What is TFT?

TFT (thought field therapy ) is a method of treating psychological and related disorders based on the belief that imbalances in a person's vital energy (or qi in traditional Chinese medicine) can cause adverse physical or emotional distress. Developed in 1981 by California clinical psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan, TFT is now used to treat a range of conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias, anxiety, depression, addictive urges, arthritis, pain, and insomnia. Dr Callaghan found negative emotions affected your bio energy field, creating distress as it disrupts your body’s energy flow causing psychological upheaval and sabotaging your emotional well-being. TFT is a method of literally tapping into your body’s energy and clearing up blockages.

In Chinese medicine everything is a result of the relationship between Yin and Yang. Yang being the light, active, creative, positive element. And Yin is the dark, passive, receptive, negative element. There are Yin and Yang polarities within the body and our life systems are energised by this flow of energy.

The principal universal energy, CHI, is considered to be the origin of all things and of life itself. The channels along which this energy flows in the body are called meridians. There are 14 meridians and they are located throughout the body. These have now been measured and mapped by modern technology and with practice can be felt. The meridian flow is a continuous unbroken flow with the energy flowing in one definite direction. When this energy flow is unrestricted the body harmonises the flow to optimise body functions. Sometimes our life causes the circuit to overload and it needs to be reset to get the energy to flow properly. A key to the treatment is to influence the body’s bio energy field by tapping with your fingers on specific points on the body. These are located along the energy meridians. It is a user friendly process that I will go through with you. Teaching you specific points that can help you overcome your problems.

TFT is proven to be very effective in helping people overcome anger, jealousy, phobias, stress, anxiety and trauma including post traumatic stress syndrome. TFT has now been officially recognised at the treatment of choice for post traumatic stress syndrome in Kosovo. TFT can be used just as effectively with young children; as well as with animals to help them overcome their fears. In recent years the therapy has had positive results in treating the trauma-related problems that resulted from the Nairobi embassy bombing of 1998, the Columbine High School tragedy of 1999, and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2000, a team of TFT practitioners put together by the Global Institute of Thought Field Therapy in Delaware visited Yugoslavia to treat trauma victims in war-torn Kosovo. Both practitioners and patients were amazed by the results of TFT treatment, not only in reducing psychological distress but also in alleviating physical pain. The Medical Chief of Staff in Kosovo, Dr. Shkelzen Syla, subsequently wrote a letter to Dr. Callahan stating, "The success from TFT was 100% for every patient and they are still smiling until this day. . . . I have full authority over all medical decisions in Kosovo. I am . . . starting a new national program. The emphasis of the national program will be thought field therapy."

How Does it work?

Though there are still questions about how TFT does actually work, Dr. Callahan theorises that when a person thinks of a particular emotional problem (such as a phobia), an individual thought field similar to an electrical field is generated. Callahan believes that emotional problems arise from blockages in these thought fields, which he terms "perturbations." In order to return the body's energy system to a state of balance, all perturbations must be removed.

During a TFT session, patients are asked to think about an upsetting situation and then rate the distress they feel at the thought. Depending on the emotions experienced, and the meridian(s) affected, the therapist will prescribe a certain tapping sequence. Performing the required algorithm while focusing on the problem at hand is believed to clear the emotional blockage, allowing energy to flow freely through the affected meridian(s), thus eliminating distress. Results are generally seen almost immediately, at which time the patient is "cured" of the problem in relation to that thought field. Though there are certain conditions that can block TFT from working, according to Callahan these problems are relatively quick and simple to treat.

What can you Expect?

The therapist will begin your session by asking you to concentrate on the problem that is causing you distress. You are then asked to rate the severity of your distress on a scale of one to ten. Based on the distress rating, the therapist will use either two or three fingers to tap firmly from five to ten times on specific meridian points, according to the algorithm prescribed for you.

Once this prescribed sequence of tapping is completed, you will again be asked to rate your level of distress. A further sequence, which consists of tapping a specific meridian point on the back of your non dominant hand in combination with a series of eye movements, is then performed. After completing this sequence, you again rate your distress level. The original sequence is then repeated, and after completion you rate your distress level a final time. The level of distress should decrease steadily throughout the session, and by the end, if treatment is successful, you should report no distress at all.

Successful treatment may be hindered by what Callahan terms "psychological reversal," a state in which the polarity of the electrical energy coursing through a person's meridians is temporarily reversed. The result is a subsequent reversal of an individual's beliefs and behaviors, accompanied by a negative, self-destructive attitude. Psychological reversal can be treated using a tapping sequence on the side of the hand. Once this is done, the patient should then respond to another round of basic TFT treatment.

A TFT treatment session typically lasts about 15 minutes, and if it is successful, only one session is needed. Once a perturbation is removed and energy is again flowing freely along a meridian, it is unlikely that a blockage will return to that meridian. Sessions may take longer if the practitioner is treating energy toxins or psychological reversal, or if the emotional problem is particularly complex.

Health Benefits:

Though TFT remains controversial, even among alternative practitioners, an increasing number of studies and a wealth of anecdotal evidence have found TFT to be effective for phobias, PTSD, panic attacks, depression (including loss and grief), stress, performance anxiety, and travel anxiety. It may also be helpful in alleviating addictive urges, insomnia, headaches, and body pains.

A research paper published in the October, 2001 Journal of Clinical Psychology reports a correlation between successful TFT treatment and improved heart rate variability (HRV), a measurement of cardiovascular health. HRV refers to the degree of fluctuation in the length of intervals between heart beats. Low heart rate variability has been shown to be a predictor of cardiac vulnerability and mortality. Several other studies have also illustrated a direct relationship between low HRV and psychological problems such as PTSD, phobias, anxiety disorders, and depression.

In other research, a study of people with a fear of heights reported positive results with subjects who received TFT treatment in comparison to a control group that received a placebo treatment using a series of taps on meridian points not used in TFT.

Several published case studies also show promising results for the use of thought field therapy in treating insomnia. One study involved a man who suffered from insomnia almost every night. He had unsuccessfully tried a Voice Technology session before seeing Dr. Callahan himself. In just one session, Callahan taught the man the appropriate algorithm, and identified several energy toxins related to foods. Within a few days of cutting out the foods and performing the algorithm at home, the patient had his first good night's sleep in months. He has had few relapses of insomnia since, and the treatment and change in diet also improved his heart rate variability by almost 200%.

While these examples are only a few in a growing body of evidence in support of thought field therapy, critics argue that more rigorous clinical trials and controlled studies are needed to thoroughly evaluate its efficacy. In the meantime, those who utilise and promote the therapy maintain that the extraordinary results they have achieved with TFT speak for themselves.

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