The Hannibal Protocol ™ was developed and tested extensively in 2008-2010 while working with combat veteran and civilian trauma survivors in Fayetteville, North Carolina near the Fort Bragg Army base.
The majority of the veterans who were referred to me were on the “Med Board Out” list being processed out of the military on disability retirement for “incurable” cases of trauma and/or PTSD. Most of them were suffering from combat trauma, but one soldier who never saw combat met the PTSD clinical criteria due to unrelenting bullying and harassment by one of his superiors.
I also worked with a few of their wives, two female veterans who had been sexually assaulted on active duty and some local first responders.
It took about two years of experimentation with combinations of other techniques in various order after using EFT as step one, (Emotional Freedom Techniques aka acupressure point “tapping”) to find the correct combination in the correct order which became the non-retraumatizing three-step Hannibal Protocol™. The protocol releases the imprinted emotional trauma from the mind/body as well as the embedded sensory imprints (sight, sound, smell, touch taste) woven into the tapestry of a traumatic memory.
As a post-treatment bonus, traumatic cognitions, (negative trauma-based beliefs and perceptions) change automatically. This automatic cognitive shift is a shortcut around the “evidence-based” Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (CBT) psychotherapy model which is intended to change the client’s negative (maladaptive) thought patterns and beliefs. That is supposed to lead to changing their feelings, and then their behavior is supposed to change.
CBT, counseling, Cognitive Processing, Prolonged Exposure, desentization and other conventional “evidence-based” trauma treatments have a long list of limitations including efficacy, speed, cost and painful retraumatization as compared to EFT, and other techniques based on the movement of mind/body energy to produce healing. Too often, talk-based therapies for trauma/PTSD lead to coping skills, insights and symptom-suppression with highly addictive, dangerous psychiatric medications. The dangers of psych drugs and what the drug companies don’t want you to know about them will be discussed on another page.
Childhood Trauma and Dissociation Fractures the Foundation of Mind/Body Health and Wellness
Dissociation is when one’s conscious awareness of present time surroundings disconnects due to shock, emotional overwhelm, triggers of prior trauma, physical pain and other causes. In my medical intuitive and clairvoyant spiritual work, I’ve come to understand it as when part of our consciousness/energy/spirit is one dimension away and needs to be recovered back to present time for trauma healing to be effective.
I found that with some clients who had significant childhood trauma and/or multiple deployments, especially Special Forces Operators, using EFT alone worked well on specific traumatic memories, but there were some resistant sensory aspects that were reduced in emotional charge on the 0-10 intensity assessment scale, but which did not release completely.
These traumatic sights, sounds, smells, taste and tactile triggers, (i.e. still feeling highly traumatized by the sensation of holding onto a dying team member’s boots as the SF Operator dragged him out of the line of fire “ kill zone” while being shot at) were preventing complete mind/body release.
I analyzed client intake histories, PTSD and insomnia symptom scales and my treatment notes to try to determine if there were any commonalities that might be causing the sensory aspect(s) to be stuck.
Why the Hannibal Protocol™ works on mind/body levels which some therapies miss:
I considered that:
- Research confirms that some people with severe Complex PTSD, (childhood trauma/see ACEs) who then experience combat trauma, have an increased risk of developing PTSD. Only a brain scan can determine if brain damage from exposure to ACEs might inhibit EFT alone from releasing the entire trauma imprint in some cases.
- Perhaps in some veterans with long, multiple deployments, especially SF Operators with complex back-to-back missions, the shock and trauma were driven deeper and also attached to the sensory imprints of traumatic childhood “circuits” which needed to be treated first or in conjunction with the combat trauma and dissociation.
- A client could be subconsciously or consciously resisting releasing parts of the traumatic memory and trying to keep others, for example due to survival grief: “It will dishonor his death if I release these memories that connect us…it’s not right for me to be happy.” Dissociation can also be a factor.
I researched the neurological and physiological (mind/body) aspects of shock and trauma on the body; “Where do you feel the emotional charge, pressure, tension, ache, etc. stuck in your body as you bring this memory to mind?”
Triggers: A Mind/Body Minefield
I considered that a trauma trigger can ricochet backwards in time to an older unhealed traumatic memory “circuit” above or below conscious awareness. If the trigger is conscious, asking “What or whom does this remind me of?” might reveal the direct connection to one or more incidents.
If the trigger is not conscious, (repressed or dissociated) such as in cases of panic disorder of unknown origin, it must be identified metaphorically and/or intuitively.
Triggers can also be situational “sliver imprints” of a prior trauma. Seeing men (strangers in public) with a moustache triggered a victim of childhood incest by her father who had one.
