What is trauma? When we experience suffering or hardship we often feel this as a physical sensation in our bodies – we are “heartbroken” or have experienced something “gut-wrenching” or “bone-chilling”. The latest research is confirming that trauma and stress always have a bodily dimension – which is why therapies based on talking are not always enough. In this episode I’m joined by trauma consultant Gunilla Hamne, who helps us understand the nature of trauma and how body-based techniques can lead the way to healing.

Gunilla is an international trauma consultant and co-founder of the Peaceful Heart Network. She has spent the past 15 years working to spread knowledge about simple body-based techniques that can heal trauma and relieve stress, especially the Trauma Tapping Technique that she helped to develop. She has worked all over the world with survivors of war and genocide, with victims of abuse and bullying, with refugees, care workers and first responders.

Watch a video of how to do tapping at http://www.selfhelpfortrauma.org.

LINKS:

• Gunilla’s homepage: https://peacefulheart.se


• Their book: https://peacefulheart.se/resolving-yesterday-book-pdf/


• Their app that helps you do exercises to relieve stress: http://www.selfhelpfortrauma.org


• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score


• Interview on how trauma lodges in the body with Van der Kolk: https://onbeing.org/programs/bessel-van-der-kolk-how-trauma-lodges-in-the-body/#transcript


• Waking the Tiger by Peter Levin: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/100541/waking-the-tiger-healing-trauma-by-peter-a-levine-phd-contribution-by-ann-frederick/

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