Archive for March, 2008

The term energy psychology refers to a number of related energy therapies that are based on the Chinese Meridian System of medicine. Energy psychology quickly and thoroughly relieves mental health problems by eliminating emotional traumas or blockages from the mind/body continuum by touching or tapping key points on the body. Some of the more popular forms of energy psychology are Neuro Emotional Technique or NET , Thought Field Therapy or TFT, and Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT.

All these energy psychology techniques were developed in the mid 1980s to mid- 1990s, but are still rather unknown by the general public. These energy psychologies have been dubbed power therapies because they work so quickly compared to traditional talk therapy. This appears to be due in part because they target the more primitive parts of the brain. These would include the Limbic system, the Medulla Oblongata, and the Enkephalin system, which is in every cell of the body. EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Hypnosis are often included as power therapies although they do not directly utilize the Meridian System.

EFT, TFT, and NET all work by accessing the mind/body matrix or Meridian System in Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine addresses the body s need for balance or homeostasis. If the Chi or energy of the body is in balance then it is assumed that the body will be able to cure itself and run at top efficiency. Practitioners assess the body s balance by testing acupressure or acupuncture points in the body, which are divided up into 12 main Meridian Systems. These Meridian Systems are named for the main organs of the body such as the Lung Meridian or the Liver Meridian. Each of these systems corresponds with particular emotions. For example, the lung meridian is associated with grief and sorrow and the liver meridian with anger and resentment. Through a process of tapping acupuncture points on the body, trauma is relieved and homeostasis is reestablished.

Applied Kinesiology tests the Chi or energy by taking a strong indicator muscle, almost any major muscle, and asking the client or patient to lock that muscle while the practitioner tries to challenge the strength of the muscle to see if it will hold its position. The practitioner might ask a client to hold their arm straight out in front of them and lock it, while the clinician with an open hand firmly pushes down on the arm right above the wrist.

The body consists of water and electricity. It is believed that muscle testing checks to see if the muscle has enough electrical activity in it to hold. It appears that Chi is essentially the same as this electricity. Dr. Goodheart, the father of Applied Kinesiology or AK, first demonstrated therapy localization. Therapy localization occurs when the therapist tests a strong muscle alone or in the clear. Then either the client or the therapist touches another part of the clients body to test if a change of muscle strength occurs. If it does, then dysfunction is assumed to be present in the localized area.

Chiropractors who practice AK routinely test or challenge a vertebra in the neck or the back, and if the muscle goes weak then they can assume that the vertebra is misaligned. They then put the vertebra back in and retest. When the muscle is strong it is assumed the vertebra is back in alignment. The client routinely reports feeling much better.

Although there are great similarities among these three main forms of energy therapies in that they all are based on Eastern medicine, there are also many salient differences, at least between TFT and NET . Robert Callahan is the formulator of Thought Field Therapy. He developed his system after being introduced to Chinese medicine from a chiropractor who was practicing Applied Kinesiology, which is the same way that I became aware of these principles in 1990.

The energy therapies adapted and built on Dr. Goodhearts work by applying AK to the emotional arena. Emotions are energy and therefore emotions can be muscle tested through the electrical system of the body. TFT differs from traditional AK, however, because most of Dr. Callahan s techniques do not utilize muscle testing except minimally. Instead he developed several algorithms of tapping certain acupressure points while thinking of a problem such as an addiction or a phobia. This method often allows the body to return to homeostasis and therefore the craving is reduced or the fear is alleviated. Not only is it a highly effective system for many problems, but recent studies have shown that it is quicker and more effective than CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy. However, many repetitions of the treatment are often necessary with this particular type of energy therapy.

Emotional Freedom Technique is an offshoot of Thought Field Therapy. It was developed by Gary Craig, a minister and personal trainer. There seems to be very little difference between EFT and TFT. EFT taps all the meridians with the rationale that thereby they are bound to balance the affected meridian. EFT also varies the affirmations used in TFT. Most of the following systems that are offshoots of TFT also differ mostly in slight variations of tapping and/or affirmations and were developed later than TFT. These other systems include BSFF (Be Set Free Fast), EDxTM (Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Methods), ESM (Emotional Self-Management), EvTFT (Evolving Thought Field Therapy), FFFF ( Freedom From Fear Forever), HBLU (Healing from the Body Level Up), HSE (Human Software Engineering), PEAT ( Psycho Energetic Auro Technology), Seemorg Matrix Work, TAAP (TAAP Training Institute), TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique), TEST ( Thought Energy Synchronization Therapies), and 3 in 1 (Three-in-One Concepts).

Dr. Scott Walker, a chiropractor and applied kinesiologist, developed Neuro Emotional Technique or NET  in the early 1980 s. He developed his system independently from Dr. Callahan and within the same time frame. Both men were influenced by Dr. John Diamond who worked with Meridian systems in the late 1970 s and early 1980 s and developed Behavioral Kinesiology. Dr. Diamond stressed the use of positive verbal affirmations to change meridian systems.

All of the energy systems have great merit and are quite effective. What makes NET or Neuro Emotional Technique vastly superior and versatile is the tailored muscle testing that is the standard in this technique. Individual muscle testing makes pin point diagnosis of a problem possible.

