Energy Psychology: Mental Health Experts Say It's Time to End the Ban

Wednesday 27 October 2010

by: Energy Medicine Institute, t r u t h o u t | Interview

Dr. David Gruder Ph.D., DCEP, a clinical and organizational psychologist and diplomate in comprehensive energy psychology, is a pioneer in applying insight and techniques from time-honored healing traditions for enhancing mental health. In 1999, he co-founded the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology and served as its first president until 2002. Dr. Gruder was recently appointed the mental health coordinator for the nonprofit Energy Medicine Institute. His most recent book about restoring personal, relationship and societal integrity, "The New IQ: How Integrity Intelligence Serves You, Your Relationships and Our World," has won six major awards, including the U.S. Book News Best Social Change book of 2008. His web site is here.

Energy Medicine Institute: You take the position that the ban on the teaching of energy psychology is irrational and unwarranted. Why?

Dr. David Gruder: PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] is a mental health epidemic that disrupts the lives of more than five million people in the United States, and we are producing new victims of this debilitating condition at an unthinkable rate in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Conventional therapies have not been particularly effective in helping these individuals. Less than one in ten veterans who seek care for PTSD from the Department of Veterans Affairs actually completes the treatment as recommended.(1) Now there is a therapy that appears, in a series of clinical studies, to be more effective than conventional treatments. The APA's [the American Psychological Association] mandate is, at its core, to be a force in improving the country's psychological health. The organization should be shouting from the rooftops about this new clinical development. Instead it has persisted for over a decade in putting up roadblocks to informing its 150,000 members about the approach.

EMI: What exactly is the technique being banned by the APA?

DG: Energy Psychology involves procedures such as tapping on acupuncture points at the same time that a traumatic memory or stressful trigger is brought to mind. The technique appears to send signals in the brain that counteract the stress response. It has been shown to be effective with a range of disorders, from simple phobias to irrational anger to severe PTSD.

A primary way that new innovations are introduced to the mental health profession is through continuing education. Each specialty requires continuing education for license renewal. By putting a ban on Energy Psychology as a continuing education topic available to psychologists, the APA is strongly discouraging psychologists from learning about it and is essentially branding it, to the mental health profession and the general public, as not being a legitimate approach.

EMI: Where did the ban come from?

DG: In fairness, the APA's job is to serve as a gatekeeper. New therapeutic techniques are continually being introduced, and it is the APA's proper role to tell the public which are valid, based on scientific findings. When psychologists started treating mental health conditions by tapping on acupuncture points, the technique seemed very strange. It had no research support. No plausible explanations of how it worked were available. So it is not surprising that the APA sent a memo announcing the ban to its Continuing Education sponsors. This was 1999. Since that time, however, a growing body of solid research and a tremendous amount of clinical experience has been showing that the approach is surprisingly effective. But the APA has not budged on its position and, in fact, seems to have dug in, as if the new evidence threatens established ways of treating mental illness. And, of course, it does.

EMI: Who is asking for the policy to be changed?

DG: The Association for Comprehensive Psychology (ACEP) is an 850-member professional organization comprised primarily of clinicians and researchers. ACEP has been actively trying to get the APA to lift the ban since it was announced more than a decade ago. Within the APA itself, some 75 of its members have started a petition to form a new APA division that is dedicated to the study, practice, and dissemination of the new approach.

EMI: What is the new evidence and what does it show?

DG: Increasing numbers of articles and reports documenting the effectiveness of carefully administered Energy Psychology techniques have been appearing.

This past April, the results from a "randomized controlled trial" - the gold standard in health care research - were presented at the prestigious Society of Behavioral Medicine Conference in Seattle. The data show that PTSD symptoms were dramatically reduced in 49 military veterans. Forty-two of them, an almost unheard of 86 percent, no longer scored within the PTSD range after six sessions. There was only one drop-out. The gains persisted at 6-month follow-up. Compare this with the 9 of 10 drop-out rate in VA programs.(2)

These treatment results, 86 percent no longer in the PTSD range after only six sessions, are also far stronger than the outcomes reported for conventional treatments such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy. In studies of conventional PTSD treatments, a 50 percent success rate with those who complete a twelve-session program is considered a highly favorable response.

EMI: What is the APA saying? What is their position on the treatments?

