with the right dosage anymore.
Their perception is distorted and is “stuck”
to the past. Traumatized people are
prisoners of their emotions, a vicious cycle
of fear and helplessness. Trauma victims
also show strong psychosomatic reactions
that have to do with the organ functions
(asthma, heart racing, insomnia, sleeping
disorders, diarrhea, strong sweating, skin
rashes and others). Secondary
consequences can be addictive behaviour,
depression, isolating behaviour, eating
disorders etc.
Traumatized clients can usually be
supported well with Shiatsu. It is
recommendable that they also get traumatherapy
and medical support as well as
having a social network. In trauma-therapy
it’s about bringing back into flow that which
has frozen, to regain broken connections
and to strengthen the ability to lead a
content life in self-responsibility. Traumatherapy
contains three phases:
stabilization, trauma-confrontation and
integration.
Shiatsu for the consequences
of trauma
Shiatsu for traumatized people can
generally contribute in:
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Soothing physical symptoms |
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Increasing emotional stability, wellbeing,
life-joy and life-quality |
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Releasing energy-blockages and
regaining connections |
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Strengthening body awareness, selfesteem
and the ability to draw clear
boundaries |
Fundamentally we need to keep in
consideration that:
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Trauma is death proximity, existential
helplessness, basic fear, and the loss of
continuity, connection and trust. |
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Trauma is overwhelming, a massive
violation of boundaries, a rupture of the
natural protective system. |
 |
Trauma is complete loss of control,
which is then compensated with over-control
(which can lead to obsessive compulsion). |
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Trauma is dissociation and
disorientation; the clients are not fully
present in the here and now anymore. |
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Trauma is a deregulation of the
nervous system, an inadequately strong
over-stimulation (Jitsu), or under-stimulation
(Kyo). |
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Trauma is immobility, frozenness, and
an incompleted movement of escape or
defense. |
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Trauma is a reaction of the organism
that has been frozen in time. |
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Trauma has linking-dynamics, meaning
is often linked with other traumas. |
For the work with Shiatsu we
can extract the following
conclusions:
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Regarding 1: It is central to first create a feeling of
connectedness and trust, security,
protection and positive support with
trauma-clients and to create an according“energetic space” on the relationship level.
Our own inner stability, centeredness,
alignment and confidence is perceived on
the vibrational level by the client. On the
other side she also feels insecurity, injury,
sucked in. She will possibly continuously be
testing: ”am I safe here?” In a
compassionate, stability-giving containment
she will feel safe, respected and in good
hands. This is a basic requirement for the
nervous system to be able to relax. We
need to respect that some clients will not
be able to close their eyes during a
treatment and trustingly give themselves
into it in the beginning. Some can only bear
short sequences of body-contact at first.
Centering, alignment and the power to act
are as important as focus. Working with the
Hara (center), with governing- and
conception vessel and bladder-meridian
(central-line), head and feet (connection of
heaven and earth) and with the hands
(regaining the power of action) can
strengthen inner stabilization.
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Regarding 2: The violation of boundaries of which
the client has been suffering must be
addressed by the practitioner and must be
respected and strengthened. Trust into the
body must be rebuilt. Avoid inattentive
touch. We ask whether what we are doing
is okay for the client. We need to find out if
certain body-areas are taboo and should
not be touched. We should ask how the
pressure should be to be accurate. That’s
how the client can become aware of her
body again and gain the courage to express
needs. This strengthens her selfresponsibility
and personality. The client
can feel her own body, herself and her
boundaries better again if we bring her
awareness on the physical experiencing of
the body by asking her about the changes
she is feeling. Shiatsu will then give internal
space to the client.
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Regarding 3: A traumatized organism functions in
rigid, narrow patterns and is afraid of
loosing control. Controlling mechanisms
give the feeling of security, even if this is a
false security. Not having any control is
associated with the trauma and a threat for
life. Over-control may only be released slowly
and step by step. Controlling means holding,
holding on to something. Physically this
expresses as permanent muscle contraction.
Active stretching can be interpreted as reviolation
by the nervous system and have a
re-traumatizing effect. Tension in the system
should only be taken away successively.
Releasing the Jitsu must happen very
carefully. We offer the Jitsu a vessel for
relaxation. Being able to let go is being free
of fear and trusting. This is only possible
when one can build on inner resources. With
trauma it is especially important to not have
the aim to release frozen, concentrated
energy in the beginning, even though the
trauma-vortex draws the attention to the
Jitsu. It is important to first bring attention to
the Kyo. We connect ourselves with the
unfulfilled need to e.g. receive consolation,
nourishment or to be held and support the
strength and resources of that.