A woman whose father was a raging alcoholic terrified her when she was a child. He would throw dishes of food on the floor or against the wall during dinner. In one of these tantrums, spaghetti was on the menu. She subsequently developed an allergic response to tomatoes and onions, which cleared after we treated her fear of her father.
Triggers can also be the root of repetitive behavior patterns, the extreme of which is OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Some examples of repetitive trauma-based patterns are being controlling, self-sabotage, fear of confrontation, inability to set boundaries and speak up for oneself, people-pleasing and caretaking others, relationships with abusive partners, etc.
Triggers can also cause anticipatory anxiety (fears projected into the future,) and phobias i.e. “I’m afraid that what happened before will happen again.”
Grief triggers are common anniversary reactions, even decades later. Grief is a heart wound, aka a broken heart, which even medical research (Broken Heart Syndrome) admits is a potentially life-threatening issue.
Case History: “Jack,” Special Forces Operator
At the beginning of the first of only two sessions, Jack, (not his real name) relentlessly and angrily blamed himself for the death of his teammate during a horrific hours-long ambush and firefight in Afghanistan in which the team was pinned down in a valley “kill zone,” massively outnumbered and taking fire from every direction. It wasn’t until after we neutralized the traumatic scenes in that long movie using the Hannibal Protocol™ that he was able to finally release his survivor guilt. The root was anchored in his belief that even under those conditions, he should have somehow been able to protect his teammate and prevent his death. Toward the end of the session, he was finally able to tearfully admit that it wasn’t his fault. His final comment was, “I feel clean.”
The Hannibal Protocol ™ was developed and tested extensively in 2008-2010 while working with combat veteran and civilian trauma survivors in Fayetteville, North Carolina near the Fort Bragg Army base.
The majority of the veterans who were referred to me were on the “Med Board Out” list being processed out of the military on disability retirement for “incurable” cases of trauma and/or PTSD. Most of them were suffering from combat trauma, but one soldier who never saw combat met the PTSD clinical criteria due to unrelenting bullying and harassment by one of his superiors.
I also worked with a few of their wives, two female veterans who had been sexually assaulted on active duty and some local first responders.
It took about two years of experimentation with combinations of other techniques in various order after using EFT as step one, (Emotional Freedom Techniques aka acupressure point “tapping”) to find the correct combination in the correct order which became the non-retraumatizing three-step Hannibal Protocol™. The protocol releases the imprinted emotional trauma from the mind/body as well as the embedded sensory imprints (sight, sound, smell, touch taste) woven into the tapestry of a traumatic memory.
As a post-treatment bonus, traumatic cognitions, (negative trauma-based beliefs and perceptions) change automatically. This automatic cognitive shift is a shortcut around the “evidence-based” Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (CBT) psychotherapy model which is intended to change the client’s negative (maladaptive) thought patterns and beliefs. That is supposed to lead to changing their feelings, and then their behavior is supposed to change.
CBT, counseling, Cognitive Processing, Prolonged Exposure, desentization and other conventional “evidence-based” trauma treatments have a long list of limitations including efficacy, speed, cost and painful retraumatization as compared to EFT, and other techniques based on the movement of mind/body energy to produce healing. Too often, talk-based therapies for trauma/PTSD lead to coping skills, insights and symptom-suppression with highly addictive, dangerous psychiatric medications. The dangers of psych drugs and what the drug companies don’t want you to know about them will be discussed on another page.
Childhood Trauma and Dissociation Fractures the Foundation of Mind/Body Health and Wellness
Dissociation is when one’s conscious awareness of present time surroundings disconnects due to shock, emotional overwhelm, triggers of prior trauma, physical pain and other causes. In my medical intuitive and clairvoyant spiritual work, I’ve come to understand it as when part of our consciousness/energy/spirit is one dimension away and needs to be recovered back to present time for trauma healing to be effective.
I found that with some clients who had significant childhood trauma and/or multiple deployments, especially Special Forces Operators, using EFT alone worked well on specific traumatic memories, but there were some resistant sensory aspects that were reduced in emotional charge on the 0-10 intensity assessment scale, but which did not release completely.
These traumatic sights, sounds, smells, taste and tactile triggers, (i.e. still feeling highly traumatized by the sensation of holding onto a dying team member’s boots as the SF Operator dragged him out of the line of fire “ kill zone” while being shot at) were preventing complete mind/body release.
I analyzed client intake histories, PTSD and insomnia symptom scales and my treatment notes to try to determine if there were any commonalities that might be causing the sensory aspect(s) to be stuck.
