Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume - 4, Issue - 5, 1 November 2019 | Page 17

A Wider Perspective
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Our findings show that a single session of the first aid Trauma Tapping
Technique seems to significantly lower the subjective symptoms of post-
traumatic stress. Our results and experiences from working since 2007 in
the same challenged areas indicates that TTT is a valid approach for
improving mental and emotional health on a first aid level in zones of
post-conflict.
Over the years Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been
considered a chronic syndrome that is hard to treat, especially after con icts
of war (Bou Khalil 2013). The two most common treatments are Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and medication. In CBT there are positive
results after a longer period of treatment, but at the same time there is a risk
for re-traumatisation due to the exposure nature of the therapy. With
medication, symptoms are known to diminish temporarily, at the cost of
other emotions also diminishing. At the same time the need to handle
symptoms of post-traumatic stress is vital, due to how it affects personal
health and suicidal inclination as well as being associated with a range of
physical symptoms such as chronic musculoskeletal pain, hypertension,
hyperlipidaemia, obesity and cardiovascular disease. (Mc- Farlane 2010). In
the long run it affects stability in families and society.
With over 3 million people in Rwanda suffering from symptoms of PTSD
(Gishoma et al., 2014) we sense the need to take a step back and consider
an intervention that can be administered with very little training in a
challenged area or group, similar to any other first aid technique. The
Trauma Tapping Technique is a development of the technique used by Dr
Carl Johnson to treat PTSD in Kosovo 2001 (Johnson, Shala, Sejdijaj,
Odell, & Dabishevci, 2001). It has been designed specially for multiplication,