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Regarding 4: The stronger the mental distancing, the
disconnection from the here and now has
taken place, the more important the usage of
our whole body-weight becomes, so that the
client feels herself, life, the material beinghere,
the earthly basis, the substantial and
the stable again. Often it’s about simply
getting a sense of one’s own body again, to
feel parts of the body that have been
separated (“this is my arm”) and to
reconnect these parts with the whole (armshoulder-
torso). Dissociation is also
emotional numbness and the incapability to
think clearly. In trauma the reptile brain
takes over the directing. The goal is to give
space for feelings again and to let racing
thoughts settle down. In Shiatsu we can
reactivate the different frequency levels again
and bring them into connection.
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Regarding 5 and 6: In trauma a strong movement
(fight/flight), which is crucial for survival and
therefore especially strong, has been
interrupted forcefully. This movement is then
stuck in the body in the form of blocked
energy. Maximal strain is followed by a
collapse of the energy system in the case of
traumatizing violation. So we will find very
extreme energetic phenomenas: Jitsu
(fullness, compressed energy that is calling
for movement and liberation) and Kyo
(emptiness that calls for nourishment,
grounding and the re-creation of
connections). If there is an overstimulation,
the organism needs to be
relaxed and calmed down. If there is
frozenness, a gentle return into motion is
required. Through a gentle alternation
between Jitsu and Kyo we want to cause a
natural movement and the re-creation of
the self-regulation-mechanisms. Through
e.g. rhythmically moving the arm a gentle
motion between opening (lung) and
closing/protecting (large-intestine) can be
evoked, so that the organism can
remember this quality.
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Regarding 7 and 8: In case of post-traumatic stress
disorders the energetic pattern of the event
that happened has an effect for a long
time. In Shiatsu we can contact energy
patterns that have been created earlier in
time and support the release of the still
effective energy pattern that has been
frozen in time. We can make a Hara
diagnosis for the traumatic point in time
and find out which meridian energy was
Kyo at the time and strengthen that
unfulfilled need. We can find out in the
energetic evaluation in which years the
energy feels significantly different
(condenses, becomes empty etc). Like that
we can recognize possible trauma-times
and find out about the contexts. |
Depending on the trauma
category there are
additional aspects that need
to be considered
A whiplash trauma is the result of a to
fast physical contraction and collapse. We
find highly compressed muscular“protection-shields” as well as zones that
are completely lacking energy and
restricted in their physical ability to move.
That’s how the typical symptoms of
becoming tired easily, vertigo and
headache are triggered. Initially Shiatsu
helps to strengthen the Kyo. In the place of
the maximal Jitsu the work is “offering”,
never demanding. That means for example
that sideways movements of the head can be
made possible through simple holding or be
initiated through very small movements, but
never forced. Decisive is the loving attention
and the giving of time and space. When the
head does not want to go into a rotating
movement, we offer it an open vessel that
supports and protects and allows it to find
motions autonomously. That’s how the
organism can be successful in regaining trust
in these movements and to avoid retraumatizations.
Often internal encouragement
is helpful (“see, it is safe again on the
left side, the danger is over”). Our inner
attitude helps the nervous system to relax
and to give up patterns, which are not
required anymore. At the same time
energetically weak areas need to be
strengthened and connections recreated. In
case of a frontal collision small intestine- and
bladder/kidney meridian are usually affected
by the shock – physically and emotionally. If
the accident was lateral, especially
gallbladder/liver- and spleen meridian are
often affected.
If the trauma has occurred a long time
ago, we can also work in history, based on a
Hara diagnosis for the period of concern. We
can refer to these energetic conditions with
Shiatsu and strengthen the unfulfilled needs
(Kyo) with the energetic resources (Jitsu).
The time period right after the event is
important regarding the question of what was
most helpful and what could have needed
even more support. Energetically we search
for the need (Kyo). Sometimes we ourselves
receive a topic in the form of an image or a
word.
If the trauma has been caused on
purpose, it is oftentimes important not to“do”, but rather to “be there” with the touch,
to transmit trust and well-being and to work
in a nourishing and consoling way. One must
be able to wait, resonate, and go into contact
with the inner strength of the client. That’s
how we can give space and time to their
organism so they are able to process and
integrate that which needs it.
