Emotional Freedom Techniques
| Alternative medicine / fringe therapies | |
 |
|
| Claims | Tapping on meridian points on the body, derived from acupuncture, can release energy blockages that cause negative emotions[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Related fields | Acupuncture, Acupressure |
| Year proposed | 1993 |
| Original proponents | Gary Craig |
| See also | Thought Field Therapy, Tapas Acupressure Technique |
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a form of counseling intervention that draws on various theories of alternative medicine including acupuncture, neuro-linguistic programming and Thought Field Therapy. During an EFT session, the client will focus on a specific issue while tapping on so-called "end points of the body's energy meridians".[1]
There is no plausible mechanism to explain how EFT could work and the specifics of EFT have been described as unfalsifiable and therefore pseudoscientific.[3] There is no evidence that acupuncture points, meridans or other concepts involved in traditional Chinese medicine exist.[4] A controlled study of EFT suggested that its benefits were due to placebo effects, desensitization and distraction rather than the mechanisms proposed by its practitioners.[5]
[edit] Process
According to the EFT manual, the procedure consists of the participant rating the emotional intensity of their reaction on a Likert scale then repeating an orienting affirmation while rubbing or tapping specific points on the body. Some practitioners incorporate eye movements or other tasks. The emotional intensity is then rescored and repeated until no changes are noted in the emotional intensity.[1]
[edit] Research
A 2003 controlled study of 119 university students, with self-reported specific phobias, found that EFT diminished fear in participants but that the effects were due to conventional therapeutic techniques and distraction rather than the EFT theory proposed by the practitioners.[5]
There is no evidence that acupuncture points, meridians or the other concepts of traditional Chinese medicine exist.[4] An article on EFT published in Skeptical Inquirer described the evidence supporting the theory as anecdotal and because the number of points at which the body's meridians can allegedly be manipulated are so numerous, it is impossible to falsify the theory of EFT, thus rendering it pseudoscientific.[3] A 2009 review found that the "small successes seen in [emotional freedom technique and the Tapas acupressure technique] therapies are potentially attributable to well-known cognitive and behavioral techniques that are included with the energy manipulation. Psychologists and researchers should be wary of using such techniques, and make efforts to inform the public about the ill effects of therapies that advertise miraculous claims."[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Craig, G (nd) (pdf). EFT Manual. http://www.spiritual-web.com/downloads/eftmanual.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
- ^ Oliver Burkeman (2007-02-10). "Help yourself". The Guardian. http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2009525,00.html. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ a b Gaudiano BA; Herbert JD (2000). "Can we really tap our problems away?". Skeptical Inquirer 24 (4). http://www.csicop.org/si/show/can_we_really_tap_our_problems_away_a_critical_analysis_of_thought_field_th/. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ a b Singh, S; Ernst E (2008). "The Truth about Acupuncture". Trick or treatment: The undeniable facts about alternative medicine. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 39-90. ISBN 0393066616. ""Scientists are still unable to find a shred of evidence to support the existence of meridians or Ch'i" (p72), "The traditional principles of acupuncture are deeply flawed, as there is no evidence at all to demonstrate the existence of Ch'i or meridians" (p107), "Acupuncture points and meridians are not a reality, but merely the product of an ancient Chinese philosophy" (p387)."
- ^ a b Waite WL, Holder MD (2003). "Assessment of the Emotional Freedom Technique: An Alternative Treatment for Fear". The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice 2 (1). http://www.srmhp.org/0201/emotional-freedom-technique.html.
- ^ McCaslin DL (2009 Jun). "A review of efficacy claims in energy psychology". Psychotherapy (Chicago) 46 (2): 249-56. PMID 22122622.
