Energy Psychology - Its Origins and Research

Energy Psychology is one of the most effective healing techniques I’ve experienced, which also happens to be one of the easiest to learn. It’s based on acupuncture theory and is so easy to learn that you can teach it to your children.

It’s so effective that thousands of returning veterans suffering from PTSD have been helped by this technique. And yet it’s so different that mainstream treatment facilities, like the VA, would rather ignore this simple, drug-free process, and continue with less effective treatment approaches.

My aim with this article is to provide enough evidence in the form of research to prove the efficacy of this simple technique. Ideally, this will help us to move past its novelty or strangeness and actually benefit from this process.

For example, research has shown that this technique helps to balance the stress hormone cortisol, which can have a beneficial influence on all aspects of ones’ health. Even more exciting is the research showing increases in telomere length, which has a protective influence on your DNA and slows down the aging process.

1984

My friend and colleague, Dr. Craig Williams, introduced me to a meridian point tapping technique in 1984 called TFT or Thought Field Therapy that was developed by Dr. Roger Callahan. A simplified version known today by the name EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique, is widely used.

Since that time I’ve studied and have become certified in a number of related techniques that we’ll include under the general heading of Energy Psychology. I use some combination of these processes every day with patients.

I’ve used this approach successfully over the years to address many issues, including pain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, athletic performance, learning disorders, ADD/ADHD, phobias, addiction, sleep issues, weight loss and cravings, and stress.

This article and the accompanying research will focus primarily on the tapping of acupuncture points, although in a clinical setting I’ve found that needling, rubbing, holding, or laser light stimulation works equally well.

Further on in this article you’ll see an expanded list of what EFT tapping has treated successfully along with the accompanying research, but first I’ll give you the backstory.

Tapping Origins – A Brief History

Dr. Roger Callahan was a traditional psychologist treating a woman for a severe water phobia in 1979. Dr. Callahan would have this woman meet him at his home where he had a pool in his back yard.

One day, after 18 months of treatment, when the patient mentioned that she was feeling her fear of water in her belly, the doctor tried something new. He had been introduced to the field of acupuncture and was aware that there were points on the face that related to the stomach meridian.

On a whim, he suggested that she take a couple of fingers and tap lightly directly below her eye on the second point on the stomach meridian, or ST 2. To the doctor’s surprise she responded, within about 30 seconds, that the fear was gone and proceeded to walk over to the pool to get a good look. Her phobia was gone.

Dr. Callahan developed this into a teachable technique that was for the most part taught to and used by doctors. Fast forward to Gary Craig, one of Dr. Callahan’s students. He ultimately, by 1995, simplified and streamlined the technique so that anyone, even children, can use the technique. He named the refined process Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT.

The Research

Much of what you’ll see below comes from the Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) of which I was a charter member. Energy Psychology (EP) is an umbrella terms that covers EFT and related processes.

Energy psychology (EP) modalities have been researched by more than 100 investigators in at least 7 countries. As of 2014, over 60 research studies have been published on EP modalities; out of these only one has not shown efficacy.

The results of these studies have been published in more than 15 different peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease and the APA journals Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training and Review of General Psychology. While many important questions remain to be answered, a great deal of groundwork is in place.

The Neurobiology of Energy Psychology Treatments

This is a paper by Ronald Ruden, M.D., Ph.D. where he investigates the neurological mechanisms behind the EP processes. Essentially, he’s explaining how the simple act of tuning into how a troubling issue makes you feel and combining that with simple touch creates big changes in your brain that open the door to healing. You can open the PDF here.

A Comprehensive Review of Research in Energy Psychology

Here is a comprehensive review of the research in Energy Psychology by David Feinstein, Ph.D. “Acupoint Stimulations in Treating Psychological Disorders: Evidence of Efficacy” was published in 2012 in the Review of General Psychology, a peer-reviewed APA journal. Read the article here.

A Complete List of Individual Studies with Abstracts

Here is a complete list of Energy Psychology studies with abstracts ranging from 1990 to 2014. Click here to see the entire list.

EP Research Organized by Specific Categories and Conditions

The conditions listed below have been shown to respond favorably to Energy Psychology treatment. You can read these studies here.

Categories and Conditions Addressed in the document:

Academic performance (p.1-5)
Addictions (p.5-7)
Anxiety (p.7-16)
Gene expression (p.16)
Depression (p.17-21)
Food cravings, weight loss and eating disorders (p.21-24)
Learning disorders (p.24)
Other psychological disorders (p.24-30)
Pain and physical conditions (p.30-38)
Phobias (p.38-45)
PTSD and trauma (p.45-63)
Sports performance (p.63-65)
Stress and quality of life (p.65-67)
Telephone and distant therapy (p.67-68)

Clinical Case Studies

These are studies of one individual in a clinical setting. They are formal reports using established pre and post intervention assessments. You can open the PDF here.

A World Without PTSD

This is Dawson Church’s Keynote Speech at the “Veterans, Trauma and Treatment” Conference. Dawson Church, Ph.D., created the Veteran’s Stress Project. You can listen to the audio recording of Dawson’s talk here.