Meridian-energies and trauma
The starting point and basis of every
Shiatsu treatment is the energeticevaluation.
In a workshop I let twenty
participants mentally experience an “almost
car-accident”. The Hara diagnoses that
refered to the time before and after the
accident where, as expected, very different.
And also the diagnosis for the stage of
shock where different in each person. Very
significant where fire Jitsu (heart/small
intestine) and earth Kyo (stomach/spleen).
I interpreted this is a taking off of the
Shen, connected with the need and the
necessity to re-ground. Bladder and large
intestine Jitsu and liver and heart-governor
Kyo also showed up.
The meridian energies give us
important information with which we can
work in reverence to the trauma. In the
following I give examples, although further
interpretations are also possible. The
headwords help to find access and contact,
and to strengthen the positive forces of
effect.
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Heart: trauma shatters the heart,
gives it an almost deathly blow. The heart
is still bleeding. The spiritual soul Shen has
escaped from its home and lost its identity.
In Shiatsu we go into contact with the
attentive consciousness and the deepest
inner core of the client. Through large
intestine- and heart-governor meridian we
can support the recreation of the protection
of the heart. With the earth energy we can
give home, compassion and consolation.
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Small intestine: the overwhelming
event is only partially remembered. Things
have fallen apart, are disconnected, not
understandable and cannot be integrated.
In Shiatsu we connect all levels of vibration
with each other (physical sensation level,
repressed and split off feelings, thoughts,
spirituality and level of meaning). We
connect and integrate body parts (for
example arms with the torso).
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Stomach: the affected person has lost
the ground under her feet. Centering and
stability are not there anymore; the
experience is not digestible and takes the
appetite of the client. We work physically
and with a lot of our body weight,
strengthen the contact with the earth
through the feet, call out to their hunger for
life. |
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Spleen: pitying oneself, feelings of
guilt, racing thoughts and melancholy can
be effects of trauma. The working focus in
Shiatsu is to nourish and console.
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Bladder: escape was not possible in the
trauma, panic-like fear is constantly present,
the flow of life has frozen, the bones are ice
cold. We try to bring the blockages to melt or
flow and to appeal to the courage to live. We
connect the water element with the fire
element, with life, consciousness, joy,
warmth. |
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Kidney: trauma affects the kidneys. The
universal trust has been lost, its connection
with the heart is broken, and the nervous
system is de-stabilized. We try to get in
touch with the deep, fundamental life force
and a deep confidence and to embed the
kidney energy in universal, great heart
energy.
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Liver: aggression and anger are over
abundant. As a consequence of the violation,
traumatized people are easily irritated. But as
a consequence of resignation and repression
the anger can be completely suppressed, not
be felt and be feared, because it contains a
latent “potential to blow up” (fear of being
overwhelmed by the anger). First the work is
simply about attentively perceiving negatively
rated emotions, being with them, holding
them lovingly.
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Gall bladder: movement and orientation
are lost in the trauma and afterwards they
are restricted. We can lead out of immobility
with rhythmical Shiatsu and promote the
physical self-perception by asking about it
and using a lot of our body weight.
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Lung: In shock the breath is taken. Life
stands still. Asthma and breathing difficulties
are often consequences of trauma. We can
give the body space to breathe again. We
find trust in the rhythm of life that always
goes on, that indicates towards the future
and stands for the autonomous force of life.
So it is important to consciously work with
rhythm and giving space.
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Large intestine: boundaries have been
violated. Becoming conscious of the physical
borders can recreate integrity. The full use of
body weight is important. We can consciously
work with the topic of opening/closing or the
topic of letting go (for example joint
rotations, aligning downwards).
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Heart-governor: The protective
mechanism has been overwhelmed, which
has the consequence of immobility,
withdrawal and an inability to have
relationships. Protecting oneself is strongly
connected with closing, making boundaries.
We can e.g. consciously “oscillate” between
protecting and opening: first working on
the protective yang-side of the arm (large
intestine, gall-bladder), and then gently
opening the arm and working with yinmeridians
(spleen, heart-governor, lung).
When the person is stable, he can open
himself and still feel protected.
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Triple heater: trauma causes
fragmentation, a loss of connections, for
example in the interrelation of the organ
functions (digestion-, circulatory- and
breathing system). The relationship
between up, down and center is disordered.