DG: This is the APA's fourth ruling in just the past two years denying ACEP's requests to provide psychologists continuing education credit for studying the approach. They've rejected two applications, a request for reconsideration, and most recently a formal appeal. The APA's reasoning is difficult to discern from the documents announcing the denials. Their responses fail to address the fact that the preponderance of emerging research evidence shows the approach to be effective. They instead emphasize that the approach is "controversial" while ignoring the published evidence except to take issue with a few fine points on research design. I've reviewed the proceedings, and by any objective evaluation, ACEP has met every one of the APA's published standards for CE credit approval many times over. The APA, meanwhile, has yet to provide a rational explanation of where the ACEP application falls short. But their ruling, of course, stands.

EMI: Why is it important and who could benefit?

DG: By 2006, more than 300,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan were already suffering with PTSD and its symptoms, such as flashbacks, insomnia, nightmares, fractured relationships, and inability to concentrate or hold a job. In addition there are untold numbers of PTSD sufferers who have been victims of violent crimes, accidents, or emotional or sexual abuse. Energy Psychology may well be the most important non-drug therapy developed in recent years offering relief to people facing such challenges.

A number of recent studies, such as the Society of Behavioral Medicine report, show that Energy Psychology treatments produce stronger outcomes than those found for other PTSD treatments. In the past few years more than two dozen papers on Energy Psychology have appeared in peer-reviewed mental health journals, most of them showing highly favorable outcomes in systematic studies of the method.

At least three international disaster relief organizations have adopted Energy Psychology as a core modality in treating mental health challenges of disaster survivors.(3)

In short, we're long overdue for strongly encouraging mental health professionals to learn about how to use these techniques in their practices.

EMI: Are you saying there is a willful and intentional denial on the part of the APA professionals who are failing to approve the applications for CE approval?

DG: It appears that there are people within the hierarchy of APA who are defending an outmoded position by denying or not bothering to become informed about data that show these techniques to be unusually effective. Some of their resistance is easy to understand. Energy Psychology uses techniques adapted from Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is a different paradigm from anything in the training or background of most conventional psychologists. It also looks silly to be tapping on the skin while repeating phrases that bring up difficult memories. How could such voodoo help overcome psychological problems? To make matters worse, early claims by the field's proponents ran way ahead of the research support, which is only now coming in.

With the new findings, however, showing that these techniques not only work but that they are quicker and more effective than approved approaches, I believe that continuing the ban is inexcusable. The APA is officially refusing to face the fact that Energy Psychology is providing people with powerful help. I'm sure it is only a narrow group of conventionally-minded bureaucrats and committee members within the organization, but they are controlling what other professionals will read and study.

The policy is not only actively blocking psychologists from learning how to use the tools responsibly. The APA's positions on such matters reverberate throughout the mental health community, so ultimately they're hurting hundreds of thousands of people by interfering in the processes that would lead to them receiving the best treatments available. Beyond that, due to a growing demand for Energy Psychology methods, the APA's blockade is having the unintended effect of causing the public to seek assistance with complicated issues like PTSD from practitioners who are not sufficiently trained in treating serious disorders. It is driving the public away from psychologists and toward people who have learned how to tap on acupuncture points without also having the years of study required for a comprehensive clinical background.

EMI: Are there other supporters for energy psychology in the APA?

DG: Yes. Three highly favorable assessments of Energy Psychology have been published in the APA's own journals. A review of Energy Psychology Interactive, one of the main Energy Psychology texts, appeared in the APA's online book review journal PsychCRITIQUES. It concluded that because Energy Psychology successfully "integrates ancient Eastern practices with Western psychology [it constitutes] a valuable expansion of the traditional biopsychosocial model of psychology to include the dimension of energy." The review, by Dr. Ilene Serlin, a former APA division president, describes Energy Psychology as "a new discipline that has been receiving attention due to its speed and effectiveness with difficult cases." Next September, a fourth article that describes the brain mechanisms that are involved in successful Energy Psychology treatments will appear in the APA's prestigious Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training.

There is also growing acceptance in professional groups outside of the APA. ACEP itself is an approved continuing education provider for social workers, certified mental health counselors, drug & alcohol counselors, and nurses. Numerous health and mental health bodies have long recognized acupuncture, acupressure, and similar practices as valid treatments. The field of integrative medicine, one of the most important developments in health care, is also actively utilizing such methods.

EMI: So, energy psychology fits with techniques like acupuncture?