Why the Hannibal Protocol™ works on mind/body levels which some therapies miss:
I considered that:
- Research confirms that some people with severe Complex PTSD, (childhood trauma/see ACEs) who then experience combat trauma, have an increased risk of developing PTSD. Only a brain scan can determine if brain damage from exposure to ACEs might inhibit EFT alone from releasing the entire trauma imprint in some cases.
- Perhaps in some veterans with long, multiple deployments, especially SF Operators with complex back-to-back missions, the shock and trauma were driven deeper and also attached to the sensory imprints of traumatic childhood “circuits” which needed to be treated first or in conjunction with the combat trauma and dissociation.
- A client could be subconsciously or consciously resisting releasing parts of the traumatic memory and trying to keep others, for example due to survival grief: “It will dishonor his death if I release these memories that connect us…it’s not right for me to be happy.” Dissociation can also be a factor.
I researched the neurological and physiological (mind/body) aspects of shock and trauma on the body; “Where do you feel the emotional charge, pressure, tension, ache, etc. stuck in your body as you bring this memory to mind?”
Triggers: A Mind/Body Minefield
I considered that a trauma trigger can ricochet backwards in time to an older unhealed traumatic memory “circuit” above or below conscious awareness. If the trigger is conscious, asking “What or whom does this remind me of?” might reveal the direct connection to one or more incidents.
If the trigger is not conscious, (repressed or dissociated) such as in cases of panic disorder of unknown origin, it must be identified metaphorically and/or intuitively.
Triggers can also be situational “sliver imprints” of a prior trauma. Seeing men (strangers in public) with a moustache triggered a victim of childhood incest by her father who had one.
A woman whose father was a raging alcoholic terrified her when she was a child. He would throw dishes of food on the floor or against the wall during dinner. In one of these tantrums, spaghetti was on the menu. She subsequently developed an allergic response to tomatoes and onions, which cleared after we treated her fear of her father.
Triggers can also be the root of repetitive behavior patterns, the extreme of which is OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Some examples of repetitive trauma-based patterns are being controlling, self-sabotage, fear of confrontation, inability to set boundaries and speak up for oneself, people-pleasing and caretaking others, relationships with abusive partners, etc.
Triggers can also cause anticipatory anxiety (fears projected into the future,) and phobias i.e. “I’m afraid that what happened before will happen again.”
Grief triggers are common anniversary reactions, even decades later. Grief is a heart wound, aka a broken heart, which even medical research (Broken Heart Syndrome) admits is a potentially life-threatening issue.
Case History: “Jack,” Special Forces Operator
At the beginning of the first of only two sessions, Jack, (not his real name) relentlessly and angrily blamed himself for the death of his teammate during a horrific hours-long ambush and firefight in Afghanistan in which the team was pinned down in a valley “kill zone,” massively outnumbered and taking fire from every direction. It wasn’t until after we neutralized the traumatic scenes in that long movie using the Hannibal Protocol™ that he was able to finally release his survivor guilt. The root was anchored in his belief that even under those conditions, he should have somehow been able to protect his teammate and prevent his death. Toward the end of the session, he was finally able to tearfully admit that it wasn’t his fault. His final comment was, “I feel clean.”
The Hannibal Protocol ™ was developed and tested extensively in 2008-2010 while working with combat veteran and civilian trauma survivors in Fayetteville, North Carolina near the Fort Bragg Army base.
The majority of the veterans who were referred to me were on the “Med Board Out” list being processed out of the military on disability retirement for “incurable” cases of trauma and/or PTSD. Most of them were suffering from combat trauma, but one soldier who never saw combat met the PTSD clinical criteria due to unrelenting bullying and harassment by one of his superiors.
I also worked with a few of their wives, two female veterans who had been sexually assaulted on active duty and some local first responders.
It took about two years of experimentation with combinations of other techniques in various order after using EFT as step one, (Emotional Freedom Techniques aka acupressure point “tapping”) to find the correct combination in the correct order which became the non-retraumatizing three-step Hannibal Protocol™. The protocol releases the imprinted emotional trauma from the mind/body as well as the embedded sensory imprints (sight, sound, smell, touch taste) woven into the tapestry of a traumatic memory.
As a post-treatment bonus, traumatic cognitions, (negative trauma-based beliefs and perceptions) change automatically. This automatic cognitive shift is a shortcut around the “evidence-based” Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (CBT) psychotherapy model which is intended to change the client’s negative (maladaptive) thought patterns and beliefs. That is supposed to lead to changing their feelings, and then their behavior is supposed to change.
