Acupuncturists Without Borders' (AWB) vision is to see stable, peaceful, global communities. Knowing that unresolved trauma can have repercussions for decades, we offer the services of volunteer acupuncturists to provide treatment to interrupt this cycle and relieve suffering. Using community style acupuncture treatment for trauma, stress, anxiety and depression, AWB, through its volunteer network, helps to provide immediate and long term disaster relief and recovery to communities that are in crisis resulting from disaster or human conflict. By partnering with local organizations and treating with community style acupuncture in group settings we can support the healing of the whole community. Acupuncturists Without Borders' Healing Community Trauma Trainings are held around the country. AWB is building a nationwide network of acupuncturists trained to respond to trauma and disaster and who are bringing information from AWB's trainings back into their communities. AWB's Military Stress Recovery Project currently treats active duty military, veterans and their families with free community acupuncture in locations around the country. There are now 27 clinic sites in cities and towns across the United States. AWB also has an international program called World Healing Exchange that brings together acupuncturists with healers from around the globe. We travel to regions where we provide service and training and where we also learn from indigenous healers.
Acupuncturists Without Border’s mission is to bring healing, hope and empowerment to communities affected by natural disaster, environmental devastation and human conflict. We do this by offering simple, yet powerful, ear acupuncture treatments to people who have experienced physical and emotional trauma. To increase the impact of AWB’s trauma-healing work, we train volunteer acupuncturists, physicians and other health professionals to create sustainable, collaborative programs in their own communities.
Unresolved trauma is increasingly understood to be at the root of many physical and mental health problems. Without intervention, post-traumatic stress becomes chronic, often undercutting the ability to adapt and move forward. It is often transferred to the next generation and beyond, resulting in significant social problems for individuals, families, communities, and nations.
We have learned while caring for US veterans with post-traumatic stress that drug treatment is not a very effective treatment, and that psychological therapy is not enough. Because post-traumatic stress is a physical condition that wreaks havoc with the brain, nervous system and metabolism, physical treatment is required to begin the healing process. Somatic treatments like acupuncture help re-regulate the body so that the person can emotionally process trauma. Otherwise the person is “stuck” in flight, fright or freeze, creating chronic illness and disability over time. AWB’s treatments help people to re-set, regain hope and resilience, and benefit more fully from other trauma-healing therapies. We call our work the Medicine of Peace.
3835 Anderson Avenue SE