Maybe you are the one who needs a critical thinking class? James McKoy, MD Chief, Pain Clinic, Chief Rheumatology Services Assistant Chief, Neuroscience Department, Kaiser Permanente, Hawaii region "When I observe a number of suffering patients who did not respond to our usual treatment modalities, suddenly get better after TFT algorithms are given, I don't need a double-blind controlled study to tell me the value of TFT." Why should they lie? On the other hand, I can think of a few reasons traditional psychologists may be inclined to discredit the outstanding success of a technique that is free. There are hundreds of thousands of people saying that EFT has worked for them. The issues ranged from nausea, to claustrophobia, to headaches, as well as OCD, depression, and even weight loss. I was skeptical at first but I tried EFT/meridian tapping and have found great success with using it for myself as well as for family and friends. Impact uncertain, but EFT is a spin-off of some frighteningly popular quackery.
The residue is borrowed ”from the ancient wisdom of Chinese acupuncture.”ĭiagnosis: Pure, delusional crackpot of the worst kind. How, you may think? Well, because ”everything, including your body, is composed of energy”. His website is here.ĮFT is apparently a procedure that ”borrows from the much-heralded discoveries of Albert Einstein”. Roger Callahan's disciple, Gary Craig (pictured left), invented a variant of TFT known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), applied kinesology and pure woo. His influence is appallingly wide, and his crackpottery has been adopted by several serious practitioners and even received governmental endorsement. (hat tip to Monica Pignotti for the last set of links)ĭiagnosis: crackpot and charlatan (probably unconsciously).
Perhaps because both were in major trouble with the FTC in 1998).įor their importation of TFT into Africa to treat PTSD and Malaria, see here.Īnd here is an NPR interview where Callahan claimed TFT successfully treated malaria. Callahan also brags about being endorsed by Kevin Trudeau (who will appear later, rest assured).
Psychologist John Kline wrote that Callahan’s article “represents a disjointed series of unsubstantiated assertions, ill-defined neologisms, and far-fetched case reports that blur boundaries between farce and expository prose.” It has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine. In 2001, in an unprecedented move, the Editor of the Journal of Clinical Psychology agreed to publish, without peer review, five articles on TFT of Callahan’s choosing. and the evidence adduced in support of TFT by Callahan and other proponents comes from uncontrolled case reports that were not peer reviewed.
The technique was invented and is promoted by – you guessed it – Roger Callahan (pictured right), who terms his treatment "Thought Field Therapy" because he theorizes that when a person thinks about an experience or thought associated with an emotional problem, they are tuning in to a "thought field. In fact, the American Psyhological Association asserted that TFT "lacks a scientific basis" and removed support for it in 1999, stating that TFT "does not meet definition of appropriate continuing-education curriculum for psychologists". Not only is there no evidence for its efficacy – it also relies on such quack myths as ”meridians”. It has absolutely no scientific foundation, and test results don’t exactly go in its favor. The buzzword is "Thought Field Therapy” (TFT), a mish-mash of psychology, acupuncture, neuro-linguistic programming, hypnotherapy and what amounts to reiki and life force mysticism.
The last decade or so certain psychologists and pseudo-psychologists have been claiming to be could cure any craving or phobia in minutes, sometimes even over the phone, by just a wee bit of tapping and some positive thinking to "rebalance natural energy system." Anything, really, from addiction to biscuits, alcohol, cigarettes to murdering homeopaths.