ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY FACT SHEET

What It Is

Energy psychology has been called “psychological acupuncture without the needles.” It is a clinical technique and a self-empowerment approach that provides simple methods for shifting brain patterns that lead to unwanted thoughts, actions, and emotions. It draws from ancient spiritual practices and healing traditions and uses them in thoroughly modern ways.

The Essential Principle:
"The brain’s power to restore a person’s distressed emotional world to well-being is far greater than we once knew."

Bruce Ecker

How It Does It

Tapping on acupuncture points (along with related techniques) while an anxiety-evoking memory or thought is brought to mind sends signals to the brain that turn off the anxious response in the moment and rapidly alter the neural pathways that maintained that response.

The Conditions it helps

 Variations of this strategy also appear to shift, for the person’s benefit, the brain’s coding of irrational anger, jealousy, guilt, shame, unremitting grief, compulsive behaviors, phobias, PTSD, depression, addictions, and chronic pain. The method has also been shown to promote peak performance and to help in attaining personal goals.

Who practices it

Both licensed mental health professionals – such as psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers – and life coaches who do not treat mental disorders use the methods of energy psychology with their clients. Energy psychology also offers back-home techniques for clients as well as potent self-help tools for those not in counseling. Variations include EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), TFT (Thought Field Therapy), and TAT (Tapas Acupuncture Technique), among numerous other formats.

What does it do to the brain

Both licensed mental health professionals – such as psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers – and life coaches who do not treat mental disorders use the methods of energy psychology with their clients. Energy psychology also offers back-home techniques for clients as well as potent self-help tools for those not in counseling. Variations include EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), TFT (Thought Field Therapy), and TAT (Tapas Acupuncture Technique), among numerous other formats.

is it effective

Energy psychology is still a controversial development within the mental health field (the techniques look quite strange, are adopted from foreign cultures, and the claims of a growing number of practitioners seem almost too good to be true), but evidence is mounting that these techniques are significant, powerful tools for both self-help and clinical treatment (see following pages).

Energy Psychology Resources

Energy Psychology Certification Program: 
Home Study Programs and CEUs: 
Energy Psychology’s First Peer-Reviewed Journal 
Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, Treatment
Video Programs that Teach Energy Psychology Methods:

www.eftuniverse.com (click “Free Videos”)

www.EnergyPsychEd.com (David Feinstein’s “Introduction to Energy Psychology” DVD set)

Free Internet Newsletters/Reports/e-support Sites:

www.eftuniverse.com (EFT e-letter, click “Free Newsletter”)

www.masteringeft.com/Newsletter-Subscribe.htm (Pat Carrington’s excellent e-letter)

Energy Psychology Practitioner Referral Lists:

www.energypsych.org  (ACEP – Assn for Comprehensive Energy Psychology)

www.eftuniverse.com/ (Emotional Freedom Techniques) — click “Find a Practitioner”)<

www.tftrx.com/web_locator.html (Thought Field Therapy)

www.energypsych.com (Fred Gallo’s EDxTM—Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Methods)

www.seemorgmatrix.org (Seemorg Matrix Work/Advanced Integrative Therapy)

Nonprofit Organizations Concerned with Energy Psychology:

www.SoulMedicineInstitute.org (also includes referral lists and many other resources)

www.energypsych.org   (ACEP — Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology)

www.theamt.com (Association for Meridian Therapies)

www.energymed.org (Energy Medicine Institute)

www.issseem.org (International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, ISSSEEM)