RET BLOG

Dear Ranae,

Thank you so much for sending me the scripts.  I have been mainly doing bodywork/energy work, but with that one patient, who was a severe torture survivor. I did two SSPT’s (Single Situation Process Technique use in Rapid Eye Therapy) just releasing some of the body memories of the torture that were coming up, while I was working on his arm for a broken Humerus bone (motorbike accident a few months ago), and he had tremendous relief.  I worked with him via translator.  What an amazing Soul, this man.  He was also forced to beat a child while under torture.  They are doing something called “Testimonial Therapy”, where they write their testimony that they would give to the Duch Trial if they are allowed to testify, and they have them read by a counselor.   I was with them when they had a ceremony last week at the killing fields, attended by two Buddhist Monks.  Then, the group went to a Buddhist Pagoda where the testimony was read (about 10 people) by the counselor, standing with the client.  Then, they would hand over the written testimony to the Buddhist Monks, symbolically handing over their suffering, and pain etc. in the bargain. 
One of the women was overcome by emotions and physical pain and had to be gently allowed to sit while staff were attending her hands and feet, and her back.  Since they have seen so much massage they automatically went to vigorous rubbing her arms and legs.  I saw, however, that she was actually having a body release, so I gently went in and stilled their hands just to support her while I placed a hand over her forehead, and one at her occipital ridge.  Some of the staff went to hold some of her IRT Points which I was impressed by, but it seemed do to the solemnity of the occasion and that she was already releasing (somatoemotional release) to allow that to continue, and conclude, in a nice cathartic body cry.   Afterwards, at the lunch buffet, she seemed as if she had a huge weight lifted off of her. I tried to explain what happened to the psychiatrist, and why I stilled their hands later.  He has been trained in the Australia and Europe, so talk therapy still reigns with him (although he is listening openly as he sees the results his clients have been having with the bodywork, and now ear acupuncture).  
I also had a two hour training of the staff counselors using IRT (Immediate Release Technique used in Rapid Eye Therapy), and an SSPT.   This was after a very stressful few weeks of preparing for the Duch trial verdict, and handling public relations, and the trauma of the clients so there was a lot of miscommunication and pressure among a generally harmonious staff.  The workload was more difficult as well.  This was the culmination of years of wonder, about what would happen to the Mass murderer, and architect of torture, and evil.  The final verdict was a shocking blow to the survivors.  He got 19 years, which amounts to 11 minutes per murder, not counting the medieval tortures.  TPOCambodia has been a base of sanity, and the only ear for them, it seemed. 
After writing the last paragraphs, I had a woman sent to me that I worked with before.  For most of the session we were alone, and she does not speak English.  I worked with her feet and legs since she responded so enthusiastically to this, but when the Research specialist came up to see the work, (he’s been a very keen observer) she started saying how she is having problems with the memories returning all the time.  I did not know until this minute, that she was also one of the 7 survivors out of 14,000 murdered in S21.  But the horrors she saw and experienced are beyond description. Her infant son starved to death in her arms because she had no milk.  They were all on starvation rations.   This felt like the moment to bring out my wand.  I did some RET just to release in general terms what was coming up already for her (she was speaking of the memories to the researcher).   One was when the Kmer Rouge were blasting over bullhorns to all people in Pnom Penh to leave their homes, for the CIA and America were going to bomb the city. It was a ruse, and all of them except for the S21 survivors, none of them returned to Phnom Penh till after four years, and Pol Pot was defeated by the Vietnamese.  This was a real trigger for her, and the start of the end of her world.  This just reminded me of a man I worked with last year in Saigon.  HIS worst day, that symbolized everything horrible for him, was when the North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon after the defeat in 75.  He was in a state of rage whenever he thought of this. Most Americans have no idea of how much the Vietnamese people suffered under communism AFTER we abandoned them.  And to them, it WAS abandonment. From their mouths to my ears.  I only had one session for him, but I saw him a couple weeks later at a Buddhist temple where we were receiving awareness meditation training, and he was still at peace with the memory of that day. When one of the monks was telling us about how it can release old anger, the man smiled at me, and told the monk, “He helped me with that already.”  As to the woman survivor, The Researcher speaks good English, but his translation is difficult to Kmer, repeating after me, but I had her release what ever was coming up, and whatever emotions she was feeling. 
She had tremendous relief, although of course, I was just touching a tip of a tip of the iceberg.  But, she had great relief, and said to the researcher and to me.  “This is a great technique for mental health”.  So, the windows are opening here.   The psychiatrists are all Western trained, but open because they have heard extremely enthusiastic response from the people.   And this is with Thai massage, Tok Sen (wooden mallet and peg for the body) and ear acupuncture, and now, they’re more open to Rapid Eye.   I hope to have a war script so they can see the significance of all of the aspects of healing war trauma RET handles IN that one script. 
And TPOCambodia is connected to an international organization, and in dealing with traumatized people all over the world.   It is funded by the EEOC and the Haig, and I believe, the UN.  You can find more about them by going to TPOCambodia.org.  
I’m just thinking that the Psychiatrists and the researcher may benefit from speaking to you Ranae, to speak about recent studies that you are more up to date with.  I was struck with the dedication of these people at TPO, and their total lack of ”ego” when it comes to learning things that don’t align with their previous beliefs.
Well, I have to go for now.  I’m at TPO right now.  Please feel free to circulate this to anyone in RET that might find it helpful.   And I am open to ANY suggestions you want to send my way. 
                                                        Gratefully, Jim Kearney, MRET

Ranae Johnson

Founder of Rapid Eye Technology

www.rapideyetechnology.com

503-399-1181

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 7:04 pm and is filed under Rapid Eye Technology, Skills for Life.