(9/11: From Horror to Healing) (2002)
A young father was late for work. He had stopped to change his baby’s diaper, then kissed his wife goodbye before leaving for the Path Train to his job at the World Trade Center. It was September 11th, 2001. As he pressed his finger to the elevator button, the building shook. The first plane had struck the tower. As pieces of the ceiling fell and the frenzy began, he ran as fast as he could, not stopping until home in his pregnant wife’s arms. Who would believe a soiled diaper had saved his life, changed his life forever?
A young grandma froze in panic. Her son-in-law worked at the Pentagon, her husband had business at the World Trade Center, and her other son-in-law worked nearby the WTC, often meeting inside the towers… It was September 11th, 2001. Who could conceive the series of events that called her son-in-law across the street five minutes before the plane crashed into his desk at the Pentagon? What was it that kept her whole family safe? Grandma could only thank God for sparing all three, when so many thousands of others lost their loved ones…
My husband lost 60 Union Brothers of the New York Local # 1, IATSE in the World Trade Center that day. These unsuspecting, innocent workers were not so lucky… Neither were the loved ones of my clients; I keep each story close to my heart. We need to honor all the hero’s stories we read about in the New York Times each day…
I believe everyone who perished in the horror of September 11th is a Hero. They’ve blessed the World by sacrificing their life for us and awakening the world to the Truth: we need to live our lives in Unity, in Kindness, in Compassion and Love—we need to live each day for the Highest Good. Darkness invading our live is indeed horrible. Yet, it may be a temporary evil, leading us into a New Age of Light. I believe it depends on a massive shift to unified, positive human consciousness. Who will be “the hundredth monkey”? How we each share ourselves, our skills to help each other will make all the difference!
We, the survivors in the tri-state area—We, the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut Americans—share a common bond. We’ve been most closely affected by the World Trade Center horror. It seems that most Americans are feeling the unity of one degree of separation… Most of us in the tri-state region know someone involved in the tragedy. We must know the necessity of reaching out. The young man and young grandma, although truly grateful for life, may now suffer from posttraumatic stress.
Traumatic vibrations are in the air, flowing from the Towers, like ripples emanating from a stone plunged into the sea. Our children, the most sensitive of all generations, are feeling effects they do not understand—feeling the pains, anxieties and depressions of their caregivers. The energy is directly absorbed into their fragile nervous systems. Massive cases of acute and posttraumatic stress disorders have significant negative implications for our country that include addictions, depressions, loss of incomes, loss of life. Our trauma needs to be appropriately addressed and treated. We need to know that effective, accelerated tools for emotional healing are available and within close reach. I know we all need to come together and support each other—especially around the holidays. Please help me share this information for you to pass along:
In 1987 a woman named Dr. Francine Shapiro developed a protocol for an accelerated healing process utilizing bi-lateral brain stimulation. She named it EMDR—Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (Shapiro, 1995, 1997, 2001). EMDR is well known to the scientific community—it is the most widely researched therapy and it’s effectiveness has been validated by the scientific community. A specific, single-focused trauma, like the tragedy of September 11th, could be released from one’s nervous system within one to four 90-minute sessions. You can find an experienced, certified, EMDRIA-approved clinician by contacting [email protected] or visiting www.emdria.org for information and education. Licensed, educated practitioners know that eye movements are not necessarily required—bilateral tactile or auditory stimulation can be substituted for eye movements.
In 1980 a man named Dr. Roger Callahan developed a protocol he coined “the five minute phobia cure” (Callahan, 2001). Through studying Dr. George Goodheart’s Applied Kinesiology, based in Chinese medicine and the meridian system, Callahan and others including John Diamond and Fred Gallo studied algorithms or recipes that rapidly release emotional disturbances out of the body. Anxiety, rage, depression, can be “tapped” away in minutes by utilizing the appropriate pressure points. Referred to as Thought Field Therapy (TFT) or Energy Field Therapy (EFT), the technique can release emotional pain trapped in the body/mind within 20 to 30 minutes! A trained, licensed clinician can be contacted for help. Although it has not been as widely researched as EMDR has, the research performed does indicate it’s accelerated therapeutic value. In fact, since I incorporated TFT into my therapy sessions, I am able to reduce treatment time from 90 to 60 minutes within a few treatment sessions for my clients.
Energy Tapping assists the release of disturbing negative feelings trapped in the energy system of the body while EMDR assists the release of trapped disturbing energy locked in the nervous system. I’ve found the two methods effectively compliment each other for a full healing experience. Working as a traumatologist, I’ve been helping people recover from posttraumatic stress disorder for many years. I find it hard to believe that EMDR and Energy Tapping methods are not being utilized more often. Their underground status needs to be brought to the Light. I believe these methods are spiritual gifts, given to our population to use at a time they are so needed.
At a time of great need there is a great need to share and support each other’s needs. September 11th is a day we cannot change, but let it change us for the better. May we rise above the horror and help each other heal the wounds. May we share whatever skills we have to help our neighbors, friends and all Americans heal and grow. In giving we receive Peace. May we all receive this Blessing!
Note: Since this article was written, Judith combines EMDR with Energy Psychology (EvTFT) and Energy Medicine in Shiome Therapy™ (ST). ST helps decrease the intensity of possible side-effects that can occur with EMDR. The Energy Correcting Meditation (ECM) helps clients to quickly balance during home-healing practice after individual sessions.