DG: Yes, absolutely. Energy Psychology combines well-established Western psychological methods - such as having the client mentally revisit a difficult experience or re-evaluate beliefs about a personal problem - with techniques derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine. The techniques involve rubbing or tapping specific acupuncture points - interventions that are accepted in Traditional Chinese Medicine alongside the use of needles. It isn't surprising that the combination is remarkably effective. In 2003, the World Health Organization identified some two dozen conditions where acupuncture is effective, including a number of psychological problems, and several dozen more where the evidence is promising. The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture has more than 1600 physicians and publishes one of several peer-reviewed acupuncture journals in the U.S. What is surprising is that the APA is having so much difficulty embracing techniques that combine standard psychotherapeutic elements with those derived from the well-respected healing traditions of Eastern cultures. Ironically, other Eastern methods such as mindfulness meditation are among the hottest topics in clinical psychology right now. I think acupoint tapping will be next.

EMI: What's the right outcome here? What should the APA do?

DG: Those within the APA who are maintaining the ban need to take their heads out of the sand and recognize the validity of the evidence before them. They are doing tangible harm by defending a policy that closes the door on one of the most promising clinical innovations of recent years. Tapping on acupuncture points is not only non-invasive; it appears to change the brain's chemistry in ways that bring about immediate clinical benefits. To best serve the public, therapists need to keep up with such cutting edge developments and get proper training in them. It is also in the APA's interests to change its position on Energy Psychology. Blocking a promising treatment for our returning veterans gives the appearance, again, that the APA is out of integrity with its commitment to uphold the highest professional standards for promoting the public's welfare.

The nonprofit Energy Medicine Institute has been advancing the responsible use of energy-based healing methods since 1999. Co-founded by Donna Eden, a leading energy medicine expert, and David Feinstein, a renowned licensed psychologist, the Institute provides public education and professional training worldwide. It disseminates knowledge and research information about energy medicine and shows health care professionals, businesses, and educators how to incorporate energy medicine perspectives and methods to improve health care, business, and education. EMI is based in Ashland, Oregon. Its website is: www.EnergyMedicineInstitute.org.

Footnotes:

1. Seal, K. H., Maguen, S., Cohen, B., Gima, K. S., Metzler, T. J., Ren, L., ... Marmar, C. R. (2010). VA mental health services utilization in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the first year of receiving new mental health diagnoses. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23, 5- 16.
2. Church, D., Hawk, C., Brooks, A., Toukolehto, O., Wren, M., Dinter, I., & Stein, P. (2010, April). Psychological trauma in veterans using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques): A randomized controlled trial. Poster session at the 31st Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Seattle, April 7-10, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
3. Green Cross, ATFT Foundation, and Mexican Association for Crisis Therapy, as well as ACEP.

This work by Truthout is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Comments

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Nothing new here beyond a

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 10:05 — Helpavet (not verified)

Nothing new here beyond a new flavor of snake-oil. If there's real testable, challengable, provable evidence for anything going on here beyond the usual psychosomatic placebo work, it's not been published.
Please be wary of this sort of thing masquerading as anything more than a powerful need to believe in magic. Our responsibility to those we put in harm's way deserve better.

I expect and demand better

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 10:11 — Anonymous (not verified)

I expect and demand better from TRUTHOUT than simple ads presented as real journalism or 'news'.

I haven't the energy to

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 10:22 — Deepak Chakra (not verified)

I haven't the energy to debunk this quackery.

As someone with disabling

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 11:34 — Jim (not verified)

As someone with disabling PTSD who has tried just about everything, and who is also a psychotherapist who worked with PTSD and other "mental illnesses" resulting from traumas, I have great doubts that this technique has anything more than temporary effects. The last fad of this kind was eye movement desensitization, which spread rapidly throughout the psychology professions but had the unfortunate capacity to retraumatize people when it brought up memories of the traumas.

The basic problem is treating the symptoms but not the cause. PTSD and other traumagenic psychological problems have concrete causes such as war and child abuse. If we want to eliminate these problems, we have to eliminate the causes, not simply treat the symptoms after the damage has been done.

it has been shown time and

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 12:18 — Anonymous (not verified)

it has been shown time and time again the PTSD is one of the few disorders of the brain where the brain actually changes shape, how do you fix that? I've have PTSD and have since age 9, now 59, and for me the only way to stay afloat is to be in the moment, in the here and now. Combination therapies of this type may hold promise but I'm not holding my breath.

