ABSTRACT
Trauma experiences include pre-birth and birth trauma, loss, deprivation, neglect, accidents, assault and rape, emotional neglect or intrusion, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, genocide and other war-time atrocities, as well as disasters; in fact the spectrum ranges from emotional and developmental trauma to other life event traumas. Social healing rituals involve repetitive behaviours like drumming, singing, dancing, hypnotic trances, or eye movements as in EMDR or tapping in EFT with its linked repetitive affirmations. Empowerment also increases through the educative part of therapy as the client gains knowledge and understanding of the body's stress responses. The therapeutic relationship is the clients' primary resource. In fact, establishing a safe relationship is 'a precondition for beginning to resolve the patient's trauma'. The therapeutic relationship, then, both facilitates experiences of safety and enables self-regulation through cultivating mindfulness practice.
