Dr. Patricia Carrington is a world-renown expert in energy psychology and a founding EFT Master. She recently reviewed the Trauma Relief Workshop by Carol Look, Rick Wilkes, and Sue Beer. Here is what she has to say about it.

My perspective on trauma and how we can rid ourselves (or our clients) of its effects shifted dramatically after I had just finished listening to one of the most powerful therapeutic programs that I have yet come across in the field of .

It helps us heal, but not in the sense of the word “trauma” that many of us ordinarily use. This was something that was truly eye-opening for me when I listened to the powerful series of recordings produced by EFT Master Carol Look.

What happened is that I came to understand fully what is meant by “Big T” and “Little T” traumas in our lives. Do you know what these terms mean?

To Find Out For Yourself, Take This Brief Quiz

Which of the following words or phrases bring to mind the word “trauma” when you read them? Mentally note EACH entry in the list below that does this.

1. Tsunami
2. Rape
3. Being bullied in the playground with no escape
4. Losing your best friend
5. A hooded figure follows you on a dark street
6. Experiencing humiliation in front of the whole class
7. Being in a car crash
8. Your teddy bear is destroyed by a careless child
9. You are trapped in a major earthquake
10. You have just done something terribly embarrassing
11. You are the victim of sexual molestation
12. You soil your pants in Nursery School
13. You make a major mistake
14. A beloved person moves far away

If you checked every single one of the above as fitting the criteria for a potential trauma, you would be correct. If you didn’t, the mistake you are probably making is thinking that the social traumas of childhood such as experiencing bullying on a playground or being humiliated in front of a class are necessarily any less devastating in their effects upon us than the traumas that result from major disasters.

What makes something a trauma?

The impact of a trauma depends entirely upon the person and how they are interpreting what happens. Little children in particular often have very limited ways of interpreting what is happening to them.

The presenters in Carol’s workshop – Carol herself, and EFT experts Rick Wilkes and Sue Beer -identify the Traumas in our lives as being either “Big T” or “Little T” traumas, and consider each equally important in terms of their effects upon mental health.

Why was I so impressed with this recorded ?

I can’t put this easily into words, but let me try to explain the unusual impact this program has had on me.

Aside from the fact that it features leading figures in the EFT world in 14 different audios, the three presenters show us how trauma (Big T or Little T) are part of everyone’s life — there is no escaping it in some form – and up until now no way of escaping its consequences.

Which means that this program applies to all of us — myself included.

Just what does trauma DO to us?

Caro Look explains this so well by telling us about the “freeze response”, a term that refers to neurophysiological changes identified in traumatized animals and people following a traumatic incident. It occurs at the moment of the traumatic event and can never be resolved as long as the original distress is not “discharged” in some manner.

Animals in the wild often discharge trauma physically through convulsive trembling or other means of motor discharge, but our society usually demands that we “keep a stiff upper lip” and conceal our response to a trauma. This frequently does not allow us to release the freeze response, much to our detriment.

We probably all have some frozen traumas hidden within us and these can cause great emotional suffering when not resolved.

Can the recordings in this Workshop substitute for individual therapy and be used as a TREATMENT for trauma?

Please be clear about this. NOTHING can adequately substitute for individual therapy, and it may well be needed by you if your trauma is severe. But this program comes as close to doing the job as anything I have yet seen. It could serve as the final piece necessary for healing lingering traumas in you or your clients. In fact, I am now recommending it to all those who consult me who have experienced severe trauma — it is a powerful addition to the individual work they do with me.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO GET THIS HELP, GO

What Particularly Impressed Me…

So that you’ll know what I am talking about, let me share with you what has particularly impressed me in this program. You may find other features that are even more important to you when you listen to it – but this is my experience.

Here are some of the questions that were answered for me in this series:

What do we know TODAY about trauma that we didn’t know before?

We have a much clearer understanding of how the body bears the burden for our traumas.

Carol outlines the way that traumatic incidents become deeply embedded in our bodies — they are in effect stored there. This can happen when the danger is actually life-threatening (or is perceived by the person to be so) while at the same time they are defenseless against it.

How can we help the body release traumas so we fully recover from them?

We can do this in several ways. Here’s one example of how this workshop can help you to do this.

One of the highlights of the series is a presentation by Rick Wilkes in which he shares his considerable sensitivity to the body and its reactions. Having been a massage therapist for years before becoming an EFT expert, Rick has some remarkable contributions to make along these lines. I think all of us can benefit by the way in which he encourages us to make this change by taking just “baby steps”.

