Major cities around the world have festivities, parades and concerts. The night ends with awesome displays of bursting color and light forms dancing against the dark backdrop in the sky. The Awe’s, Oh’s and Wow’s from the spectators can be heard echoing under the magnificent burst of light with loud pops and bangs.

For many living in the outskirts of the city or for those who choose not to travel into the crowded cities, friends and families come together and celebrate with each other at their homes. They create their own excitement and shoot off their own fireworks.

But, what happens when an exciting, fun filled evening turns bad? My 22 yr. old nephew, was in a rural area enjoying the festivities with other family members. After a day of boating and swimming, everyone sat around the campfire as several of the adults went over to the secured area to shoot off their own fireworks.

That’s when the evening turned disastrous. As soon as my nephew lit the fuse on his firework, it exploded in his face. Since it was dark, it was hard for anyone to determine how bad he was. There were several EMT’s at the party who started administering care right away. The closes ambulance was too far so they rushed him themselves to the closest hospital emergency center. His parents were 3 hours away and no one could get a hold of them.

The day after the accident.                            Healing underway

At the hospital, they had to remove various shrapnel from his forehead and eyes. He had 3rd degree burns over his face and forehead and his eyes were badly burned. They did what they could and advised getting him to an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. A friend drove my nephew home so we could see about getting him additional medical attention. Since Monday was a holiday, we could not find a doctor who was open.

When I found out about the accident, I immediately called my sister-in-law and told her that I would come over to work with both of them. She was pretty shaken up when he got home and saw how bad he was. I always have my clients tap the side of their hand to clear any reversals, just in case. Next, I showed her the trauma algorithm and then had her to the anxiety algorithm. She said that there was noticeable difference in her anxiety and she felt much calmer.

My nephew was in major pain and traumatized over the ordeal. I immediately had him start tapping the side of his hand to keep his polarity out of reversal. I instructed him do this as often as possible. Since he could not move his eyes without intense pain, I used myself as a surrogate when doing the pain algorithm and the trauma algorithm. Since most of his face and eyes were badly burned and blistered, I tapped the spots on me, holding the intention for him. When it came time to do the 9 gamut sequence, I tapped his gamut spot and did the eye movements myself. He said it did help some.

In addition to TFT, I gave him Bach Rescue Remedy under his tongue and on the areas that only had 1st or 2nd degree burns. His Uncle had recently bought an “Amega – zero point field energy wand” which we started wanding his face and eyes every couple hours.

My sister finally found an ophthalmologist who could see him on Tuesday. The doctor said that his right eye was traumatized with blurry vision and the left eye had a severe burn on the cornea. The doctor prescribed a steroid drop and antibiotic to prevent infection. He told him that it could take 2-3 months to restore full vision in the eye if he even got full sight restored. The doctor told him to come back on Friday for a follow up.

I continued to work on my nephew with the TFT, Rescue Remedy cream and the “Amega” wand. We also kept after him to treat for reversals by tapping the side of the hand.

On Friday, the doctor could not believe how improved everything looked. My nephew could barely open his eyes on Tuesday. Now, he not only had them opened, the right eye was almost normal and the left eye had 80% vision restored. The scabbing on the face/forehead was pretty much gone and there was no real sign of scarring. He now only had a egg size area where the 3rd degree burn was.

Chrissy Mayhew TFT-Adv.
Well Within Reach

There are currently two TFT healing and training teams, teaching local community leaders how to help their neighbors, families and colleagues how to tap away the pain of loss, trauma, grief, despair and fear.

ATFT UK Foundation’s board members, Dr. Howard and Phyll Robson, have joined a healthcare team led by Dr. Carolle Jean-Murat, California, providing community outreach for many in La Vallee, Haiti. Howard and Phyll are treating many and more importantly, are teaching a group of 32 leaders, clergy, teachers and professionals in TFT trauma relief. They will leave behind a TFT skilled and caring group to continue helping others.

They will soon be traveling to outlying areas with their new TFT trainees to support them as they begin to help the many children and refugees from the devastated Port Au Prince area.

This model of teaching the local people to carry on with the healing tools of TFT has proven to be very successful in Uganda and Rwanda and we expect similar results in Haiti.

The ATFT (USA) Foundation’s trauma relief team, Suzanne Connolly, Caroline Sakai, Gary Quinn and Cyndi Quinn, have also just begun training a new group at the TFT algorithm level, and are scheduled to begin a diagnostic level training for those trained in previous years. They will also begin two follow-up studies to the work done in Kigali and Byumba in 2008 and 2009.

They said they were welcomed with smiling and appreciative faces, friends from their previous trips, all telling stories of how TFT has helped their community over the last year.