Some of the above comments

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 13:10 — Allan (not verified)

Some of the above comments seem as uninformed as the APA has managed to keep itself about this development. The effectiveness of EMDR is supported by more than 100 studies published in peer-reviewed journals. The studies investigating the effectiveness of Energy Psychology, while fewer, are impressive. Read the review article just published by the American Psychological Association and available from http://mechanisms.EnergyPsychEd.com and decide for yourself.

The majority of the

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 13:36 — Dr. Robert Schwarz (not verified)

The majority of the reactions so far appear to be out of ignorance. There have been published studies demonstrating the effectiveness. These are summarized in one place at http://www.energypsych.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=5

Hundreds if not thousands on Veterans have received long term benefit from EP approaches.

EP approaches rarely create abreactions or emotional retraumatization

Science is suppose to be open to new ideas. Reactionary skepticism is not science. 20 years ago everyone in science knew for a fact that Adult brains did not change. Now Science knows that the adult brain is highly changeable.

To be transparent I am the executive director or ACEP. I have written two books on PTSD and have worked with trauma for 20 years. I was skeptical about EP at first. But I tried it and discovered that it was a great tool to help people.

Hurray.. we need these

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 13:55 — Ren (not verified)

Hurray.. we need these tools.. to help us with the everyday commitment to heal..
Healing is a Everyday responsibility..
We all have the ability take back our innate abilities to HEAL SELF..

These techniques are great tools to help the everyday process..
to those who have not tried them for an ongoing period of time.. you will only gain an understanding if you use them YOURSELF.. each and every time your Body signals to you that there is a dis-comfort..

You have to Teach Yourself to Heal Yourself..
‎"We Can Step into Our Power.. The Power is in Our Hands.. Only your Freewill will Activate this Power.." ~ Ren

~ feel free to email me.. I will share my Self Healing Experiences with you..

I have been using several

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 14:23 — Dr. Nancy Porter-Steele (not verified)

I have been using several energy psychology methods in my psychotherapy practice for about ten years, now. Energy psychology methods are an extremely valuable help for patients, clients, or oneself, to become free from suffering of various kinds. In most instances, the results are not only rapid, but also permanent. Anyone who has not yet personally experienced using these methods is missing an extremely worthwhile development in therapy.

Thanks for your post, Jim.

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 16:02 — David Gruder, PhD, DCEP (not verified)

Thanks for your post, Jim. I'm sad that the other methods you've tried have not enabled you to get from of your traumas.

You're right that EMDR can sometimes re-traumatize people during the treatment. One of the remarkable things about Energy Psychology treatments is that in the hands of a properly trained therapist this rarely appears to occur.

There's a significant amount of research into the effectiveness of Energy Psychology methods with war veterans with PTSD that is already completed and currently under way. So far, the results have been quite a bit more impressive than any other modality we know of.

You're also right to warn about the ineffectiveness of treating the symptoms without treating the cause. Energy Psychology methods in the hands of a properly trained therapist appear to do an outstanding job of helping to resolve the root causes of traumas.

As a Nurse Therapist,

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 16:10 — Karen Ledger, RN BScN (not verified)

As a Nurse Therapist, Health Educator and EFT Practitioner for the past 15 years, I have seen remarkable, longstanding changes with this simple but powerful therapy called Emotional Freedom Techniques.

In a Pilot Study of test anxiety in University Students, 2 sessions of EFT was found to be as effective as 5 sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and students were more likely to transfer their learning to reduce stress in other areas of their lives with EFT.

I recently completed 6 sessions of EFT,under the supervision of a Military Psychiatrist, to treat a Military Veteran who has suffered from 18 years of PTSD and depression. His PTSD on the military scale PCL-M was 64 at the start of the study and 32 at the end. Beck Depression measured at the start at 35 dropped to 14. Almost 2 months later his improvements continue to hold.

Perhaps the APA has worries that they will lose hundreds of thousands of clients when they are able to rid themselves of PTSD and other afflictions with such simple and powerful techniques!

