Abstract: Using Integrative Energy Healing

Poster presentation, Wellspring Conference, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver B.C. 2013

Somatic Approaches to Heal Trauma

Somatic-Based Integrative Energy Healing offers a promising way of treating clients with trauma. Langara College integrative energy healing practitioners have been providing treatments for clients in addiction recovery and, most recently, to adult clients of a community-based eating disorder program in Vancouver, as part of a pilot project. Trauma in these clients may have resulted from a range of factors such as bullying, attachment, physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse.

Practitioners first enabled clients to gain awareness of how the body can be a resource and a safe place. Clients learned to become curious about sensations and comfortable with non-traumatic stimuli, which then allowed them to reactivate their innate capacity to calm the nervous system. They began to trust the wisdom of the body as it energetically released fear and trauma.

This poster presentation highlights the pattern of physical, energetic, emotional, and mental changes documented by clients of the pilot project. Details are provided to illustrate the application of specific treatments and the resulting outcomes less.

The event focuses on the science of relational and situational trauma and explores the journey of healing from the effects of trauma.

The conference will provide an experiential forum for health professionals and community workers to build skills that support the practices of trauma informed care. The conference focuses on the individual and social effects of both discrete episodes of trauma and of pervasive developmental trauma.

Author

Mara Hagglund, CAIEH, and faculty, Health and Human Service Department Langara College; Vera Lagasse, MA,  CIEH, CAIEH, and faculty, Health and Human Service Department Langara College; Pat Sexsmith, BsN, CIEH