With Shiatsu we can integrate disconnected
things again. |
The body remembers
Tensions caused by trauma can be
released with Shiatsu. Physical reactions
such as tiredness, yawning, tears, shacking
of the body, and others can show up. These
discharges are to be rated positively.
Encourage the client to let them happen.
Under certain circumstances
Shiatsu can reactivate traumatic
feelings and experiences. This can
express in different forms:
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Physical symptoms: pulse getting
higher, nervousness, sweating or cold skin,
dizziness, breathing insufficiency, touch is
experienced as unpleasant, body parts
become insensitive. |
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Flashbacks (memories of the trauma
in the form of images) |
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Emotional arousal, fear and anger
coming up |
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Racing thoughts |
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Speaking fast and wanting to tell,
denying (“no no, it’s nothing”). |
That’s why tension should be released
slowly and step by step. We need to be
especially careful with certain body parts.
With strongly traumatized clients we should
not work with the jaw-joint to much
because screaming and experiences of sexual
violations can be stored there. The neck is
another zone that should not be touched at
all as a consequence of the experience of
being chocked. Already touch close to the
neck can create a certain activation that
could show through the head becoming hot
and red, the upper body becoming stiff and
the breathing difficult. A slight activation can
surely be positive. But it mustn’t go over a
certain point and it should be released again,
discharged or relaxed. To strong activations
lead to re-traumatizations and to an
overwhelming by the negative vortex of the
trauma. They need to be stopped early
enough.
Tools to avoid to strong activation
are:
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Changing the work, for example the
position, the area you are working on, the
meridian (for example changing to the feet) |
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Changing from meridian work to
physical work (“grounding”) |
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Interrupting the treatment, asking
questions about how the client is doing so
that she keeps the contact with herself and
the therapist |
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Taking a break and recreating the
orientation in the here and now (the client
should open the eyes, sit up, look around and
say what she sees; the therapist shall use
every-day language and bring the attention
to something beautiful and positive) |
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Stop the treatment |
If you stop a treatment you need to ask
the client what she requires now; physical
contact or a tissue that you offer her
respectfully. You need to signalize to the
client that you are capable to hold the
process, that you yourself are not
overwhelmed, that you can be with the
situation and are capable to bring it to a safe
completion.
The accompanying dialog
Often a client is not aware of early
traumas. But based on their inappropriate
behavior we suspect such a background. It
can also be that the client is aware of early
traumas, but she doesn’t talk about them
with the Shiatsu therapist because she feels
ashamed or because she is avoiding her
link with that situation.
We need to deal with such situations
very subtly. The path is best taken through
questions. Are there especially heavy
feelings and situations in your life? Do they
come back regularly? Since when is it like
that? What connection do you see between
symptoms and events? One can offer
conversation as an open vessel to the
client, which leads to self-perception and
self-recognition and supports her being
resilient. Through that the understanding
might develop, that psychotherapy or a
trauma-therapy could be helpful.
There are clients that see the
connection between their problems and
their traumas very clearly and come to
Shiatsu precisely because of that. Some are
in psychoanalysis, psychotherapy or
trauma-therapy at the same time and
others are not. We need to find that out in
the first conversation. They are primarily
looking for support through energetic
bodywork, not through conversation. But
still the dialog is an important part of every
therapeutic encounter and can be utilized in
a useful way additional to the treatment.
If there is a trauma, leading a
therapeutic dialog has two main goals
as orientation:
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Avoid the overwhelming (feeling
powerless etc) |
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Building stability and resources |
Before every treatment emotional and
spiritual stability must be tested. We must
develop a feeling for which field we are
allowed to move in and what the client can
hold emotionally. If the client gets
overwhelmed anyway, the orientation in
the here and now is crucial. This is an
indication that professional trauma-therapy
is necessary.
It is not recommendable that the client
speaks about her traumatic experiences.
But it is good if the Shiatsu therapist knows
that there are traumas. It is enough to
know the “chapter titles” of the book; one
doesn’t need the contents of the story.
Often the client has the need to tell
everything and virtually floods the therapist.
We need to draw clear borders here for the
sake of both parties. Talking about traumaexperiences
to much and over and over again
has, in my experience, a re-traumatizing
effect on the client, because feelings such as
panic-like fear and being at someone’s mercy
are reactivated and enhanced at the neuronal
level. One can only succeed in cutting the
vicious cycle of such a strong trauma with
professional trauma-therapy.
