Trauma, Anxiety And The Butterfly Hug 

Recently a mother brought her young child to me. Her daughter was having anxiety and panic attacks.I showed her the Butterfly Hug which is a very simple and soothing technique to reduce anxiety and panic due to simple traumas and complex traumas.

A simple trauma for a child may be as simple as peer bullying or worries about getting school work done on time, performance anxiety and/or it may be du to more complex traumas such as witnessing abuse, severe weather such as tornados, death of a family member or pet , etc. 

It is helpful and encouraged to first have the child talk about how he or she is feelings and then show them the Butterfly Hug . It is accomplished by having the child wrap their arms around themselves, so that each hand touches the opposite upper arm or shoulder. The thumbs connect and create a butterfly motion.They then move their hands like the wings of a butterfly, to tap their arms/shoulders in an alternating rhythm. 

For most effective results, continuing to resolve the traumatic event so the child is not re-traumatized can be helped with counseling or coaching sessions. Children are resilient as long as their feelings are being acknowledged and their situation is being remedied by family sessions.