Abstract

In the footsteps of conflict there is often more conflict, because hurt people hurt people. Experiencing emotional and traumatic stress can cause our nervous systems to go into a state of hypervigilance, triggering defence and attack reactions in situations where they no longer are necessary. In areas of conflict and post-conflict there is rarely an infrastructure allowing conventional treatments for trauma on a one-to-one basis. An optimal solution is one that can be carried from peer to peer by non-specialists, empowering each individual to be able to stabilize themselves and their community. One such method has been taught in over 20 countries since 2007 in a model that allows it to spread efficiently, at the lowest cost possible, with maintained integrity and a minimum of spoken interventions. It is called the Trauma Tapping Technique.