Every system of health and

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 16:33 — Dr. Debra Greene (not verified)

Every system of health and healing on the planet recognizes the existence and primacy of energy, except one--conventional Western medicine (including conventional psychology). As documented in my book, the potency of human energy has been legitimatized by hundreds of research studies in the field of energy medicine. In 1995 the National Institutes for Health formally recognized the existence of the Biofield, a nonphysical energy that surrounds and permeates the human body. It's time for the APA to step out of the dark ages and keep pace with what is now known about the true nature of reality. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. Nor denied!

I have been helping people

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 16:59 — Rehana Webster (not verified)

I have been helping people wih PTSD and traumas for over 10 years now using EFT. I have worked with HUNDREDs of people using this energy technique and my clients have experienced amazing results within the first session and complete elimination of symptoms in a few sessions.
EFT worked best for clients suffering from effects of violence, accidents, emotional and/or sexual abuse. Regardless of whether the trauma was experienced recently or anytime in the past, the results were outstanding using EFT.
Of all the tool and techniques I use with my clients, EFT has to be the most powerful with lasting results.

I am sad to see that some of

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 18:35 — Mats Uldal (not verified)

I am sad to see that some of the comments still come out of pure ignorence. All of the negative comments come from people that have no experience from this field. They claim to know something about something they they don't know at all. EP proves itself if you take the time to try it. I have used it on more than 5000 people in 7 countries with all kinds of emotional problems and trained more than 1300 people in 5 countries in these techniques. More than 90% of these people have told me that EP has cured or helped their problems. Should I rather listen listen to people that say in an arrogant manner that they are all wrong? In Norway, where I live, the third largest TV station has now produced a TV series about 18 people who tries Simplified TFT (EP)with AQT(advanced question techniques) The TV series were postponed 1/2 year because of too good results! The TV channel felt that it gave the impression that it was too good to be true...
Now they have implemented some sceptics and interviews of the participants 8 months later to give a "better" impression. Results? Still amazing acording to the participants.
Nothing can stop results in the long run.
To all the sceptics: Please stop your negativity, you will only regret later on.

When scientists of any

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 20:21 — Wade H. Cockburn (not verified)

When scientists of any profession, including those of us in the behavioral sciences, dismiss any hypothesis without investigating the relevant studies, they have assumed the position of the Catholic church when it condemned Galileo. Medical doctors did this in 1982 with Drs. Robin Warren and Barry Marshall who first proposed that peptic ulcers were caused by an H. pylori bacteria infection. Some psychologists are now doing the same with EFT.

My experience is that with

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 22:15 — Anonymous (not verified)

My experience is that with the most painful stuck traumas, the best and least traumatic way to heal is through Energy Psychology techniques. The cause of the issue is addressed, not just the symptom. I was a huge skeptic, but I have witnessed profound healing over and over again. Remember that the AMA rejected the MRI as quackery at first, too! Dr. Gruder makes great points.

I have been a

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 23:04 — Melinda M.Ed., LMHC, DCEP (not verified)

I have been a psychotherapist for 17 years, using conventional methods, ie, cognitive-behavioral and humanistic modalities. I have a wide variety of continuing education credits in trauma, anxiety and depression among others.

Ten years ago I had my first continuing education course in energy psychology and six years ago I became a diplomate in comprehensive energy psychology. Of all the techniques and modalities in which I have been trained, EP has the most efficient and lasting effect. It can be used for traumas of all kinds. I have had amazing results. Integrated psychology (EP combined with traditional methods) has worked well for myself and many other practitioners.

I am so weary of the

Wed, 10/27/2010 - 23:39 — Dr. Jeanie Bein (not verified)

I am so weary of the "establishment" debunking anything that is new, whether it works or not, without investigating it. Every great scientist who has come up with innovative ideas have been debunked by the establishment.
If those in the APA would please open their minds and look at the truth, they will see that energy psychology really works. It has helped me and hundreds of clients.
Besides, the Earth IS round!

It's still fantasy. the

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 00:44 — Anonymous (not verified)

It's still fantasy. the peer reviews are far from supportive.
http://www.srmhp.org/0201/emotional-freedom-technique.html

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=15&sid=290d6c61-a56f-444d-b238-e2c458659b03%40sessionmgr10

the cited studies are vague and oddly flawed.
The ones that lack a control group cannot show benefit.
The ones with a control group don't show that the technique itself helped.

