Stories

Healing in Prison

My name is Munyaneza Benoit, and I spent 16 years in prison in Rwanda. When I first got to prison, my life became really difficult. I had so many thoughts that wouldn't let me rest, and I even got sick with high blood pressure and stomach pain. I lost a lot of weight in just three months, going from 89 kilograms to 67 kilograms.

I was really worried about my family and my job as a high school teacher. I didn't know what to do. I started talking to myself a lot and felt like I was stuck in my own head. A year later, I lost my mind and couldn't take care of myself anymore. I wasn't showering or eating, and I became very sick. The doctor said I had tuberculosis, and they gave me medicine to take for six months. I felt so bad that I thought maybe dying was better than living, but they convinced me to take the medicine.

After six months, I started feeling better physically, but I still couldn't sleep at night. I felt guilty and worthless, and the pain in my heart wouldn't go away. In April 2023, a therapist named Placide came with a guest from Kigali. Placide showed us an exercise called Tapping that could help us sleep. I tried it that night, and I slept like a baby. My fellow inmates were surprised because they used to see me wandering around at night. I told them about the exercise, and I started doing it regularly. I felt like a burden had been lifted, and I became more flexible physically. My health got better, and I reconnected with my family.

I also helped a friend who had been in prison for twelve years and was really struggling mentally. I showed him the Tapping exercise, but he gave up after a few days because others made fun of us. Eventually, he joined a program called "Halfway Home" and got better with time.

Tapping became my lifeline, bringing me back from the edge of despair. It's a simple practice that made a big difference in my life. It helped me sleep, improved my health, and gave me hope. I want to thank the people who introduced me to this program, as it truly changed my life.

About

What: Training prison inmates in Trauma Tapping
Where: Rwanda
Who: Good News Rwanda and Peaceful Heart

This is one of the stories from the participants of our ongoing program in a correction center in Rwanda together with Rwanda Correction Service and Good News Rwanda. Our program is to teach TTT to reduce the symptoms of trauma and stress as well as provide material for sports activities and tent for individual treatments.

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