Rwanda has been an excellent example of how these missions can grow to serve an entire region. The IZERE Center (Reconciliation and Peace) in Byumba, Northern Rwanda has now been successfully helping the people of their region with TFT trained therapists for a full year.

Please help us carry on this much needed work. If you wish to help or contribute with further missions to Haiti or Rwanda, please click this link to the ATFT Foundation.

Following the earthquake, they have become overloaded with relatives – young and old, who had emigrated to Port-au-Prince or Jacmel, survived the earthquake… but have lost everything. The average household is now 15 to 20.

Many who survived the earthquake are now dying of sadness, heart attacks, or just “going crazy.” I guess that it is a way for them to “check out” because there is no hope.

We are elated about the idea of offering a 2-day training that will help alleviate the suffering of our people. Little help have reach them since the earthquake last January the majority of the population is living under tarps and few tents with no hope in site.

Godfroy (Gody) Boursiquot , is the leader of a NGO CODEHA – Corde Enfant Haitiens a member of the Angels For Haiti . CODEHA’s headquarters is in area called Au-Tuff, not too far from the main town of Ridore, where the hospital where I usually provided free medical care is located.

Gody will be the one coordinating the training and will gladly keep tract of whatever information that you need regarding the effect of TFT on the population of La Vallee de Jacmel and its surrounding areas. I am sure that with time, trainees will eventually return to other areas of Haiti armed with an excellent tool for healing. This is truly a great – win-win opportunity for all involved. TFT could not have a better opportunity to be introduced in a country and be recognized for its healing values.

We are contemplating offering the two-day training to people in position to affect many others such as teachers, nurses, community leaders, medical and nursing students (the only medical school in Haiti was destroyed killing most of the doctors, patients and medical students), etc. Imagine all these people living under tents or tarps themselves. I would also be a great opportunity FOR THEM TO HEAL WHILE LEARNING!

We plan to give a certificate of completion to each participant. We will extend the training to those in the county of La Vallee as well as those who can make it from Port-au-Prince and other areas devastated by the earthquake.

We feel that training 60 people would be a good number. It will cost us $100 per person. This would include providing food, lodging and arranging for transportation from the remote villages, for a total of $6,000. This may also include having them stay an extra day and arrange for people to come for treatment – this of course would increase the cost.

In view of the threat and the acuity of the mental health deterioration, I have already told my medical team that I would not spend time delivering medical care, but be with Guy, for whatever time it takes during our stay to make this a success.

Thank you so much for offering this opportunity to the earthquake victims. I am confident that it will create a lasting impact in their lives, as well as given them a tool for healing others as well.

Love and blessings,

Dr. Carolle

If you would like to contribute to this very worthwhile cause, please email us and we’ll provide you with more details.

Dr. Jeanette Magdalene tells her story:

I have been working with what is known as Awareness During Anesthesia for 18 years. 

Many people don’t know that more then 100 people per day will wake up during their surgery and not be able to speak, move, open their eyes, anything to let the doctors know they are awake!

This happened to me in 1990 during my own surgery.

I  woke up before the surgery even began only to find myself buried within my body that no longer worked as I knew it. The surgery began, I felt every cut of the knife , smelled and felt my flesh burning , everything everyone was saying and even stepped outside of my body as my heart started to go into arrest and viewed everything the doctor was doing to get my heart under control.

I even heard the doctor say there was nothing wrong with me! Misdiagnosis so never needed the surgery to begin with!

I was offered a large settlement but turned it down so I could speak about this and help others like yourself never to know what I went through. I threw myself into my own research and blew one of the most well kept secrets in medicine wide open. To date I have changed every hospital in America, I teach at every medical school the U.S.A, written a book on Anesthesia Awareness,  have been interviewed in T.V and print throughout the world, and tons more that can be viewed on my website: www.aware4life.com .

I also have worked with Military and Law Enforcement for many years and always felt these type of people needed more for themselves due to the high level of stress and traumas they experience. I’ve put different programs together for them – Anesthesia Awareness – and it took on a life of its own.

Then one day a friend told me about something she heard of called Thought Field Therapy and wanted to know if I would want to go?

I jumped up and said yes lets go! She said “why would I go? That’s your type of work“. I looked at here and said “do you know how I stayed alive on the operating table? By learning. You never know when something like this will help you somehow in your life so your going with me“.

We went and I’m here to tell everyone, TFT blew me away! It was amazing because for about 15 yrs I was still dealing with the aftermath of Anesthesia Awareness and PTSD. I was learning how to live with it, and realized I wasn’t living… I was only existing.

