How the HARP program uses energy psychology tapping in jail

Over ten years ago, an addictive heroine and opioid epidemic led to overcrowded jails around the USA. The same was true in the state of Virginia. Then a local change came along. County Sheriff Karl Leonard started a program in 2016 to help overwhelmed inmates and staff in the Chesterfield County Jail. Energy psychology, or “tapping” made its way into jail. The HARP program, or Helping Addicts Recover Progressively teaches new skills, saves money, and transforms lives. This award winning, nationally renowned program provides mental health care for its inmates. And it is successful. Read here about how the program is decreasing rates of return visits to the jail.

Tapping is helping to reduce jail recidivism

Energy psychology is a mind/body practice, combining cognitive awareness with soothing self-applied light touch, designed to regulate stress and create calm. Tapping is one of many diverse energy psychology methods. Read more about tapping here. The Chesterfield County Jail in Virginia, USA, offers energy practices and other health modalities to its inmates and staff. And the goodwill spreads. Tapping Tuesday videos features inmates using tapping for self-care. These TikTok videos have gone viral, with millions of views worldwide. Funds from the videos help pay for inmates’ recovery after release from jail.

Inmates volunteer to join the HARP program, sticking with stringent mandatory rules they help create. New learning happens every day. Communities form. The program is growing in acclaim, with ongoing media attention. You can read more here about the HARP program’s influence. Support continues after people leave jail through a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing recidivism. HARP RVA offers community-based solutions for healing, safe housing, education, and connection to other support services.

An international team of helpers

Staff member Kerri Rhodes is a licensed therapist for the jail. She understands the costs of addiction first hand. Tragically, Kerri’s son died from drug addiction when he was 20 years old. She turned to tapping to help her during this time of suffering. Now she teaches others to do the same. Watch Kerri and program participants tap for better health in this video.

Kerri also learned a variation of tapping, using an emotional first aid self-help program.

The Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT), developed by Ulf Sandström and Gunilla Hamne of the Peaceful Heart Network, has made a significant impact worldwide. This energy psychology approach is being implemented not only in Chesterfield County Jail but also in some of the most challenging environments globally. TTT has been successfully used in prisons in Rwanda and England, providing trauma relief to individuals affected by conflict, violence, and displacement. The technique’s application extends to helping orphaned children in war-torn regions and supporting communities recovering from natural disasters. The ability of TTT to bring calm and stability to people in extreme circumstances highlights its potential as a universal tool for emotional healing and recovery.

TTT is now part of the HARP curriculum, which is free. In the past three years, over 500 people from the Chesterfield County jail, both inmates and staff, have been trained. In 2024, HARP participants and Ulf met in person, working together each day for a week. Here is an article about the visit, to see first-hand accounts of their time. You can also watch an 11 minute video with Ulf interviewing a participant, newly sober since first using alcohol at age 16.

Energy psychology tapping for you

Energy psychology tapping isn’t limited to the correctional system; it is a versatile tool used worldwide for various mental health and wellness applications. You can try it for yourself.

Start tapping for self-care with these ACEP Resources for Resilience (R4R) videos and instructions. The instructions are translated into many languages.

If you want to learn more about tapping, and energy psychology in general, try ACEP’s Energy Psychology Starter Kit. Or enroll in a training program on energy psychology with Emotional Freedom Technique, or Thought Field Therapy.

You can take tapping and other simple energy-based methods to communities through ACEP’s Emotional First Aid training program. If you work with children, here are some resources. Read these blogs about tapping with veterans, schools, and communities in crisis.

If you or others need professional help, beyond what self-care can offer, you can find therapists through ACEP’s practitioner directory.

Make the healing effects from tapping yours, and pass it along to help others. Support the field by becoming a member of ACEP, or donating funds to build the field. Lasting and positive change happens in community, and through innovation. The HARP program is but one inspiring example.

Author

Lori Chortkoff Hops, PhD, DCEP is a licensed psychologist in Westlake Village, California, USA. She is certified in Comprehensive Energy Psychology and Logosynthesis. Lori is a past ACEP president and Reiki master. Learn more about Lori at www.drlorihops.com. Lori teaches online intuition classes and consultation. Check out her podcast Healing Tips from the Heart: Helpers, Healers and Guides.

Photo by Melodie Sandström