An important goal of every traumatherapy
is that the client learns to withdraw
from the suction of the trauma-vortex and to
develop competences to be able to deal with
the subject consciously and in small doses.
One of the goals for this is to recognize the
signs early enough when the vortex starts to
unfold and to “get off” early enough and to
not get overwhelmed. Getting off means
finding a way back to the resilience factors.
The importance of the ability to not get
flooded by feelings and retrieving your own,
inner strength must be made aware to the
client. And the client must want change. If
this is a fact, then the Shiatsu therapist can
help with pursuing the goals mentioned
above with the dialog that accompanies the
treatment. In this way the client should not
only perceive the obviously damaged, but
bring her attention to the strength that made
it possible for her/him to keep on surviving
under bad conditions. Or the support can be
to value her ability to be a good mother. This
shifting back and forth must be explicit and
happen in a very subtle way, to avoid a“push-and-ull” situation between the client
and the therapist, in which the client doesn’t
feel understood because the therapist is
constantly bringing the attention away from
her suffering. So an explicit agreement is
required that it is the role of the therapist to
continuously navigate the attention towards
the healthy, the strengthening and the
nourishing. Questions are most suitable to
dissolve negative vibrations and feelings.
They are questions like: What would help?
What would feel good at the moment/ bring
relieve?
Building up resources and developing
stabilizing attitudes and patterns is hard
work. It must be persuade with willpower and
persistence. Without willingness and
motivation on the part of the client, every
effort of the therapist will lead to nothing
except frustration. In dialog Shiatsu therapists can support
traumatized clients to recognize their
mental strength and to develop stability.
The goal is that clients recognize the
possibilities to choose in life and to take
those choices.
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The first step is to do all actions with
as much attention as possible, which means
to not let the mind race but to keep it in
the here and now. I ask them for example
to pay attention to the contact with the
ground and to feel into their feet while
walking, to develop self-perception. |
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The second step is self-observation,
in loving and indulging perception of one’s
own reaction-patterns, attitudes and
behaviors. |
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The third step is to recognize their
own strengths and “nourishing” resource
and to take care of positive things and to
develop rituals for that. |
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The fourth step is to visualize
alternative ways of reacting and to visualize
what effect that would have and to try to
feel the sensation connected with it. |
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The fifth step is to make small“practice fields” (for example regarding the
topic of “setting boundaries”), to search for
little successes in expanding one’s own
borders and reaction-choice (don’t
immediately use husband/wife as practicefield
if the relationship is difficult and linked
with trauma). |
If the client is in psycho- or traumatherapy
simultaneously, we should talk with
the respective therapist to find out how we
can support their work. We shouldn’t do
anything that contradicts their concept. And
we should also avoid overloading the client
with additional ideas and exercises.
We can help the client to find inner and
outer resources and to develop and
stabilize them.
Through questions and impulses
we lead them to the following
possibilities:
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Looking for supportive relationships,
cherishing them, taking care of them and
utilizing them. |
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Doing joyful things (movement in
nature, making music, being with people,
cooking well and eating consciously,
reading emotionally nourishing books,
contact with animals etc.) |
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Keeping a “joyful-diary”. The goal is to
write something every day, to bring the
attention to the joyful things existing and
away from the problems and to prove that
positive aspects are increasing and to
discover resources. |
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Making a list of personal strengths |
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Looking consciously for little
experiences of success and creating them. |
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Balance exercises, Tai Chi, Yoga,
breathing exercises and/or meditation (to
regain the lost control and inner stability). |
Positive feelings such as being contempt,
gratitude, joy and trust are important. They
should be brought about on intentionally,
recognized and valued (e.g. eating by
candlelight, visualizing joyful experiences).
The sense of self-value and treating oneself
lovingly must be recreated. In the end it’s the
mental attitude that needs to re-orient itself
away from the negative and from the trauma,
towards the positive and the resources. For
every aspect of the trauma-vortex there’s at
least one resilience-factor:
Trauma
|
Resilience
|
| Powerlessness |
“I can” have support
and ask for it |
| Helplessness,
despair |
Confidence, hope |
| Feeling
overwhelmed |
Feeling borders and
drawing those lines |
| Life is not
making any sense |
What was learned
through the trauma |
| Anger, hate |
Gratitude, forgiving |
| Immobility,
rigidity |
Movement |
| Dissociation |
Contact, body |
| Rigid patterns |
Attention |
The therapeutic field
From psychotherapy we know that a
compassionate relationship is co-decisive
for the success of therapy. We need to“tune in” with the client and create a field
in which transformation and healing of the
wounds is possible. This field must be
constellated consciously. With traumatized
clients, this requires especially a lot of
attention. With trauma it is important that
the therapist is stable emotionally and
spiritually so that she/he is able to hold the
space and the orientation in the here and
now compassionately and she/he can keep
the confidence and wisdom of life upright.