In Suzanne Connolly’s TFT class she showed me how to put the missing pieces of my life in order, and take the sting out of the trauma within the deepest parts of my being.

There is not a day that go’s by that I do not ask God to bless her and Dr Callahan for the true gift of TFT. This is not another band-aid over a wound… its a Gift of Life!

I’ve been there and can tell you I’ve tried everything and only 2-3 that have worked… and TFT is one of them.

Today I use TFT with everyone I work with from the very start, and it has made such a change for myself and those I’m working with. In the Military and Law Enforcement there are things that they can ” Not ” talk about.  When I tell them that’s OK, because to be honest, I don’t want to know. We can still work together. Once I show them TFT… well, I’m very much loved!

A lot of people have ask me to talk about their “thing” and I have said “no thank you” until now. I would though, recommend Thought Field Therapy…. From trauma to daily stress it truly a God sent gift.

I am taking TFT to a new level in my new book on PTSD. I’m writing this book with a gentleman who was a POW in WW11 Batin Death March for 3 years. We both understand torture , near death, fear, loss, and everything you never wanted to know about PTSD.

The real nightmare for me began not only on the table, but after I went home and had to deal with the trauma of awareness.

No one knew what I was talking about due to never hearing about it. A Physiotherapist that I went to had told me it had to do with my childhood, and something I buried within myself. No matter how I tried to explain what happened, they would not except it as truth, until my work in Anesthesia Awareness started coming out.

I understand that it was hard for anyone outside of Anesthesia to believe it. It’s a true horror story but It was mine and I believe God gave me this experience because He/She/ It knew I would do the right thing with it and I have.

I’m sharing it with all of you in the Thought Field Therapy family. I’ve learned that in the end the only thing I take with me are my choices, so I choose wisely.

Trauma teaches you that you may not be able to pick what trauma you will have in life, but know you will always be lead to receive the help you need. After that gift is given, there is a bigger responsibility that comes with it. Its called sharing. So from my heart and soul to yours I share with you what I know in hope of helping others.

Wisdom saves lives. When we don’t understand something, its may be shock of the unknown that could take a life.

Love and blessings always,

Dr Jeanette Mary Magdalene

About Dr. Jeanette Magdalene, B.MS, C.C.H., MS.P., M.MS., C.SMC., T.F.T., C.M., D.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Magdalene is internationally recognized for her breakthrough work in anesthesia. She has provided over 15 years of counseling along with medical and public education throughout the US and Europe.

Dr. Magdalene has been a featured speaker for numerous national and international medical community programs. Her experience and dedication has won her recognition as a respected consumer advocate by the public, television, print media, and anesthesia community.

Dr. Magdalene is the founder and President of Awareness with Anesthesia Research Education (AWARE). AWARE is dedicated to client education, research and counseling in the area of Awareness During Anesthesia. She was honored with the 2000 Award for Public Interest in Anesthesia by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and is a Distinguished Educator for the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

She also coaches people in preparation for surgery and recovery along with using the techniques of Thought Field Therapy. She is known for her passion and understanding and believes no one ever needs to be alone both before and after surgery. Often, she is allowed to accompany a patient into the operating room. She is a true patient advocate and works with them from beginning to end. The medical community has often found great benefit in having Dr. Magdalene involved in both pre-operative and post-operative surgeries.

Dr. Magdalene also does medical mediation in all areas. You can visit Dr. Magdalene’s website here.

Click Here To get the Free Thought Field Therapy Tapping Guide

Dr. Callahan’s life-long quest for more effective ways to help clients–without the need for them to suffer during the healing process—has resulted in a simple yet highly effective method of healing negative emotions, including the debilitating effects of trauma.

TFT works across all age groups, genders and cultures – even other species (dogs, cats, horses, etc.)

One of the aspects of TFT of which we’re most proud is that it is perfectly safe. We’re aware of no cases of harm over 30 years of healing. This degree of safety is rare in today’s health care systems.

TFT can have the most profound and immediate impact on the life of an individual, indeed of the world, by healing the effects of trauma. The world is filled with the agony of trauma from natural disasters to the man-made violence of war, genocide and terrorism. When people become stuck in trauma’s vice-like grip, we see a continued cycle of violence.

Victims become perpetrators. Their lives are filled with anger, hatred, revenge and violence, unable to feel hope or joy. The need to open their hearts to peace, compassion and hope for the future–and break this cycle of violence–is vital to our existence as a species and our planet as a whole.

The ATFT Foundation is deeply committed to its mission of providing TFT trauma relief to those who need it, wherever that may be in the world. Effective TFT trauma relief can be done quickly and at no cost to needy communities. Additionally, it can be taught to local leaders in a couple of days, enabling them to capably continue the healing long after the foundation team has left.

