Inspiration

Moving Forward After Trauma Strikes

Written by: Nick Ortner

For the previous 25 years teaching had felt like Kevin’s life’s work, a career he had woken up to happily and pursued passionately. Since a shooting had happened at a nearby elementary school, however, Kevin, a middle school teacher in the same small school district, had begun to question his teaching, and the role it played in his life.

On the day of the shooting, Kevin had lost a dear friend who worked at the elementary school. Since that day, nothing in his life, especially his work, had felt the same. Struggling to overcome his grief, Kevin felt frustrated and hopeless. Each day he faced his class, he walked away terrified that he would have to end his decades-long career with a total failure to engage his students.

When Lori Leyden, co-founder of The Tapping Solution Foundation, first sat down with him, Kevin shared details of the incredible terror that he, his colleagues, and students had felt the day of the shooting. Although the shooting had taken place at a different school, all of the schools in the community had been put on lockdown that day. The details of those long hours spent silent and still while sirens blared throughout town were still vivid in his mind. Kevin felt that he, as well as the entire community, had been broken that day, and he didn’t know whether healing was possible.

It was the first time in his life that Kevin had felt like a failure, and it wasn’t until tapping through those feelings that he realized why he was struggling so acutely. While tapping, Kevin remembered a long forgotten memory of his parents telling him that failure wasn’t an option. A young boy at the time, Kevin had understood that he wasn’t allowed to fail, and so he hadn’t. A hard worker who had applied himself to pursuits he loved, Kevin had been successful at almost everything he had done in his life. The overwhelming grief he was now feeling was the first major obstacle he wasn’t sure he could overcome.

After tapping through his grief, as well as his belief that he wasn’t allowed to fail, Kevin’s hopelessness and frustration quickly faded. He could once again access the incredible creativity and resourcefulness that had fueled his teaching for all these years. Before the session was over, Kevin had decided to take a new approach with his students the following day.

The next time he walked into class, he got the class’ attention and did something he’d never done. He shared his experience around healing from the trauma they’d lived through, and expressed his desire to support and connect with them to overcome it together.

From that point forward, with the consent of their parents, Kevin began tapping with his students often. In a few short weeks, he and his class created a renewed sense of community, connection, and engagement. Since then, several other teachers and the school counselor have adopted Kevin’s approach.

Kevin’s story is a powerful testament to something we at The Tapping Solution have seen countless times. When the world around us seems to fall apart, we can’t move forward until we focus first on healing our own inner wounds. That’s how we free ourselves to access the countless resources we already possess. That’s when we can move forward to create an abundant and fulfilling future.

If you or a loved one is feeling the effects of past trauma, seek out the help you need and commit to healing, using tapping to release the trauma on emotional, mental and physical levels. For guidance, feel free to begin with our tapping practitioner page here.



Blog Comments

Leave a Comment

Your Comment

4 Comments on this post

  1. BK says:

    Nick, thank you for sharing the teacher’s experience and for helping spread the incredible gift of EFT!! As a long time student of tapping I can’t describe the joy I feel to see it embraced by so many people knowing peace and healing quickly embraces those who use it. I wish you and yours love & blessings!!

  2. Monica says:

    Nick, I’ve been tapping for years on different life situations, which have caused me to react stresfully in order to get through my days. It worked very well 90% of the time and I was very greatful to have the tapping as a valuable tool to use.

    On reflection I manage my working time out to retirement age , resting and sleeping every hour in between. I did have some leasure time, holidays etc, but my body reacted! Last Novembe I retired. However, sometime coming into winter I notice I didn’t have the physical energy to tap anyore…..I felt so drained, I tried and tried over and over again, my hands did not want to go there, my words were weak an insincere, my thoughts were non productive ‘chatter, chatter, chatter’, even though I could here myself say ” I need to tap on this” or plain and simple ” tap on it”, finally the light bulb went off in my head! TAP MENTALLY! WHILE CREATING AN IMAGE OF ALL THE POINTS ON MY BODY. I would just sit there with my eyes closed, with my intention to support or resolve or to clarify something, or someone that my beliefs were not in harmony with. Believe it or not my energy started to shift!!!! I am now back physically tapping!!!!!!

    This year life has presented me with health issues, along with the trauma of being knocked off my bicycle ( not seriously hurt) but hurt none the less; my lovely car off the road, financial income cut drastically due to retirement and in transition year for state pension – to more serious issues of my son and his partner loosing their first baby at 16 weeks gestation and most recently his stepdaughter all of 17 years! Just diagnosed with an extremely rear auto immune cancer called Langerhans Histiocytosis Multi system Shan has also developed Diabetes Insipidus as the condition has presented itself in the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in the brain along with skin lesions

    Her mother ‘Bless her Heart’ searched the net to find the leading consultant in that field. Now! With consultation and treatment protocols and advice from the Childrens Cancer Center in Texas, Drs here in Ireland can start treatment. Shan begins on her road to recovery next Monday the 10th with her first round of chemo x 5 days once a month for the next 12/ 18 months

    Family, friends and people in general have been extremely generous, supportive in fund raising to get Shan to the Team in Texas. Tapping is keeping us all sane as our world has been turned up side down! Shan shares her story on face book histiocytosisX teamshan warrior!

    As for the tapping!, Shan laughts at me when I suggest it, sometimes she will do a shortened version, like tapping on the karate spot ‘ even though statements’ then the back of the hand. I will do the full rounds as surrogate! I believe this is helping. Keep up your great work Nick. Peace, Love and Light always Monica

  3. Amitabha says:

    This true topic of overcoming the trauma by Kevin seems highly promising & myself is also feeling highly inspired. Many thanks for sharing & I am really grateful– Amitabha

  4. Deborah Torrance says:

    Hi Nick, What if you are in a continuos traumatic situation, that everyday you die just a little bit more? My youngest son has been unjustly imprisoned, for 5yrs and given a16yr sentence for something he didn’t do. It has destroyed our family. He has 3 beautiful children that he cannot see due to distance. He is the best father ever… My husband and I have lost everything, houses, cars, retirement, savings to pay for attorneys who sure took our money, than did nothing to help him. I tap on every emotion sometimes 3-4x per day. I don’t see a way out. I had a nervous breakdown 3yrs ago, I don’t sleep, chronic fatigue, anxiety, pain. I know it’s stress, but it’s also heartbreak that I can’t see ending until he’s out. God willing it will be early. Thanks for listening, I do get relief from tapping for little things, but it always comes back. God Bless, Deborah

Over 20 Million Tapping Meditations Played in Our App! Get Instant Access to our "Releasing Anxiety" and "Sleep Support: Quiet The Racing Mind" Tapping meditations.
Yes, I agree to receive email messages from The Tapping Solution & understand that I can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy.

Recent Posts
3 Things I Learned from Zach Braff
3 Things I Learned from Zach Braff Written by: Jessica Ortner
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Little Shifts
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Little Shifts Written by: Nick Ortner
Tapping World Summit 2024
Tapping World Summit 2024 Written by: Nick Ortner

Connect With Us on Social Media

Follow The Tapping Solution on Facebook or Instagram!


Follow the producer of the Tapping World Summit Nick Ortner on Facebook or Instagram!


Follow the host of the Tapping World Summit Jessica Ortner on Facebook or Instagram!


Follow the producer of the Annual Tapping World Summit Alex Ortner on Facebook or Instagram!


Close ×
Over 17 Million Tapping Meditations Played in Our App!
Get Instant Access to our "Releasing Anxiety" and "Sleep Support: Quiet The Racing Mind" Tapping meditations.
Yes, I agree to receive email messages from The Tapping Solution & understand that I can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy.