Feeling Traumatized? Try This.

Sarah Murphy, LPC, ACP-EFT • January 16, 2025

When you have been through a trauma and are feeling shocked, try bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet. You can also sit in a chair and massage your heel and ankle areas. The Heel Shock Release is a simple body-based technique that will help you reawaken your energy system. The technique comes to us from Donna Eden. Practice the technique right now by watching the video below and following along. Remember to try it next time you are feeling exhausted but can’t take a nap! You can also download written instructions in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

How it Works

You can do this by bouncing on the balls of your feet and allowing your heels to strike the ground. You can also rub or massage your heels: on the sides, where the heel meets the arch, and behind the ankle bones.


If you haven’t given the Heel Shock Release a try yet, do it now. Take notice of how your body feels both before and after you use the technique.


Why It Works

When you use techniques like the Heel Shock Release, you are interacting with your body's energy system and increasing the flow of energy through your system. This allows you to come back into your body and out of your overwhelm.


Stimulating shock points in our heels is said to help balance the yin and yang meridians and to balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. This technique is also helpful immediately after you experience a trauma, if you feel dissociated, or when you are shocked or numb.


More techniques to try when you are feeling traumatized.

If you found the Heel Shock Release helpful, here are a few more tools you can use to increase your energy and discharge feelings of overwhelm: Four Thumps and Thymus Thump.


All the videos and techniques in our "Try This" series were created by ACEP's Humanitarian Committee to help people heal by spreading the word about the powerful effects of energy psychology techniques. We invite you to help by sharing this information!


Need Help from a Professional?

Many people are looking for holistic ways to let go of anger and other upsetting emotions. ACEP is a nonprofit, 501c3 dedicated to the research, education, and sharing of energy psychology. Check out the ACEP practitioner directory to find a certified ACEP therapist in your area or online.

 

Author

Sarah Murphy, LPC, ACP-EFT, is a licensed counselor and coach in private practice and specializes in working with people who have serious illnesses. A student of the Ageless Wisdom, she is dedicated to sharing the Great Invocation.


Video Resources Provided by the ACEP Humanitarian Committee

The mission of the ACEP Humanitarian Committee is to develop and implement humanitarian projects that alleviate emotional distress caused by catastrophic natural and man-made events around the globe. We do this by encouraging and assisting ACEP members in developing humanitarian projects that utilize recognized energy psychology and other modalities that meet ACEP’s standards and guidelines. Learn more here.




Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash

By Lori Chortkoff Hops, PhD, DCEP May 22, 2025
“Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles... This…regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.” Wayne Dyer.
By Sarah Murphy, LPC, ACP-EFT May 14, 2025
One of the fastest and most effective ways to calm an anxious mind is the Healing Head Hold . This simple body-based technique can help you defuse negative emotions and balance your brain hemispheres. You can do this technique alone or with a partner, and in less than five minutes you'll feel much calmer. Practice the technique right now by watching the video below and following along. You can also download written instructions in English , Spanish , and Portuguese . This technique was adapted from Terrence Bennett’s Touch for Health Neuro/Vascular Points.
By Lori Chortkoff Hops, PhD, DCEP April 29, 2025
How did your ancestors heal themselves, no matter what they were going through, when, or where they lived? They may have used practices in remarkably similar ways to other people around the planet. And many of those practices are still widely used today.
More Posts