Trauma requires the ability of the
therapist:
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To address the wounds and physical
injuries and to perceive them full of
compassion, to touch their energy on the
level of vibrations but to not get
overwhelmed and drawn into the emotions |
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To always keep the contact with the
here and now and to stay oriented about
what is happening |
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To recognize when the vortex starts
happening and to interrupt the client
respectfully, so that she will not be
overwhelmed by the trauma-vortex |
 |
To hold all experiences of the client in
a “larger context”, i.e. being connected not
only with the “surface” but also with the
inner life force, the confidence and the“cosmic-context”. |
The danger is to do too much and want
things the way we expect them to be with
the well-meant intent to help but
overwhelming and restricting the client. It
is essential to find a good sense of yourself,
observation of yourself and to be able to
take yourself back and to consciously find
the right measurement of closeness and
distance, intervention and not doing when
in contact with trauma clients. There is a
difference between compassion and feeling
sorry, in which the therapist looses his
boundaries, identifies with the client and
burdens himself with their suffering. The
consequence of that are burnouts.
Things a client says can activate own
traumas, so that you might feel dissociated
yourself. And clients have the un-conscious
tendency to draw therapists into their
energetic pattern. Typical are idealizations
(“you are my last hope”), depreciation
(“Shiatsu doesn’t help either”) and blackmail
(“if you don’t help me, then…”). As therapist
one should not be savior, not give any smart
recommendations and not have any private
relationships with the client. Self-devalidations
happen often. The client
unconsciously is always looking for the
confirmation that she is “the last person” and
a hopeless case. One should not use any devaluating
formulations – also not in a joking
way.
You should not treat any trauma clients if
this work appears to be to burdening.
Working with strongly traumatized people is
only possible, if you as therapist have worked
with your own personality intensively and if
you can deal with “relationship-traps”.
Additionally, you should definitely take
supervision.
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Literature
(in German)
Peter Levine, Trauma-Heilung, Synthesis, 1998
Judith Herman, die Narben der Gewalt – traumatische erfahrungen verstehen und überwinden, Junfermann, 2003
Diane Poole Heller. Laurence Heller, Crash Kurs zur Selbsthilfe nach Verkehrsunfällen, Synthesis 2001
Peter Levine, Maggie Kline, Verwundete Kinderseelen heilen, Kösel 2004
Luise Reddemann, Imagination als heilsame Kraft – Zur Behandlung von Traumafolgen mit ressourcenorientierten Verfahren, Pfeiffer bei Klett-Kotta, 2003
Luise Reddemann, Eine Reise von 1'000 Meilen beginnt mit einem ersten Schritt, Herder Spektrum 2004
Luise Reddemann, Cornelia Dehner-Rau, Trauma. Folgen erkennen, überwinden und an ihnen wachsen – Ein Übungsbuch für Körper und Seele. Trias 2004
Michaela Huber, Wege der Traumabehandlung, Junfermann, 2004
Babette Rothschild, Der Körper erinnert sich – Die Psychophysiologie des Traumas und Traumabehandlung, Synthesis, 2002
Angwyn St. Just, Soziales Trauma, Kösel 2005
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© Paul Lundberg, author of The Book of Shiatsu and Co-founder of The Shiatsu College (UK), teaches throughout Europe on Shiatsu, Daoyin Qigong and Eastern Traditional Medicine. He has given special workshops both on the Treatment of Pain and on Latent Shock (Post Traumic Stress) in Clinical Practice, for practitioners of Shiatsu and Eastern Bodywork Therapies. He will respond to any bona fide invitation to develop further workshops on these or related topics. He can be contacted on pbalundberg@yahoo.com.
This article is part of the congress volume "European Shiatsu Congress Kiental 2007" (www.kientalerhof.ch, +41 (33) 6762676).

Shiatsu-Magazin der Shiatsu-Ausbildungen Austria www.shiatsu-austria.at
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