Looking for some good data

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 01:07 — Anonymous (not verified)

Looking for some good data here.
Could someone please point to some references for me as follows?

where/when did the ama "denounce MRi as quackery"

full, statistically valid studies with control groups showing both efficacy as well as long-term provable benefits for any 'energy' treatments of this ilk in the last decade.

supportive information from any mainstream review NOT originating from an 'energy' based group.

thanks.

It saddens me greatly to

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 07:23 — Sarah Bird CEHP (not verified)

It saddens me greatly to read some of the above comments.
I have worked with survivors of natural disasters and combat.
In post earthquake Pakistan I worked with psychologists, medical clinicians, psychiatrists and counselors using EP techniques to help their communities recover from the traumatic memories they were holding. One doctor said that if we had these techniques in all our schools our children would not be having behavioral problems as a result of the trauma they experienced.
I work with veterans of combat and after several sessions of EP they are able to sleep at night, stop experiencing flashbacks, release emotions such as anger.
Aren't we all working to the same end? to enable people to live their lives fully, peacefully and in good health.
With all the problems we are facing globally maybe now is the time to move forward together, bury past differences and open to the new research and science that tells us EP is making a difference and is the next step in our development.

Can't help you with the MRI

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 07:53 — Robert Schwarz (not verified)

Can't help you with the MRI as quakery. But here are two links to tons of data about EP.

http://www.energypsych.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=5

http://mechanisms.EnergyPsychEd.com

in the previous post, there is a request for information from the mainstream and not an Energy group. The article that we are discussing is pointing out that there is a huge bias against energy methods.

The only people doing research are people interested in Energy methods. This is often the way that science moves forward. The fact is that the mainstream is mostly indifferent or unaware.

There is a very small and vocal and highly group far from the main stream who is dedicated to ignoring or finding fault with every positive study, of which there are many. The article cited in the post "its still a fantasy..." two posts above is published in just such a place. It is one of the few studies that showed no major effect, compared to the many studies that do show statistical and clinical significance.

What Gruder is saying that EP shows promise and needs more research, including research from the "mainstream". The point of the article is hat the APA is continuing to put a strangle hold on a promising therapy that according to several studies works twice as well and twice as fast the reigning champ CBT for PTSD . see

http://www.energypsych.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=203

Lets continue to do research and end the APA ban on psychologists getting CE credit for training in these approaches.

EP has been shown both clinically and in studies to be very effective with PTSD in vets. Don't they deserve to have something that might be very helpful explored. The US armed services or the VA could demonstrate once and for all whether or not EP is effective by doing a large scale study, rather than resist and block one. I doubt it would cost more than the price of one Humvee.

Is that really too much to ask?

I've been a practicing

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 09:03 — Jed Diamond, Ph.D (not verified)

I've been a practicing therapist for 45 years now. During that time I've been quite skeptical of "new approaches" that purport to solve complex problems simply and easily.

When something is "too good to be true" the usual reason is that it really isn't that good.

I'll admit to having some reservations about Energy Psychology. But the more I've read the literature and followed some of the recent research on PTSD and other disorders, the more I've come to believe that its worth looking into.

I challenge my fellow professional to give it a serious look. We owe it to ourselves and our clients.

Energy Psychology is not

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 09:07 — victoria danzig (not verified)

Energy Psychology is not only easy to learn, and easy to use but gets results that talk therapy does not. It works particularly well with PTSD symptoms and it is a tragedy that the APA will not allow itself to consider the benefits. Whether they approve of these methods or not, the clients we see are saying things like " I have tried all other kinds of therapy and this is the first time I have felt relief". There isn't any way to stop a therapy that works and the field of Energy Psychology is here to stay.

I've been a psychotherapist

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 09:12 — Jed Diamond, PhD (not verified)

I've been a psychotherapist for more than 40 years and have learned to be wary of claims that promise quick results. I have been skeptical about Energy Psychology, but decided to do my homework and read the new research that is being published.

The work with PTSD and other ills convinces me that this is a group of techniques that deserve our attention. We owe it to ourselves and our clients.

I challenge my fellow professionals to keep their minds open and to read the literature that is emerging.

You can't have it both

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 09:16 — Helpavet (not verified)

You can't have it both ways:
either the AMA is simply and properly insisting that if studies are inconclusive no great claims may be made, or the AMA is being some crazy Ostrich-like denial agency in the face of massive irrefutable real scientific evidence. I'm looking hard and have asked for that Irrefutable Evidence and so far all you 'energy' folks point to are conjecture and completely inadequate studies that completely fail to rule out other more mundane actors in the observed short-term benefits. Nobody has said 'energy' has been disproved... merely that your claims are unsupported by the evidence, in which case the article in question here is indeed way off the mark demanding that 'energy' hypotheses be given any sort of strong validation before there's any strong irrefutable evidence that it even exists.
Methinks they do protest too much...