These humanitarian and educational efforts are refined and improved with the aid of research. After several missions to traumatized areas throughout the world, the ATFT Foundation has developed a dynamic model for volunteer response to large-scale trauma anywhere in the world.

Our first indication of how truly effective TFT can be in the face of horrific large-scale trauma was in Kosovo. Dr. Carl Johnson led several teams of TFT practitioners to this war-torn country, where they found that using TFT to treat victims of the war produced a very high success rate that has held up over time. (Johnson, C., Shala, M., Sejdijaj, X., Odell, R., & Dabishevci, D. (2001). Thought Field Therapy: Soothing the bad moments of Kosovo. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(10), 1237- 1240).

Since that time, the ATFT Foundation has sponsored many TFT trauma relief missions throughout the world. The research that has been conducted during some of these missions clearly demonstrates TFT’s high level of effectiveness with severely traumatized populations. During more recent efforts, in Rwanda and Uganda, the teams left in place an infrastructure of trained TFT therapists to support their local communities with trauma relief and healing.

If you are interested in learning more about how TFT is helping others, you can download a PDF of the magazine here.

The ATFT Foundation has sponsored TFT trauma relief work throughout the world. The extraordinary results have been consistent and stood the test of time. It would be both economically and logistically difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish this kind of large-scale trauma relief with more traditional, long term therapies. TFT allows us to help those populations and regions that are often underserved and neglected.

The ATFT Foundation’s trauma relief blog is a resource for all to learn TFT trauma relief procedures. It is free of charge and in many languages. Share this site with anyone who needs help.

If you wish to help support any of these programs or learn more about them, visit the ATFT Foundation at www.ATFTFoundation.org.

While it is much too soon to begin to think about helping with the psychological traumas of the survivors in the after effect of the massive earthquake in Haiti, it is important to begin the psychological healing of the families and friends who are living elsewhere, and providing trauma relief for the rescue crews, first responders, troops going in to serve and their families. Even the press and viewers are being effected by the constant stream of heart wrenching images and reports of losses.

The ATFT Foundation has provided Thought Field Therapy® (TFT), the original meridian tapping therapy for trauma, to victims of wars, genocides and natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and the floods in Tabasco, Mexico.

TFT has been safely used to heal psychological problems for 30 years, and PTSD studies have demonstrated it to be highly effective in quickly eliminating the debilitating effects of even the worst of traumas with lasting results.

Early and regular use of these safe, self-applied protocols, can reduce or eliminate crippling grief, secondary traumatization, compassion fatigue and burn-out of our rescue workers and first responders. TFT can also reduce the stress and fears burdening the families of the rescue workers and response teams on the ground.

To this end, the ATFT Foundation’s TFT Trauma Relief Blog teaches these TFT trauma relief procedures in English, Japanese, Chinese, German, Russian, Spanish, French and Italian. These procedures are the very same, powerful tools used successfully in Kosovo with war victims, Rwandan genocide survivors, New Orleans Hurricane Katrina victims, and other traumatized regions.

The TFT Trauma Relief blog also has 34 powerful stories about how TFT has relieved the trauma of war, suicide, genocide, kidnapping, prison, massive burns, rape, etc. Our most recent story is Juanita Van Ham’s account of how TFT transformed her experience after being severely traumatized in a bank robbery.

The tapping techniques are provided in print and video formats, to all who are in need.

Please, if you have any family or friends that have been affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti, or have loved ones deployed in the rescue efforts, take advantage of these free, powerful self-help tools.

Go to www.TFTTraumaRelief.wordpress.com .

You can also receive a Free Stress Relief Guide, at www.RogerCallahan.com.

Our prayers are with Haiti.

photo credit: markyturner

Freedom R & R’s with Timeshares for Vets

ATFTF Foundation Provides R & R Retreats with Timeshares for Vets

In late 2008, the ATFT Foundation partnered with Timeshares for Vets to provide our returning veterans and families with an opportunity to enjoy a much earned vacation and have the benefit of TFT for the stress and trauma of their service.

While the process of establishing and building the Freedom R & R’s program has been slow, the result is now something we are proud to be a part of and I believe is providing a much needed service for our returning veterans.

I wish to thank those who have dedicated many long hours of hard work. Herb Ayers and the Columbia Basin Veteran’s Resource Center have served as the base for our volunteer coaches and mentors, and a resource for our veterans. Sheila Crouser, a vet herself, and our ATFT administrator has put in many long hours working with the vets to find a resort that fits their needs. Chrissy Mayhew has worked with our volunteer web designer, Mark Perry, to design the Timeshares for Vets web site. Roger Callahan, TFT’s founder, is donating his book, Tapping the Healer Within and Bob Bray is donating his book, No Open Wounds, to the veterans. They both are also volunteering with coaching help as have many of our other practitioners.