Can we heal traumas by means of GRADUAL change?

The answer is a resounding “Yes”, and you can see why this is so when Rick leads you through a series of comforting exercises where you listen for your body’s messages about being scared to move forward. He leads his demo subjects (and you follow along and tap with them) so that they end up feeling amazingly okay about where they are now and where they are going. The value of the “baby steps” he encourages us to take is something that has been given all too little attention in EFT practice.

In Rick’s words, “millimeters” of movement can make all the difference between staying frozen or setting ourselves free, so he guides us in making “slow delicious movements” in that direction.

Is the true goal of trauma-relief just to get rid of the pain?

Presenter Sue Beer, a leading EFT Master from the UK, believes that the effectiveness of EFT for trauma is a tribute to the power and beauty of the human spirit. She sees recovery from trauma as returning to our real self in all its strength and glory and illustrates this expertly in her demonstrations with on-stage clients.

And all the while YOU, the listener, follow along, and heal as the presentations progresses…

What stands out particularly in my (Pat Carrington’s) memory of this remarkable series of recordings?

These are the moments that come most vividly to mind as I think about it:

Sue Beer’s Revelations About The Addictions That Resulting From Trauma

In her many demos Sue illustrates how unresolved trauma almost inevitably creates compulsive or addictive behavior.

Even though this behavior may be so-called “benign” addictions, such as watching TV incessantly, or over-texting – whenever a trauma remains unresolved, we will , she explains, automatically adopt some form of addictive behavior to make us feel better. This immensely important insight is handled in great detail for all of us.

Carol Look’s Tap-Alongs For Healing a Broken Heart – a Little Talked About Form of Trauma

EFT Master, Carol Look makes an extremely valuable contribution as she helps us handle an area of trauma we often do not even call “trauma” or think of dealing with as she openly shares her own past traumatic experiences with us. These are deeply moving and transforming, giving us permission to feel our own pain from separation, in our own way.

By “broken heart”, Carol does not mean just the pain that can stem from the ending of a romantic relationship. The term encompasses every agonizing separation from a childhood playmate, a beloved relative, an adored pet, or even a precious stuffed toy. It is the eternal broken heart of the human race.

Carol’s presentation brought tears to my eyes, and I am sure it will help you too to become more compassionate toward yourself. In essence, she hands us the freedom to admit to our own selves our own deep hurts in this area, and to gently remove them.

Rick Wilkes’ EFT Exercises for Healing Sexual Trauma

If you have encountered the devastation that sexual traumas cause, either in your own life or in those of your clients, you will benefit profoundly from Rick’s session. If this has been your personal experience, you will come away with a new feeling about this trauma and a deep forgiveness of yourself – no matter how much and how often you may have tried to deal with this problem before.

Some of the issues Rick handles:

• The roots of sexual shame (with many eye-opening examples and demos)
• The devastating experience of no boundaries
• The toxic effects of enforced secrecy.

He then takes you through a series of tapping sequences to help you create a sense of safety in saying “No” that you may never have had.

This healing is done so delicately… our “defenses” are fully respected and we begin to recognize them as Choices we are holding onto because we think they are precious and necessary.

I highly recommend this sexual trauma section of the workshop. In my opinion it can be worth purchasing the entire set to be able to experience just this one portion of it.

Sue Beer’s Message of Hope and Healing

Sue Beer conveys her sense of the magic of EFT for handling trauma, and the audience’s response is amazing. Her demonstrations and discussions allow us to experience who we are, with love and compassion and a deep positive connection to life. Again, Sue treats sexual trauma in a powerful way with her demonstration of an onstage client named Tracy, whose two-year-old molestation is handled with the greatest delicacy. Actually, sexual trauma is a reoccurring theme in the presentations of all three presenters, making this a “must” series for anyone facing this problem.

So, how much does the workshop COST?

Astonishingly little when you consider what it would cost you to seek individual treatment for the problems it covers.

Although the original (live) 3-day conference cost $600 for tuition and those attending it also had to cover their expenses for travel, hotel, and food, so that the total amount laid out usually came to $1,500 or more — this entire series, on 14 separate recordings, (including a 520 page PDF transcript and 80 page PDF workbook) can be purchased now for just $127 (U.S. dollars).