. Me thinks you protest to

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 09:47 — Anonymous (not verified)

Me thinks you protest to much. You are asking for proof. Proof is not the standard of scientific inquiry. Studies either lend support to a hypothesis or they do not. You are claiming that there is no evidence. That is simply false. I went to the ACEP website and reviewed the studies. The claims of value of EP have support in study after study, clinical result after clinical result. No one is claiming absolute proof. No such thing exists for anything in psychotherapy. Do studies have flaws, yes - most studies in psychotherapy have flaws - But when study after study turn up significant findings, it just might mean something is going on.

No, not 'proof'.. if you;re

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 14:04 — Helpavet (not verified)

No, not 'proof'.. if you;re unclear on teh difference between evidence and proof, please take a few minutes to clear that up for yourself, if however you;re PURPOSELY confusing them hhere, please refrain from putting words in my mouth... what is being asked for here, I repeat, is simply any evidence pointing specifically to 'energy' effects rather than things explicable using normal therapeutic attention and non-mystical therapies that are simpler and long-understood. While you all aggressively rail at being attacked for perceived claims that your treatment overall was 'not effective, it's embarrassing since NOBODY I find has ever MADE any such denial: it is not a question that any of the treatments were 'efficacious' , but that the REASON for said results (as you all insist) MUST be ascribed to some acupuncture-like chi/qui/energy flow hypothesis. Setting up the straw-man never works that well, though often done with the best of intentions. There is no shame in not yet having developed the body of reliable evidence that points to teh validity of your core 'energy' claim, it's just part of the process and shows that it needs to be done.. but there IS shame insisting that such a radical claim HAS any validity SOLELY because you say-so.

Thank you David for your

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 18:52 — Carol Ann Rowland, MSW, RSW, DCEP (not verified)

Thank you David for your wonderful work in raising awareness about this issue.

After finding that using energy psychology techniques helped to change my own life vastly for the better, I started using them in my own clinical practice.

At the time I was working in a hospital based Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Care Centre, with those with very severe and complex trauma.

I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that energy psychology techniques has helped my clients far more than any other modality I have tried.

Finally, instead of just learning to cope with their symptoms, people have the opportunity to experience true healing.

Carol, could you supply some

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 19:19 — Anonymous (not verified)

Carol, could you supply some hard clinical eval numbers for how long results lasted and how strong the results are several months and years out from treatment? What's really needed here are more than testamonial data.
thanks!

Don't be put off by the

Thu, 10/28/2010 - 19:59 — Mark Bottinick, LCSW-C (not verified)

Don't be put off by the eastern medicine theories that are offered to explain how energy psychology techniques work. The fact is, they rapidly bring about profound, and lasting results. I spent months in traditional talk therapy trying in vain to gain results that I can now achieve in minutes. Thank God I learned these tools, they've produced enormous growth in my life and have enabled me to help hundreds of others. The tools work just fine on skeptics, incidentally, no belief is required.

I have been using energy

Fri, 10/29/2010 - 03:41 — Steven Fenwick Ph.D. (not verified)

I have been using energy psychology methods in my psychotherapy practice for the past couple years and I'm getting amazing results with extremely tough cases of complex PTSD, as well as other anxiety and depression problems. I'm talking about people with multiple traumas of physical, sexual and emotional abuse going back to early childhood. These are cases that previously I would have had much difficulty making any headway with using all of the conventional methods. I have also had some training in EMDR which can be somewhat effective, but in my experience, not as quick and effective as the EP methods which are also much less prone to re-traumatization. And the research studies ARE coming in! What it boils down to is pragmatism. It works! Even if we can't completely explain the mechanism of why it works, it does seem to work. Whether it is energy or a form of hypnotic suggestion, or both, in one respect it doesn't matter. The important thing is that people are healing from some very chronic and painful life conditions. I would also like to point out that there have also been hundreds of studies done on acupuncture that also show that it works, even if the Western medical paradigm can't explain it.

