AHP Perspective is a magazine published bi-monthly for members of the Association for Humanistic Psychology. It includes interviews, articles, essays, updates on member activities, conference announcements, and book reviews. Members receive the complete AHP Perspective as part of their membership.

AHP PERSPECTIVE April/May 2000 Table of Contents

THE NEW ENERGY PSYCHOTHERAPIES
Karen E. Ledger

A growing field of dramatically effective therapies has recently emerged and is being practiced by therapists working in health and mental health. With acronyms such as EMDR, TFT. EFT and TAT, they sound a bit like alphabet soup. Known as "Energy Therapies" or "Power Therapies " for their speedy and powerful results, most utilize the acupuncture meridians and/or bodys "energy systems" to positively affect the mind/body continuum. These therapies can expedite treatment and bring rapid emotional relief for clients and can often bring relief for physical ailments as well. And they can be practiced by the client on themselves, as well as with the guidance of a trained therapist.
In truth, no one can explain exactly how the new energy therapies work. In 1964, Dr. George J. Good-heart, a chiropractic physician, made an observation so profound that it has ramifications for every field of health, mental health, and healing. He inadvertently discovered that certain muscle groups would become weak when opposing groups were in spasm. When he stimulated specific nodules related to the weakened group, it would immediately regain strength and the spasms in the opposing group would relax. He then began studying medical, osteopathic, and chiropractic journals and books to see if others had similar findings. He found that an osteopath named Chapman had discovered organ reflexes, which when stimulated by rubbing, released toxins from the organ through the lymphatic system. And a chiropractor named Bennett had discovered that stimulation of certain areas on the head would restore normal blood circulation to associated organs.
Gradually Goodheart developed a systematic schemata which he used to consistently diagnose and treat certain organ malfunctions. He then learned of an osteopath named W. G. Sutherland, who was able to measure the rhythmic movement of the skull bones and found that if certain skull bones did not move normally, there would be symptoms of disease or abnormal function in the bodyand corresponding weak muscles. This is the basis of the treatment known as cranio-sacral therapy.
Goodheart next studied acupuncture and its relation to the nervous system. He found that certain energy meridians are associated with the same muscle groups that he had found affected specific organs of the body. Again and again, as he studied the works of others in related fields, he found an overlapping of structures and functions and approaches to healing. Eventually, in 1974, Goodheart and his colleagues created the International College of Applied Kinesiology and began a standardized training.
One of Goodhearts students was psychiatrist John Diamond. He was intrigued with a discovery of Goodhearts: that when a patient thought of something that made him/her anxious, a previously strong muscle would weaken. Diamond integrated this knowledge and applied kinesiology into his work with patients and found that he could rapidly reach the core of their emotional problems.
Roger Callahan, a psychologist student of Goodhearts, was interested in the idea that mental attitude could so directly affect body reactions. Like Diamond, he adapted applied kinesiology to treat psychological problems. In the field of Energy Psychology, Callahans Thought Field Therapy (or TFT) is the basis for many of the simpler Energy Therapies, most of which were developed by students of TFT.
Callahan has become well known for his discovery that tapping on specific acupuncture meridians could eliminate phobias. His first case of such a treatment has become legendary in the Energy Psychology field. Callahan had been treating a woman with a water phobia for over a year, with no success. One day she was complaining of nausea as they worked. Having just learned that tapping on the stomach meridian, under the eye, could eliminate nausea, he suggested she do so. She did and immediately announced that she was better. He was pleased, and suggested they continue working on the phobia. She exclaimed they didnt need tothe water phobia was gone. She proceeded to run downstairs from his home office to the swimming pool outside. Frantic that she might drown, he ran down to find her kneeling alongside the pool dipping her face in and out of the water, yelling "Seeits gone!"
Callahan then began systematically exploring the use of tapping on various end-points of energy meridians with other phobic clients and continued to have good success, publishing the results in two books.
One of Diamonds and Callahans most important contributions to the energy psychology field was the discovery of a problem that they named "psychological reversal." Callahan and Diamond tested people on their commitment to a goal they were having difficulty with and found they would inevitably test "weak." This did not mean the individual had a conscious desire to fail, but that their energy system was locked in a pattern of resistance to their goal.
Psychological reversal exists almost 100% of the time in people who have chronic illness, auto-immune disorders, or addictions. About 40% of the time any person may be psychologically reversed on some issue. The good news is that Callahan found that by rubbing certain spots on the body while saying an affirmation about the issue, one could temporarily get the reversal to right itself, and the person would test strong for their goal. Then, after tapping on specific acupuncture points withe the patient thinking about the issue, the emotional energy around the problem would literally "vanish."
Dr. Callahan developed an elaborate system for diagnosing and treating various problems using algorythmsa detailed sequence of tapping on specific energy meridian end points called Thought Field Therapy (TFT).
One of the first students trained by Dr. Callahan in his TFT Techniques was electrical engineer and personal performance coach Gary F. Craig. Craig believed there must be a simpler, more refined method of providing Callahans treatments, and he experimented with the algorythms. After much trial, Craig developed his model of energy therapy which he called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). His design includes Callahans treatment for psychological reversal followed by tapping on a routine set of acupuncture points for all issues. Craig found that his success with his simpler method matched Callahans results, and that the EFT could be easily taught to clients to administer on themselves.

Other students of Callahan, psychologists Fred Gallo and Larry Nims, created their own unique approaches, called EDxTM, and Be Set Free Fast (BSSF), respectively.
Not all of the new energy therapies evolved from Thought Field Therapy. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy involves the client thinking about a distressing issue and moving their eyes back and forth in a lateral field or being tapped on their body rhythmically. Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro, it has had a wide array of research and is recognized, even by skeptics, to have a high degree of success.

Licensed Acupuncturist Tapas Fleming came up with a very different technique. Tapas Accupressure TechniqueTM uses a specific holding pattern on energy points on the skull with focusing on a series of thoughts and feelings. Results are equally powerful and lasting.

Nahoma Clinton created Matrix Work, a process that uses the chakras as the focal energy points. She works with core beliefs rather than feelings.
What is most impressive about all these Energy Therapies is their results. In the hands of
skilled practitioners, clients can expect to successfully resolve issues more than 90% of the time. Resolution means that the client will be exposed to a feared object or situation or think about a past trauma and feel no distress, usually permanently.

Karen E. Ledger, RN, BSN, is a Health Educator and Nurse-Therapist in Victoria, Canada. In addition to her private practice and work as a workshop facilitator, Karen is creating a video on Emotional Freedom Technique. She can be reached at 250/598-4126, karenledger@home.com, and at
members.home.net/karenledger.

AHP PERSPECTIVE April/May 2000 Table of Contents

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