I have been working with legal, structure, press, and organizations to bring in additional media, and funding. We will be working with BuyATimeshare.com to be able to accept full timeshares, have the donations sold and the funds given to the foundation. This will help provide much needed revenue for the travel costs for the program.

I would like to thank our generous timeshare donors: Bob MacMahon, TFT Dx, JoAnn and Alan Kilpatrick, Lei-Lynne DooHorvick, and Randy and Lanet Johnson. They have provided the resort vacations that are making this project a reality.

It was so very gratifying to hear from our timeshare recipient just returning from his week in Glacier, Washington. He went with his girlfriend and said it was so relaxing, he felt he had a total reset. In fact, they were having such a wonderful time, they got married while at their Freedom R & R.

We have veterans and families scheduled to go to some great locations, coming up, Las Vegas, NV, Klamath Falls, OR, Glacier, WA, South Florida and South Lake Tahoe, CA. Applications for our program are increasing all the time. We need more timeshares, so if you have or know anyone who has an unused timeshare, please let them know they can help support and thank our troops and returning veterans with the ATFT Foundation’s Freedom R & R’s program with Timeshares for Vets. We could also use help with travel for the veterans. If you have airline miles you can contribute please let us know.

For program information and veteran applications, you can go to www.ATFTFoundation.org. Timeshare donors can also go to www.TimesharesforVets.com

Click Here for more information on how you can participate with the Freedom R & R’s for our veterans.

Izere Center in Nyinawimana Parish, Byumba Diocese in Rwanda

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) was the answer to a mother who sought help for her son recently.

Her boy was unable to attend school because he had intense rages, threw and destroyed things, and went into tantrums and tirades.  He was physically robust, and his petite mother appeared overwhelmed and exhausted with his supervision and care.

These rages were triggered whenever he didn’t want to do something, or didn’t like something, or when he did not get his way.

The treatment algorithms for oppositionality (psychological reversal), anger, rage and trauma were demonstrated to the child and mother.

The child was not initially cooperative, but tolerated being tapped by mother after psychological reversal was treated.  Then mother was warned that a thought field that would induce the rage might be created right then and there, to check the effectiveness of this treatment.  Mother seemed apprehensive, and she, the Rwandan therapist and ATFT team support therapist first moved out of the immediate range of his kicking and hitting.  Mother was asked to instruct the young boy to give the water bottle he was playing with to his mother, so he could do the tapping sequences.  He started going into a tantrum, and the reversal was done by the Rwandan therapist and his mother.

Much to both their surprise, the boy’s tantrum abruptly stopped, he gave the bottle to his mother as requested, and he started tapping himself.  He calmed down and tapped on all the meridian points himself.  He was not grunting, whining, yelling, kicking, throwing things, or hitting—but smiling, and wanting to repeat the treatment.

Mother worked with TFT with the same algorithm for her own frustration, and reported feeling the calming response herself and the remitting of her own intense emotions.  She made an appointment for a TFT follow-up visit for herself, and for help with parenting support at the Izere Center.

Click here to Donate to this worthy cause, and the ATFT Foundation:

Research Update from Rwanda

We have now trained 33 amazing Rwandan therapists.

Our newly trained therapists are a remarkable group as are our translators. We have priests and teachers and directors of orphanages, directors and teachers of secondary schools, policemen, businessmen, and clinical psychologists (with their degrees but they tell us it’s hard for psychologists to find work in Rwanda.)

We enjoy them all and have the greatest respect for them.

Following the training of the therapists last week came the pretesting of the 200 clients. All showed up and were administered the MPSS and the TSI and it went very well. Quite miraculous!

Only one of the 200 could read and all therapists showed up to read the questions to them. The clients who are participating in the study are a rural and impoverished group and were appreciative of any help we might be able to give them.

Carmen Fernandez has done an incredible job of entering all the names in the computer and assigning them either a numbered blue folder or a numbered red folder for the randomization. All names will be removed before leaving Rwanda so that the only identifiers will be numbers. Father Jean Marie has done an unbelievable job of organizing.

The next two days were spent supervising as the newly trained therapists treated the 100 people who comprised the treatment group or Group A, those with blue folders.

All clients expressed that they felt so much better after their treatment and almost all of their symptoms were reduced to a 0. They all seemed so happy. You could see their faces turn from skepticism to amazement and joy as they experienced the transformative effects of TFT. The people who left looked so different than the people who walked in.

