By Patty McDuffey, LAc, MAcOM, Dipl.OM
Last month, I wrote about how trauma effects the person and body and what is happening on a psychological, physiological, and social level when the brain struggles to log the trauma as a memory. This month, I’d like to explain how acupuncture can be an effective way to treat trauma/PTSD and what you can expect from an acupuncture treatment.
The foundation of most trauma-related acupuncture treatments is what is known as the NADA Protocol. The National Acupuncture and Detoxification Association (NADA) is an organization that was founded by the late Michael Smith, in the 1970s, at Lincoln Detox in Bronx, New York. Initially, it was a 3-5 point ear protocol that was developed to support those recovering from substance abuse. Over time, it became the go-to protocol for not only addictions, but also within disaster relief settings, in the support of mental health, and emotional trauma.
I start my treatments with the NADA Protocol. The 5 points within the protocol belong to 4 of the 5 elements and a point that corresponds to the sympathetic nervous system. The 4 element points consist of Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal.
Fire: The Fire element corresponds to the Heart. By nourishing the heart, cooling the flames and creating a greater sense of peace and trust, the patient can start to relax.
Water: When someone is easily and repeatedly triggered, their kidneys/adrenals become taxed. By nourishing the energetics of the kidneys and helping the patient connect to the courage behind the fear, the will power to carry on becomes strengthened. By re-balancing the Heart-Kidney circuit, the cooling water from the kidneys cools the flames of the heart, while the warmth of the heart provides a healthy heat to nourish the life-giving energy of the kidneys.
Wood: By nourishing the element of the liver, someone struggling with trauma will more easily be able to transmute stagnant energy into the energy of a tree in the springtime. By creating movement and circulation within the body, a sense of hope is created, increasing mental flexibility (plasticity) and the increased ability to look forward to the future. If we apply the flexible, resilient nature of Bamboo to the body, we can start to understand how balanced wood energy creates health.
Metal: This is the element of the Lungs. The Lungs take in fresh air from the outside to fill our cells and bodies with energy. They are supported by the moving energy of a balanced wood element, helping to integrate/process our experiences while allowing them to move on and for us to let go. Just like a tree in the Fall, as the leaves turn colors and fall to the ground, we are left with a strong, flexible trunk. Grief has a place in the healing process. This point is key to creating the necessary space as we work to heal our wounds.
The last point correlates to the Sympathetic Nervous System. By down-regulating our nervous system and creating a parasympathetic response, we are able to drop into our bodies and allow them to heal.
This 5-point protocol works together to allow the patient an opportunity to re-set, to process, to integrate, and release, without saying a word. In addition to these points, I work with the meridians to customize the treatment to the individual, addressing specific complaints, pains, and concerns. By creating a greater sense of energetic flow in the body, brain plasticity begins to be restored and organ function improved. The treatment works to interrupt the energetic pattern created as a result of trauma, and can positively impact the other forms of therapy in which the patient is participating. Often times, patients report improved quality and duration of sleep, sense of well-being, and a calmer affect. My hope is that by helping to create even temporary, but hopefully increasingly longer-lasting, moments of calm, the patient starts to discover a lost sense of peaceful existence while (re)engaging with the world, and the ability to increase resiliency, courage, and hope in these challenging times.
Stay tuned for next month’s third and final article in the Trauma series: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Care and how I practice here at Hawthorn Healing Arts Center.
Article Notes:
Acupuncture for Military PTSD Found Effective
The Spirit of NADA creates a zone of peace within
so patients can begin to experience their
own inner strengths. ~ Michael Smith
Medicine of Peace: Acupuncturists Without Borders provides disaster relief, recovery and support for building resiliency – to communities affected by disasters, human conflict, environmental devastation, poverty and social injustice.