If you want to live up to

Fri, 10/29/2010 - 04:39 — Anonymous (not verified)

If you want to live up to your name --Truthout-- then do your research.

Energy Psychology is creationism for liberals.

http://www.skepdic.com/thoughtfield.html

http://www.skepdic.com/emdr.html

I'm a psychiatrist at

Fri, 10/29/2010 - 07:51 — Eric Leskowitz, MD (not verified)

I'm a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, and I was initially skeptical about energy psychology (EP). But I've read the studies, attended the meetings, trained at the workshops, and now use the therapies in my own practice. I've seen changes from EP that are far more profound that from the other modalities I use - talk therapy, medications, hypnosis and meditation. I firmly believe that these approaches are the most significant advance in my 25+ years in the field. Please check out the literature cited by Dr. Gruder - EP is the real deal.

I'm a Ph.D. Biochemist with

Fri, 10/29/2010 - 07:55 — Judiht A. Swack, Ph. D. (not verified)

I'm a Ph.D. Biochemist with post doctoral training in human immunology who developed a mind-body healing methodology called Healing from the Body Level Up. I have been using energy psychology techniques since 1986 and have found them to be reproducibly effective. In fact, I published a case study in a peer reviewed holistic medical journal, the IJHC online, demonstrating the effectiveness of energy psychology on treating PTSD in a disabled Vietnam veteran with a traumatic brain injury. http://hblu.org/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd.html

As a licensed acupuncturist,

Fri, 10/29/2010 - 10:47 — Ashi (not verified)

As a licensed acupuncturist, I find it remarkable that people are so amazed at the reaction from the APA about "energy psychology" (EFT). Why are they so upset? Because this method of treatment doesn't fit into their known methods and quite frankly seems too weird to work. Tapping on the body? Sounds almost as strange as sticking tiny needles in the body. Don't forget folks, the proof is in the pudding. If EFT really works (which is obviously does) the people who really need it will come in contact with it. It takes time for stagnation to become unblocked...there is a saying in Chinese medicine that is at the core of all treatments - "Where there is blockage, there is pain. Remove the blockage and you remove the pain."

It shows a great deal of

Tue, 11/02/2010 - 01:02 — Bitta R. Wiese (not verified)

It shows a great deal of disrespect for hundreds of thousands of people calling Energy Psychology quackery or banning EP. These people confirm that they were helped with EP; do you accuse them all of being liars? Yes, there are probably some quacks out there, but don’t close your eyes to the fact that your body has an integrated healing system, not only for physical injuries, but for mental injuries, too. Myself, I went to see Mats Uldal in Oslo after 20 years of pain, sleeplessness and repeated burn-outs after a very nasty parachute accident. It all “vanished” minutes after the fourth TFT-treatment. Over the years I had tried pain treatments, acupuncture, copping, laser treatments, Reiki healing, physiotherapy, chiropractors, I even went to a psychologist and a psychiatrist, looking for answers to my lack of energy. I had read dozens of books on positive thinking, but I still was on the edge of ME, and I could not sleep. I had almost given up. TFT did the trick, even if I was skeptical. Today I am a Thought Field therapist myself, I see people get better – even cured every day, and I teach Thought Field Techniques at Mats Uldal International School of TFT in Oslo. Please, stop patronizing all the wonderful, serious EP practitioners that devote their lives to their work – or their clients that tell their own stories. Open up, and read the studies and research reports that are published.

I am a marriage and family

Sat, 11/06/2010 - 08:20 — Suzanne Morris (not verified)

I am a marriage and family therapist who got interested in the brain because I worked with people who had had a stroke in a post hospital rehab program at the start of my career. Doctors said these folks would make little or no gains. I saw them gain many skills back because the brain is far more creative about rerouting than originally thought. The current research 25 years later is showing what those of us who worked with this population already knew. The brain is amazing! It learns all the time and can make new pathways.
Energy Psychology is another way that we can learn new things. You don't have to always experience distress when you remember a painful experience. Your brain can learn new connections.
I have used forms of energy psychology since the mid 1990s with great success according to my clients. Those who wish a faster and less painful recovery will try this method no matter what others say. Almost everyone walks out of my office feeling significantly better after an EP treatment every time! One client just said to me that she thought she could have done traditional talk therapy for years to get as far as we had gotten in 10 sessions. Try it out and see for yourself!

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Energy Psychology: Mental Health Experts Say It's Time to End the Ban

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