Father Jean Marie has asked that the Izere Center, where we meet for the study, be officially the ATFT Center of Rwanda and, of course, we were all delighted and agreed on ATFT’s behalf.

One of our therapists and translators, Jean Baptiste teaches at a secondary school and already, the school administrator has been so struck by the results that Jean has been getting that his administrator has offered to pay Jean Baptiste’s way to the U.S. for further training. Caroline will be giving a training in Hawaii in April 2010. We hope that Jean (We call him Big John) can manage to attend.

The word is around.

Others not in the study are begging to be treated with TFT, so tomorrow and the next day (Monday and Tuesday) we treat 30 plus people each day. In addition, we will be treating some of the newly trained therapists who have been through so much in their own lives and have already helped so many others. These people, treated on these two days by us will, of course, not be in the study.

Wednesday and Thursday will be the post testing of 200 people who are participating in the study. One hundred will have been treated and 100 not yet treated. This is the heart of the study. We hope to demonstrate that the group treated showed more improvement over the past week than the group not treated.

Then Friday and Saturday the newly trained Rwandan therapists will treat those 100 people who are in the study who have not yet been treated. One week later, (Gordon, Carmen and Suzanne are staying behind to do this) those people who are participating and were just treated (Group B), will take a second post test to measure if they are now reporting improvement on the MPSS and the TSI which are our testing instruments.

You can see we are busy but it is a fun group. Gary and Cyndie are now known as “Auntie” and “Uncle”. They keep everyone entertained.

Our three young interpreters, Chris, Prosper, Joseph are all young men who have lived through incredible losses and they have grown fond of all of us and we of them. However they have a special relationship with “Auntie” and “Uncle.” We call Carmen and Gordon the “kids” because they are young and the rest of us are so old.

We had a brief stay in Kigali where we celebrated Chris’s 25th birthday at an Indian restaurant that is incredible. It was his first birthday party. It was so fun. The whole restaurant joined in and it was like we were one family for a brief moment in time. Now Chris is officially 25.

We celebrated again, the next night at an American owned restraint called Heaven. They are displaying and selling the orphans quilts, an offshoot of our work in Rwanda at El Shaddai Orphanage in 2006.

All for now,
Suzanne Connolly and Caroline Sakai

photo credit: sdpurtill

Report from Suzanne Connolly and Caroline Sakai

We are now in the Northern Province in the town of Byumbain Rwanda.

Caroline and I are happy to be working in Rwanda once again. The group we are working with is amazing. Everything is going well. The countryside is beautiful. High mountains with terraced hills growing bananas, sugar cane, cassava, corn, potatoes and other crops.

It’s lush and green with roads lined with pine trees and Eucalyptus. Women in traditional dress, line the roads with baskets balanced on heads, children wrapped tightly on their back. Men push wooden wheelbarrows, or bicycles carrying heavy loads of bananas, firewood, potatoes, cassava leaves, potatoes and everything you can think of.

On our most recent trip from Byumba, our new home, to the Izere Center in Nyinawimana, where we are working, we saw a large desk being wheeled downhill on a bicycle.

Nothing is impossible here in Rwanda.

We were picked up at the Kigali Airport by Brother Augustine, Father Jean Marie, Vianey and a group of others. Unfortunately, Cyndie and Gary were not with us as there had been a mix up with Ethiopian Airlines and they had to fly out from Belgium a day later than planned. We were treated to a late night dinner at a local restraint on the way home. The Bishop has provided us with a car and driver to go back and forth from Byumba to Nyinawimana.

So, the day after our arrival, the team returned to Kigali to pick up Gary and Cyndie. While the rest of the team waited at the airport, Suzanne, along with Brother Augustine and interpreters Joseph and Chris, went to change money and print the French training manuals. It was a difficult to get a printer to print the manual, nothing seemed to go right, but a printer related to Brother Augustine saved the day. He even had to purchase a new program to print our manual but he stayed late past business hours and got the job done. Another of Brother Augustine’s relatives gave us an outstanding exchange rate on our donated American dollars.

We were treated to a reception to launch the study on August 6th. We sat at a table at the front of the room with the Bishop, Father Jon Marie Vianey the parish priest of Nyinawimana and the local organizer and contact person for the study.

Also up front with us was a Major in the Rwandan Army who spoke of how needed this treatment was for the soldiers of Rwanda. He stated that once, people were afraid when they saw a soldier but now soldiers are seen as the ones who are working for peace. A Police Officer from the military also attended as well as a top Government official.