Dr. Callahan was a cognitive behavioral therapist before becoming an energy therapist. Possibly because of this, practitioners of TFT often stress the theoretical importance of operant and classical conditioning or stimulus and response learning to explain why energy therapy is effective. Conditioning is certainly one of the main ways through which energy therapies work, but it is not the only component.

The essential reason that I believe NET is so much more effective than any of the other energy therapies is that part of the muscle testing protocol involves assessing for the earliest event where a feeling or problem originated. Because of this component the energy balance is more complete, and as a clinician there usually isn t a need to repeat the corrections multiple times, which is often the case with the other energy therapies.

The theoretical basis behind NET is not only behavioral in nature, but psychodynamic. Freud s concept of repetition compulsion is one of the central tenets of NET . Freud believed that when a trauma is not fully processed or relieved an individual will develop a maladaptive symptom or behavior pattern in a fruitless attempt to resolve the original problem. A present stressor is more likely to become a trauma if it is similar to an event that was traumatic to an individual in their past. When the earliest trauma is relieved at the basic energy level, most present traumas collapse in response. Not addressing this earliest pain is the most common reason for psychological reversal, which shows up with much greater frequency in the other systems for energy rebalancing. Therefore, NET seems to be more thorough in its approach, although it is still relatively unknown by mental health practitioners and the general public compared to TFT or EFT.

The world continues to dramatically shrink due to the amazing advances in technology and communication. In the past knowledge was often encapsulated by individual cultures. The brilliance of Eastern and Western thought is now beginning to mingle. The scientific method of the West is now being applied to some of the techniques of the East. There have been several studies in Florida universities and South America where TFT has been proved effective and NET is now under extensive study at Oxford University. It will not be long until these recently discovered energy systems will take their place as accepted and respected treatment modalities. I believe that NET will become the gold standard of these mind/energy therapies.

JEF GAZLEY, M.S., LMFT, DCC has practiced psychotherapy for over thirty years and is the owner operator of http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com since 1998 and http://www.hypnosistapes4health.com He is the author of eight mental health educational videos and DVDs and is currently writing a book on distance counseling. Jef is State Licensed in General Counseling, Marriage/Family, and Substance Abuse in Arizona and is a certified hypnotherapist. He is dedicated to guiding individuals to achieving a life long commitment to mental health and relationship mastery. In his private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, Jef specializes in ADD, love addiction, hypnotherapy, dysfunctional families, codependency, and trauma. He is a trained counselor in EMDR, NET , TFT, hypnotist, and Applied Kinesiology. Jef received his B.A. in Psychology, History, and Teaching from the University of Washington and his Masters in Counseling from the University of Oregon.

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If you’ve already tried a variety of the stop smoking aids, and you’ve tried quitting smoking without any help at all, you may think it’s just not meant to be. If you haven’t tried quit smoking hypnosis, you should take a minute to consider the possibility.

When the word “hypnosis” is mentioned, many people immediately conjure up images of the comedic hypnotists that make unsuspecting participants quack like a duck or perform some other ridiculous action. Hypnosis stop smoking programs are serious help for those with a serious desire to quit smoking cigarettes.

There’s no doubt that suggestion is a powerful tool. If you doubt that, just think about the amount of money spent on advertising. While it’s not hypnosis in the purest sense of the word, there’s no doubt that advertising works because we are open to suggestion. This is the first major step before turning to hypnosis as quit smoking help – you have to believe that hypnosis will work and open yourself to the power of suggestion.

Smoking cessation is undeniably difficult. One of the most common problems faced by those who seek out hypnotherapy seems to be the expectation that stop smoking help will be easy with hypnotherapy. The truth is that most who undergo hypnosis still report an occasional craving for a cigarette. There’s no doubt that stopping smoking isn’t easy, and there seems to be no stop smoking methods that work without the will power of the smoker. If you want to know how to stop smoking without ever facing any cravings for another cigarette, you’re looking for a magic cure – unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to exist.

That’s not to say that hypnosis doesn’t work – quite the contrary. And there are those people who report that they never again have the desire to pick up another cigarette. Just don’t enter into a hypnosis program expecting perfect results. This, like all quit smoking products and programs, should be counted as one part of the overall plan.

Quit smoking support is another important factor, and you may very well get the needed support as part of the hypnosis program. There could be a group that meets periodically, or the hypnotist may be available for additional consultations at no cost over a specific period of time.

Cost is another factor that keeps some people from seeking out hypnosis. You’ll find that this isn’t a free stop smoking program, but it may not be as expensive as you think. You’ll find plenty of advertisements in most areas for around $100.

Despite what some people think, stop smoking hypnosis isn’t a magic cure. Regardless of what stop smoking programs you try, you’re likely going to experience some withdrawal and there will be times that cigarette smoking is appealing. But if you’re ready for help to stop smoking, hypnosis may very well be just the answer you’ve been searching for.

There’s no doubt that smoking is detrimental to your health, and that there are incredible benefits to quitting. Isn’t it time you considered hypnotherapy?



About the author:

Steve Hill discusses the quit smoking process. Learn the facts before you decide which quit smoking product to buy. Read more no-hype stop smoking articles and information at: quit smoking

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