Energy Psychology & Emotional First Aid: Report from Brazil
(by Helen Jacobs) How are energy psychology practitioners spreading the word and making techniques accessible throughout the world? Read more to find out!
Emotional First Aid in Brazil … and at sea!
ACEP international member and occupational therapist Priscila Leiko Fuzikawa devoted time during covid to sharing the benefits of energy psychology in her home country, Brazil, using ACEP’s Emotional First Aid training (EFA) as a guide. EFA training provides simple tools to manage effects of stress and trauma for individuals and groups.
During covid, offshore oil crews from many countries had their work shifts and isolation periods lengthened. Many struggle with mental health issues as a result.
Fuzikawa facilitated EFA training with several offshore rig teams via Zoom as they gathered in their dining halls or in their hotel rooms while quarantined before going offshore.
“It was a real departure from my normal days but also a very enjoyable challenge,” she said.
Sharing energy psychology
Fuzikawa also shares the EFA techniques in private practice and as an occupational therapist, supporting family health teams at a community clinic. The clinic provides health outreach to communities in the Amazon jungle.
For Fuzikawa, sharing energy psychology starts with the commitment to do one tiny thing at a time. She focuses on prevention, health promotion, and stress management as she connects with people at work and outside of work, whether with first responders or psychologists, through social media or through work referrals, both individually and in groups.
She even shared with colleagues, who noticed their own stress levels increasing during covid. Some may fear illness, others may have old wounds have crept in from losses forgotten or pushed aside. When she realized colleagues at work seem to have concerns about confidentiality during group training, Fuzikawa opted for doing more individual training with colleagues.
“There is so much need in my country,” Fuzikawa observed. “Offering EFA training is a great way to help people learn how to settle their own emotional overwhelm.”
Want to share emotional first aid? Here are some tips:
Fuzikawa advises keeping the message simple, and, if possible, having a goal in mind. Her goal, she says, is to empower the people she shares with to be able to do something for themselves. “Assisting one person at a time is what inspires me to do more,” she said.
Fuzikawa says that being a member of ACEP has allowed her to become part of a large community that has members around the world. “It’s one of the precious parts of being a member of the ACEP organization. Connecting to this network, we learn how others are responding to the challenges they face. Having access to the research and scientific publications are also helpful,” she says.
“Collaborating with other members committed to making a difference in the world is a gift for us all.”
ACEP’s Emotional First Aid
The mission of ACEP’s Emotional First Aid sub-committee of the Humanitarian Committee is to alleviate suffering by teaching self-help techniques to those affected by violence, trauma and natural disasters. “We believe that humans are naturally flexible and resilient; and given effective tools, information and support, can recover from disaster and adversity.”
Want to support ACEP’s humanitarian work? Make a donation or join ACEP as a member. Want to take the Emotional First Aid Training? Sign up HERE.
Author
Helen Jacobs focused her career on working with diverse groups who dream of transformative shifts in their relationships and results. Now pro-tired, Helen applies her broad experience in business, facilitation, energy psychology, and multi-party collaboration in supporting numerous communities and non-profits including ACEP’s Humanitarian Committee. Helen has been a member of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) since 2008.
Featured image by nightman1965