CBT, counseling, Cognitive Processing, Prolonged Exposure, desentization and other conventional “evidence-based” trauma treatments have a long list of limitations including efficacy, speed, cost and painful retraumatization as compared to EFT, and other techniques based on the movement of mind/body energy to produce healing. Too often, talk-based therapies for trauma/PTSD lead to coping skills, insights and symptom-suppression with highly addictive, dangerous psychiatric medications. The dangers of psych drugs and what the drug companies don’t want you to know about them will be discussed on another page.
Childhood Trauma and Dissociation Fractures the Foundation of Mind/Body Health and Wellness
Dissociation is when one’s conscious awareness of present time surroundings disconnects due to shock, emotional overwhelm, triggers of prior trauma, physical pain and other causes. In my medical intuitive and clairvoyant spiritual work, I’ve come to understand it as when part of our consciousness/energy/spirit is one dimension away and needs to be recovered back to present time for trauma healing to be effective.
I found that with some clients who had significant childhood trauma and/or multiple deployments, especially Special Forces Operators, using EFT alone worked well on specific traumatic memories, but there were some resistant sensory aspects that were reduced in emotional charge on the 0-10 intensity assessment scale, but which did not release completely.
These traumatic sights, sounds, smells, taste and tactile triggers, (i.e. still feeling highly traumatized by the sensation of holding onto a dying team member’s boots as the SF Operator dragged him out of the line of fire “ kill zone” while being shot at) were preventing complete mind/body release.
I analyzed client intake histories, PTSD and insomnia symptom scales and my treatment notes to try to determine if there were any commonalities that might be causing the sensory aspect(s) to be stuck.
Why the Hannibal Protocol™ works on mind/body levels which some therapies miss:
I considered that:
- Research confirms that some people with severe Complex PTSD, (childhood trauma/see ACEs) who then experience combat trauma, have an increased risk of developing PTSD. Only a brain scan can determine if brain damage from exposure to ACEs might inhibit EFT alone from releasing the entire trauma imprint in some cases.
- Perhaps in some veterans with long, multiple deployments, especially SF Operators with complex back-to-back missions, the shock and trauma were driven deeper and also attached to the sensory imprints of traumatic childhood “circuits” which needed to be treated first or in conjunction with the combat trauma and dissociation.
- A client could be subconsciously or consciously resisting releasing parts of the traumatic memory and trying to keep others, for example due to survival grief: “It will dishonor his death if I release these memories that connect us…it’s not right for me to be happy.” Dissociation can also be a factor.
I researched the neurological and physiological (mind/body) aspects of shock and trauma on the body; “Where do you feel the emotional charge, pressure, tension, ache, etc. stuck in your body as you bring this memory to mind?”
Triggers: A Mind/Body Minefield
I considered that a trauma trigger can ricochet backwards in time to an older unhealed traumatic memory “circuit” above or below conscious awareness. If the trigger is conscious, asking “What or whom does this remind me of?” might reveal the direct connection to one or more incidents.
If the trigger is not conscious, (repressed or dissociated) such as in cases of panic disorder of unknown origin, it must be identified metaphorically and/or intuitively.
Triggers can also be situational “sliver imprints” of a prior trauma. Seeing men (strangers in public) with a moustache triggered a victim of childhood incest by her father who had one.
A woman whose father was a raging alcoholic terrified her when she was a child. He would throw dishes of food on the floor or against the wall during dinner. In one of these tantrums, spaghetti was on the menu. She subsequently developed an allergic response to tomatoes and onions, which cleared after we treated her fear of her father.
Triggers can also be the root of repetitive behavior patterns, the extreme of which is OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Some examples of repetitive trauma-based patterns are being controlling, self-sabotage, fear of confrontation, inability to set boundaries and speak up for oneself, people-pleasing and caretaking others, relationships with abusive partners, etc.
Triggers can also cause anticipatory anxiety (fears projected into the future,) and phobias i.e. “I’m afraid that what happened before will happen again.”
Grief triggers are common anniversary reactions, even decades later. Grief is a heart wound, aka a broken heart, which even medical research (Broken Heart Syndrome) admits is a potentially life-threatening issue.
Case History: “Jack,” Special Forces Operator
At the beginning of the first of only two sessions, Jack, (not his real name) relentlessly and angrily blamed himself for the death of his teammate during a horrific hours-long ambush and firefight in Afghanistan in which the team was pinned down in a valley “kill zone,” massively outnumbered and taking fire from every direction. It wasn’t until after we neutralized the traumatic scenes in that long movie using the Hannibal Protocol™ that he was able to finally release his survivor guilt. The root was anchored in his belief that even under those conditions, he should have somehow been able to protect his teammate and prevent his death. Toward the end of the session, he was finally able to tearfully admit that it wasn’t his fault. His final comment was, “I feel clean.”