Thought Field Therapy was developed accidently. It was intendended as a means of treating psychological issues through a specialized series of tapping with fingers at the meridian points on the upper body and hands. The original discovery happened with one of Dr. Callahan’s patients who had a phobia related to the water. While working with this patient around his swimming pool, she began complaining of stomach pain that was related to her anxiety. In an attempt to help her stress-related stomach issues, Dr. Callahan used acupressure over specific meridians. The results astounded both doctor and patient.
Dr. Callahan gave this treatment the name “Thought Field Therapy” because of the relationship between thinking about an experience and the emotional stress which results. His theory states there is precisely encoded information that becomes activated when an individual thinks about a problem, either subconsciously or consciously. In order to eliminate the emotional negativity, Dr. Callahan developed a system of sequencing over precise meridian points.
The idea of unblocking or balancing the flow of Chi (still important in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture for centuries), is actually based on an offshoot of acupuncture, which is acupressure. The idea is that an individual can achieve somewhat similar results without the invasive use of sterilized needles, into these energy pathways in the body. Individuals who practice acupressure, do so by means of pressure over the points and those who use Thought Field Therapy do so by means of tapping over the meridian points.
As described by psychologist and founder, Roger J. Callahan, thought Field Therapy is the study of the structure of thought fields and the body’s energy system as they relate to diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems. At this time, the success rate of Thought Field Therapy cannot be explained or predicted using conventional theories of psychotherapy.
Thought Field Therapy practitioners believe that it is not the traumatic event, nor the person’s thoughts that are the fundamental cause of the negative emotions. Instead, disturbances that contain the active information will trigger a response in the human body along neurological, chemical, hormonal and cognitive pathways. All of these things result in negative emotions which the individual feels when they relate to a specific dramatic event. These disturbances are called perturbations.
Practitioners who are trained in Thought Field Therapy are able to diagnosis the energy meridians which are causing the imbalances in the body, the same system that is used in acupuncture. Thought Field Therapy also utilizes tapping over acupressure or acupuncture points. This provides the additional energy the body requires to promote a healthy flow of electromagnetic energy throughout the body system.
The process is usually painless, quick and long-lasting. Practitioners have developed several different algorithms that worked well and approximately 80% of the cases as determined by case study in reports of practitioners. The remaining 20% usually require individual diagnosis and treatment protocols.
Thought Field therapists do not claim that this technique works for every problem in every person. Several recent studies performed by proponents of the technique found that the treatments success rates were close to 90% or greater for a variety of psychological problems such as anxiety, fear, traumas, painful memories and depression.
When people are first exposed to Thought Field Therapy many are skeptical because of the inability to visualize any real treatments protocols. It may appear a bit like hocus-pocus or as if the individual is succumbing to auditory suggestion. However, in no other studies does auditory suggestion have the same success rate as Thought Field Therapy.
Unfortunately, the results can neither be predicted nor explained which makes many professionals unwilling to use the method. In fact, many are scrambling to give alternative explanations for the effectiveness of the treatment. Interestingly, the same was true when scientists first discovered bacteria as a cause for infection. When not all physicians and individuals could visualize bacterial growth, the idea was thought to be preposterous.
The use of emotional freedom techniques and Thought Field Therapy challenges the very ideas that we have learned to accept as truth from traditional Western medicine practitioners. Thought Field Therapy is a process that is nonlinear and requires a certain amount of faith as well as an understanding that as human beings we are a compilation of both the physical and the spiritual.
Individuals who want to practice Thought Field Therapy require training and experience to achieve a high success rates they desire. While there are written instructions on how to perform Thought Field Therapy those who are trained and have a variety of experiences will be able to obtain better results. However, because there are little to no side effects it truly does not are cause any trauma or harm to trying these techniques on yourself.
Recent Comments