Healing Trauma Using Energy Psychology

The Tapping out of Trauma trainings explore how to integrate tapping and other somatic approaches to working safely and effectively with trauma. Twice each year we interview leaders who are influencing our field.

Most of you who found your way to this page have likely heard of the Emotional Freedom Techniques (aka EFT Tapping), others of you are familiar with Matrix Reimprinting, Thought Field Therapy, Havening or other trauma informed approaches. What all these methods have in common is they are grouped under the umbrella of Energy Psychology. Energy psychology (EP) is a collection of mind-body approaches for understanding and improving human functioning. EP focuses on the relationship between thoughts, emotions, sensations, and behaviors, and known bioenergy systems (such as meridians and the biofield).

To explore the role that Energy Psychology plays in working with trauma we invited Lori Hops, PhD, the current President of A.C.E.P. (Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology) to discuss the bigger picture of what these approaches share with regard to trauma, how the field as a whole is evolving and how we can create great professional collaboration to more effectively deal with the pervasive effects of trauma individually and collectively.

In this interview we dive into:

• Dr. Hops' personal and professional journey, integrating traditional psychotherapeutic and energy psychology approaches in her practice and the challenges she faced in doing so.
• What commonalities can we find among a wide variety of EP approaches to working with trauma and perhaps why they continue to demonstrate such high levels of efficacy for working with trauma with such elevated levels of safety?
• Important considerations for practitioners working with traumatized individuals given practitioner skill level, trauma informed training, scope of practice and professional licensure.
• What EP practitioners should contemplate regarding working with trauma clients and the importance of developing collaborative relationships with trauma trained licensed practitioners?
• A discussion of developing changes for energy and energy psychology practitioners with regards to standardizing certification programs in the United States that has important implications for the profession.
• Hops' vision for the EP/Tapping field in 20 years?

Lori Chortkoff Hops, Ph.D. is a licensed Psychologist, (University of Houston, Texas PSY 14335), DCEP (Diplomate in Comprehensive Energy Psychology), certified Logosynthesis practitioner, and is a Reiki Master in a private practice in Westlake Village, California, USA. Dr. Hops serves on ACEP's Executive Board of Directors as President. Dr. Hops combines practices from western empirical science, wisdom traditions from around the world, and her personal heart based intuitive guidance when working with others. She also teaches online courses on developing intuition. Her professional presentations at conferences and schools cover energy practices, spirituality, ritual, coping with illness, self-care, laughter yoga, and movement arts. Lori also dances, writes, and paints. You can read her public Facebook posts, "A Tip A Day for Wellness Program on Facebook", https://www.facebook.com/lori.hops.

http://drlorihops.com/