EP 132 – Tapping and Havening for Trauma Recovery with Mitsuko ItoEP 132 – Tapping and Havening for Trauma Recovery with Mitsuko Ito
Kaleidoscope of Possibilities
Dr. Adriana Popescu and Mitsuko Ito talk about tapping and havening techniques for easing trauma, stress and chronic tension. They share simple, nonverbal self-regulation tools and guide a practical exercise combining awareness, breath and touch-based practices.
46:33•3 May 2026
Tapping, Touch and Trauma Relief with Mitsuko Ito
Episode Overview
- Simple self-applied tapping and havening techniques can quickly calm the nervous system and reduce stress.
- Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) offers a nonverbal approach, helping people release distress without needing to talk about their trauma.
- Meridian-based tapping on key points can lower cortisol levels and ease tension held in muscles, fascia and emotions.
- Combining awareness, breathing and sensory input (the ABC of self-regulation) creates a flexible routine that people can adapt to their own comfort.
- Short, frequent use of these tools—like tapping discreetly during daily stressors—acts as valuable “stress hygiene” to prevent overload.
“I'm open and willing to let some of this go.”
What can we learn from those who have battled stress, trauma and chronic tension in their own bodies? Here, Dr. Adriana Popescu sits down with licensed massage therapist and trauma tapping trainer Mitsuko Ito to share practical, hands-on tools for calming an overworked nervous system. Listeners are taken through Mitsuko’s journey from chronic pain and massage therapy into energy psychology and somatic work.
She talks about realising that clients’ pain often mirrored her own, and how working with meridians, fascia and emotions opened new doors: “As we do the tapping and havening, and as we invite people to tune into the emotion, there's just a lot of releases that can happen really quickly.” The conversation breaks down meridians in simple terms, links them to traditional Chinese medicine, and connects this with modern ideas about brainwaves, the amygdala and stress hormones.
Mitsuko explains Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) as a kind of “emotional first aid” that doesn’t require talking about the trauma, which can make it especially useful for those who feel overwhelmed by words. A big highlight is a guided ABC self-regulation routine combining awareness, breathing and a mix of tapping and havening touch. It’s easy enough to use in daily life, whether during a panic spike, before bed, or even quietly in a meeting.
Mitsuko also shares how she teaches these tools on college campuses, giving stressed students simple ways to reset before the stress builds up. If you’ve ever wished for a calm button you could press when anxiety hits, this gentle, practical conversation lays out options you can literally keep at your fingertips. Which of these techniques could become part of your own daily stress hygiene?
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