The Bishop gave a welcoming speech and expressed his deepest gratitude for our coming such a long way to help. The Government official did the same.

Even Suzanne was asked to speak, and, after introducing the rest of the team she told the story from the Hassidic Jewish tradition which she had recently heard during a homily at Sunday Mass. The Rabbi asked a group of young students: “When is the exact moment in time, when night becomes day; when darkness becomes light?” The children guessed many things such as “When you can tell the difference between an olive tree and a fig tree?” But the Rabbi answered “No. The exact moment in time, when night becomes day and day becomes night, is the moment in time when you look into the face of a stranger and see your brother and sister.”

Suzanne thanked everyone present for their warm hospitability, for having looking into the eyes of these six strangers and welcoming them as brothers and sisters. A magnificent dance troupe entertained with several dances. During the last dance, the team was invited to join in.

The road from Byumba to Nyinawimana each day is a little scary. It is narrow and very bumpy. Our driver Effran skillfully dodges the biggest bumps, and avoids running into men, women, and children along the road. He also avoids dropping us all over the edge of the road in places where the edge of the road has disappeared and the drop over the edge measured in kilometers. He does this without slowing down and miraculously without killing anyone. Our three seated van is often so packed that almost everyone has someone sitting on their lap.

We were a happy group as we head to the training and also as we head home for a warm meal and a good night’s sleep. When we finally arrive home, Gary says “Okay everyone: “One two three” and we all say in unison “Murakoze Effran!”, thankful to have arrived safely to our new home once again.

It is surprising how quickly we all adapted to situations such as, having a toilet, a shower and bathroom sink in each room but no running water. In this area, even at the Bishops compound, one has a large yellow jerry- can in the bathroom and a bucket. You flush to toilet by pouring water into the bowl directly from the jerry can if you’re really strong and can lift it that high, or by tilting the jerry can when it’s full and filling the bucket with water and then flushing by poring the water from the bucket. When you want hot water, really hot water, you simply set the bucket outside your door. Someone picks it up and brings it back almost immediately. You then use the hot water to bathe. When finished bathing you can do laundry in it.

To most of the group, all seasoned travelers, the availability of water and especially hot water, is an unexpected luxury.

The two- day training went well. We trained 35 in all, including three interpreters. Caroline and Suzanne were the main instructors with loads of help from Carmen, Cyndie, and Gordon. Caroline has arranged for Gary to do video and Gary was busy during the training catching some great moments on tape. He even prepared a short show for the trainees to watch during the last break. Father Jean Marie Vianey did a wonderful job of selecting participants. Most were priests, nuns, teachers, police, social workers, business men who want to help, and orphanage administrators.

The last day of the training ended with Suzanne asking for a large round of applause for the trainees who are now the “best therapists in Rwanda!” and Caroline asking Father Jean Marie Vianey to pray for the success of the study. He gladly agreed and burst out into prayerful song with the whole group joining in with clapping and singing. It was, thanks to Caroline, a magical ending to a great training.

The trainees are enthusiastic about the study and most expressed a desire to participate each of the nine days dedicated to the study.

Today is a catch up day. The Bishop and Chancellor left their door open so we could all use the internet today in the reception area where they meet with the poor on a daily basis.

Tomorrow we begin the actual study with two days of testing 200 people who are participating in the study, followed by two days of treating participants who have been randomly assigned to Group A (100 persons) by being handed a blue folder. The blue folders are alternated with red folders so every other person gets a blue folder and the next a red folder.

We will keep you all posted.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Suzanne and the rest of the team

photo credit: sdpurtill

These problems weigh most heavily on our elderly.  We need some simple, drug-free techniques for this at risk population to aid their emotional health and well-being.

Thought Field Therapy (TFT), discovered by Dr. Roger Callahan, provides those simple techniques.

The brief story below, illustrates what a profound and rapid improvement TFT can make to a distressed elderly person.

Mary Lou Dobbs reports:

“I have a story about TFT, that blows me away, my eight-five year old mother was scammed by a financial predator telling her she won six million dollars, just three weeks ago . The scammers got a check for $11,000 plus her local  bank stopped another check from going out in the amount of  $20,000.  My folks live on a fixed income, and this devastated my mom, who was traumatized, couldn’t sleep, cried and felt worthless and shamed.

I flew home to Indiana the following week and did TFT,  asking her what distress level she was from 1 to 10… of course she replied ten.  We did the tapping for distress, shame and guilt. It went down to a one, and the next day she made a comment that I can’t even conger up, about her feelings about the scam…

I was feeling grateful and appreciative to have this tool available, and I have written about this experience in my new book – in chapter eight.”

