Refugees in Greece and Sierra Leone

Kitrinos Psychological Support: ‘Trauma Tapping’

Kitrinos, an organization that works with refugees in Greece, offers an innovative form of physical therapy called 'Trauma Tapping' to improve mental well-being in Camp Moria. 

There is a mental health crisis in Camp Moria, with high rates of depression, stress and PTSD, leading to self-harm and suicide attempts, even amongst children. Traditional 'talking therapies' are difficult to implement in the camp setting and can even lead to patients becoming re-traumatised. Instead, they teach stress regulation techniques to both volunteers and refugees, and they have trained volunteers on-site to provide 'Trauma Tapping' to their most vulnerable patients - a technique proven to reduce stress and anxiety and improve symptoms of trauma.

One of the greatest benefits of Trauma Tapping is that it's very simple to learn, meaning that their patients can teach the technique to their friends and family, providing a 'ripple of healing' throughout the Moria community.

The Greg Gelburd Foundation, in partnership with Lisa Kavanagh, hopes to support Kitrinos effort in Greece and expand the initiative to other refugee sites around the world.

Lisa Kavanagh’s Mission completed in 2020

After experiencing heath issues, Lisa found meditation a more successful treatment for many of her symptoms.  This opened the door to a University of Virginia MBSR Program as well as becoming dedicated to learn different forms of meditation through retreats, study as well as monastic stays over the next several years.  Lisa is presently enrolled in a Berkeley accredited Mindfulness Meditation Teaching Certificate Program that is lead by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.  Her hope is to bring more mindfulness practices to those who may be terminally ill as well as volunteering working with refugees on the boarder and on other continents.

Lisa has a history of counseling residential adolescence as well as incarcerated juveniles living with emotional disturbances as a result of abuse.  She was frustrated by treatment programs that seemingly reinforcing the symptoms of trauma.  She has assisted in Lobbying to pass Virginia Legislation to protect children from sexual abuse.  Although the legislation passed there was little success with treatment for victims who were left with the PTSD from their abuse.   She learned that Dr. Leyden, an internationally known psychotherapist, author, workshop leader and humanitarian, had done a great deal of EFT or “Tapping” work with refugees in Rwanda.  By training groups of young orphan refugees, who then trained others, there was a 90 percent success rate in reducing trauma amongst the adolescence.  The children had witnessed and survived unimaginable mutilation, rape and disease.  While still living in great poverty and uncertainty, they managed to heal with this program.    When Kitrinos reached out to train volunteers who may  be able to stay present, as witnesses, for refugees washing up to the shore in Greece, Lisa joined forces with Tapping specialists who have worked with rape victims in Charlottesville who were extremely supportive and ready to help in anyway.   Lisa began to study and put together a program she felt called to do.

Kitrinos is having great success with reducing trauma by having volunteers train refuges to implement their own tapping therapy.  The media coverage of how difficult the unsanitary, underfunded camps are in Lesvos, as well as the cold winters that leave some refugees, without blankets, freezing to death, have deterred volunteers. Women volunteers are especially needed for one on one attention with woman who have cultural difficulties in those settings with men. 

Lisa’s goal is to train as many refugees in Lesvos as possible before they are moved to another site or deported.  She would also like to come back to the states to help recruit volunteers to work with tapping specialists in the states, to help train volunteers in Trauma Tapping Therapy as well as prepare them with their own tools to deal with the trauma they may experience through volunteering.  She would like to organize teams of volunteers to go back to Greece as well as to help on the Mexican Border.

The Greg Gelburd Foundation has been a part of many medical mission trips around the world and is continuing to organize medical assistance for refugees in Greece. As a part of these efforts we are eager to support Lisa’s plan.   We are asking for your help.  We hope to have funding in place by February to ensure that we can have volunteers trained and working with refugees within this next year. 

Status of LB, African Refugee

L B We have chosen not to use LB’s full name for fear of retaliation in his home country of Sierra Leone. Dr. Gelburd met LBin a refugee camp on Leros in 2017. He was a political refugee at that time, he was 19 and had to leave home two years before. Since that time the Foundation has supported his needs while living in Greece to supplement his income from jobs such as washing dishes on a resort island and picking olives during the season. In 2021 LB was no longer a refugee as the administration in Freetown, Sierra Leone changed. He returned home and enrolled in University. He has since started a small shop to support himself, the Foundation still covers his $2200 a year tuition. He is presently a second year. We also supply needs such as phones and lodging. His store covers the rest of his living expenses. He hopes to complete school in a few years and pursue graduate work, perhaps in the US or UK.

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   Greg Gelburd Foundation
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As always, we appreciate your generosity over the years, with many blessings for a Happy New Year!

Dr Greg Gelburd for the Greg Gelburd Foundation