SHOCK IS IN THE MOMENT/HEALING IS FOREVER By Stephanie Mines, Ph.D. What can we do when overwhelming shock strikes? The events of September 11, 2001 in America illustrate clearly what shock is. Our responses are to be thrust into panic or powerlessness. The most important question is how do we heal, and how do we heal quickly enough to act with clarity and wisdom? Shock leaves no part of us untouched. The searing fire of shock touches our spirits, our bodies, our minds, all our organs, our endocrine functions, our instincts, and our history. In the flash of a second, the impact of shock brings us to our feet and
reveals the truth of our condition. What did you do, how did you feel,
how did you behave in the very instant you learned of the terrorist attacks
of September 11? What was your response when this horror penetrated your
being? We have at our fingertips the means to come out of shock as quickly as it strikes. The quicker we come out of shock, the more empowered we are, the more rational and wise our choices will be. When we come out of shock we rise to the occasion and act with purpose and clear intent. Our bodies are designed to move through shock quickly. The quantity and quality of our previous exposure to shock and the resolution of those prior experiences, however, can dramatically alter this capacity. Healing from past shock, when the time and space is available to do so, will make you much less vulnerable to being trapped in shock when it reoccurs. No matter what your previous history with shock, there are some simple steps anyone can take to come out of shock when it strikes. These steps involve the application of a subtle and forgiving touch on certain areas of the body. All that is needed is that this touch be applied as soon as possible after, or even during, the shock. Precision is not important. The contact of your hands on these areas is all that is needed. The entire process of coming out of shock should take a maximum of three minutes, sometimes five. Less than one minute is necessary to initiate the process. There is a general internal state that will foster the resolution process. This includes: 1. Saying, inside yourself, "I am in shock and I will come out of shock now." 2. A willingness to bring your hands to certain areas of your body or the body of someone in need. 3. An ongoing awareness of your own sensation. All of the suggestions in this handbook can be used for you or for others. Some applications are more easily done on oneself; others are easier as treatment for others. However, it is the versatility of this system of regeneration and its applicability to one and all that makes it perfectly suited for the treatment of shock. COMING OUT OF SHOCK THROUGH GENTLE TOUCH: THE HEALING PRACTICES Releasing Fear and Centering *Hold your index finger. Wrap the fingers of one hand around the opposite
index finger so that it rests securely *Hold the top of your head with the palm of your right hand and the center of your forehead with the palm of your left hand. *Bring the palms of your hands together, the palms of all fingers touching, as if in prayer. Your hands can be held in this position anywhere it is comfortable: in your lap, in front of your heart, or to your side. *Rest one hand in the center of your chest and the other hand at the base of your cranium, at the top of your neck. Shaking, Quivering Panic When you or someone else is in this vulnerable condition, you can come
out of it very quickly by placing the fingertips of your right hand just
behind the armpit, on your back. Breathing Difficulties Breathing reflects shock. In addition, in situations such as New York after the attack, smoke inhalation and the inhalation of toxins produces secondary shock for the body. Simple touch can relieve this pressure and open the lungs, while encouraging your body to move away from the toxic environment. There are many approaches to opening and protecting the lungs. The ones listed here are just a few. You can do them all. Let the circumstances direct which application you use when. *Hold the ring finger, right and left sides, one at a time. Wrap the ring finger with the fingers of the opposite hand. Hold until breathing deepens. *Palm the calves: Place the palms of your hands on the calves of the legs of the person having breathing difficulties. Breath will deepen in both practitioner and recipient. *Release the shoulders: Stand behind the person in need. Rest your hands on their shoulders so that your palms are on the top of the shoulders and your thumbs hold a point 2-3 inches below the top of the shoulders, on the back. If you are doing this for yourself, release one shoulder at a time, bringing the arm of one hand to the top of the opposite shoulder so that the fingers touch the point 2-3 inches below. Fatigue Fatigue can be a parasympathetic response to shock. It prevents proactive behavior and clear perception. It avoids confrontation and retreats to a hoped for safety. It is dangerous, especially in times of aggression. But there are simple ways to reverse fatigue and transform it into clear, present and wise action from the heart. If your fatigue is beyond an immediate response to shock, a more consistent application of these simple practices will be necessary. *With your right hand touch the coccyx, the base of your spine, and with the fingers of your left hand hold the center of your chest, between your breasts. You may also do this for another person or suggest they do this for themselves. *Hold the base of your thumb, in the fleshy mound. Hold the right and then the left thumb area. *Hold underneath the collarbone, in the area closest to the neck where the collarbone begins with a knobby insert, on both the right and left sides of the body. Anger Anger is a healthy reaction to stress and shock, but unless it is transformed into positive action, it can add to the shock. To transform anger into useful behavior: *Hold the middle finger of either the left hand or the right hand, or both, one at a time. Wrap the middle finger with the fingers of the opposite hand, letting it rest in the palm of the opposite hand until the energy of anger has sequenced through your body and given rise to creative, positive thinking. Before this you may feel a resonant and deep pulsation in the palm of your hand. *Hold the base of your sternum, placing the palms of your hands softly under the long rib line there. Hold until your breath deepens. You may feel a calming pulsation in the palms of your hands. *Hold the base of your cranium, placing your fingertips at the outside of the right and left occipital ridges. HELPING YOURSELF AND HELPING OTHERS In many regards it is easier to help someone else then to help yourself. In helping others, we usually do also help ourselves simultaneously. However, in order to be of ongoing service, we have to help ourselves or we will be destroyed by our over-extension. This said, let me shout from the rooftops that every single one of us can be profoundly helpful to other human beings. Using simple touch and awareness we can be instrumental in bringing others and ourselves out of shock. You do not have to be a psychologist, a neurologist, a pharmacologist or a psychiatrist to bring someone out of shock. All the interventions suggested here are completely non-invasive, non-chemical, and harmless. They are also profoundly effective and have been used with great success by people who have experienced many different kinds of shock. Do not be afraid to use these suggestions. It is your birthright and your instinct to come out of shock quickly and to be alert and prepared to make the necessary ensuing decisions. If you practice these applications on yourself consistently, whenever you are disturbed, even by minor things, your recovery process will increase in speed and eventually will be instantaneous.
The TARA Approach for the Resolution of Shock And Trauma |