Mary Lou Dobbs is the author of the soon to be released book, “Repotting Yourself”- Financial – Emotional –Spiritual-Flow (O-Books, March 2010) and The Cinderella Salesman (Farnsworth, 1982), endorsed by Og Mandino, with a forward by the then president of Lincoln Financial, Ean M. Rowland, who was an innovative guide to building a career in sales.

For more information click here to visit Mary’s website.

For more information on Dr. Roger Callahan and TFT, and to receive a free Daily Stress Busting Program, visit www.RogerCallahan.com .

The media frenzy surrounding the swine flu has sent people into mass hysteria. Churches aren’t allowing hand shaking or hugging. Public events are being canceled. The sale of face masks and antibacterial cleansers has skyrocketed.

An emotional roller coaster of stress, fear and trauma can substantially depress the ability of our immune system to protect us when something like the Swine Flu comes along. Research has documented the negative effect of stress on our health and our immune system.

So, what can you do to protect yourself?

The first thing everyone tells you is “don’t panic”.

Eat a good diet, exercise, and get enough sleep. Practice scrupulous hygiene by washing your hands regularly. Keep your distance from people who have symptoms—and if you’re sick, do everyone else a favor and stay home.

Julian Whitaker, MD, in his Health and Healing newsletter, recommends that you make a point to bolster your immune system. Take a good daily multivitamin and mineral supplement, along with extra vitamin D (2,000-5,000 IU/day) and vitamin C (a minimum of 1,000mg/day).

TFT can be used to quickly reduce stress, fear and anxiety on a regular basis. The same simple algorithms given in our Daily Stress Busting program, have been demonstrated to normalize cortisol levels (Cortisol is a steroid hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex that has been intensively studied by behavioral medicine researchers because of its association with behavioral adaptation and the stress response, physiological reactivity to environmental stressors and immunocompetence).

Your best defense is to reduce or eliminate stress and fear with Thought Field Therapy – a simple, non-invasive proven techniques.

Alvaro Hernandez, TFT Adv, has already begun using TFT to help fellow citizens in Mexico City.

He reports:

“Last weekend at the middle of this crisis we were able to give a TFT Training.

We were more than 40 people… most came were wearing protective masks, scared and trying to keep distance among them. The first thing we did as introduction was to treat the fear and trauma of the group, the result was incredible.

At the end of the training I ask Dr Lammoglia a well known Doctor and owner of a TV program to come to give the certificates. People were so grateful for the course and the TFT techniques that after getting their certificate most of them stayed until they were able to personally thank us and take a personal picture.

All of these people are now helping scared people all over, and some of them have called to thank us for teaching TFT in this difficult moment.

I teach them also that the use of TFT can improve our immunological system and many I know are still tapping for this reason.

I have not suspended my private practice and yesterday I treated a panic case related to the fear of getting the swine flu.

As usual TFT is being a great help in time of crisis.

Thank you Roger!”

To keep your immune system strong, eliminate negative emotions of fear and stress, try the simple self-help guide, Daily Stress Busting Program.

For information on how to eliminate the traumas associated with your daily stress, visit www.rogercallahan.com.

As TFT leaders, we have demonstrated the revolutionary power of TFT to bring peace to one’s life, over many years and in many countries.

We’ve have also experienced the frustration of not being able to get it to the world fast enough to help all who need the healing power of TFT!

Now we are working to have TFT available to all who need it, in any country and any language. We have combined the healing power of TFT with the powerful communication tool of the internet!

It takes virtually no money or moving bodies—just our joint effort to add information and connect it to the individuals and communities in need.

Millions of people worldwide suffer from violence, natural disaster, illness, divorce, loss of job, home or loved ones, etc. Imagine what impact the relief of their suffering—the fear, grief, guilt, stress, anger, hatred—could have on the world?

Helping people with anxiety, trauma and stress is what we do best. Giving the gift of emotional freedom from trauma, stress and anxiety, is a wonderful thing.

The simple words of the priests in Uganda, TFT trauma treatment gave them “…a grace they had longed for…” (see previous post) and it clearly demonstrates what a humbling tool the gift of Thought Field Therapy is for peace in the world.

It’s a beautiful demonstration of how using TFT to relieve the effects of trauma can open people to peace, compassion and community. What a difference it could make in areas that have been plagued by violent conflict.

The implication of this kind of transformation is truly inspirational, especially considered on a large scale!

Visit the ATFT Foundation blog that launched today to make TFT trauma relief available on a global scale, or http://www.ATFTFoundation.org.

Please visit the blog and see how you can join us!

HELP RELIEVE SUFFERING ON A GLOBAL SCALE!