Evolving Thought Field Therapy: The Clinician’s Handbook of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Theory

I am in no position to comment on the techniques, flow charts and strategies in a book whose main purpose is to function as a practical manual, and I suspect that I am not alone in this. So why review this book and what needs to be said about it?

This EvTFT (as the authors abbreviate it) book is part of publisher WW Norton’s Energy Psychology Series1. EvTFT “is a groundbreaking and paradigm challenging psychotherapy that utilizes the acupuncture meridian system to diagnose and treat psychological problems.”(page 1). It belongs in the broad field of ‘energy medicine’,2 a field which is not well understood or incorporated into conventional medicine, but some aspects appear to use the constructs developed in the acupuncture meridian system. Acupuncture is gaining more and more attention as randomized control trials continue to report efficacy in diverse pain states and this provides some further plausibility for exploring such ideas. In addition, recent brain imaging studies provide support for the existence of meridians as postulated by traditional Chinese medicine.3,4 Some individuals find such techniques very helpful. As patient overlap appears in work with mental, emotional and behavioural disorders, that seemed reason enough to examine this book.

The authors are two psychologists and a social worker whose “70 years of clinical experience has led us to include a wide variety of traditional and innovative psychotherapeutic methods in both our practice and teaching. Thought field therapy....has provided one of the most valuable shifts in our abilities to… facilitate the resolution of emotional problems. Our experiences with the treatment effects…have had an immediate and profound impact on us as professionals and as people.”(page 2).

The book includes chapters that are of interest to a total novice or the practising professional. The introductory section was most helpful in guiding this novice reader into the contents of the chapters. The first three chapters on the initial history, paradigm challenge and introduction to the acupuncture meridian system and EvTFT provided an intriguing framework. A further 10 chapters described the techniques in sufficient detail that I almost thought I could do it. However, the authors clearly stated that workshops and training are essential. The last two chapters covered the integration of EvTFT into psychotherapy, and understanding the effectiveness of EvTFT.

The bulk of the book teaches the technique; summarizing it or commenting on the accuracy and usefulness of the technique is beyond the scope of a review done by a curious reader. For the professional familiar with the area, the appendices, flow charts and worksheets would be much appreciated additions to the chapter descriptions.

The final two chapters and epilogue appealed to the sceptic in me. It was in these that the authors made some of their most important statements. They are clear that there are many personal testimonials from both patients and practitioners that something is happening here and that it works in ways that seem foreign to the point of miraculous. Some of the web sites in this area provide even more testimonials. The authors advocate research. Their goal is to advance the health of the patients they work with, but they recognize the need for research to validate the approach. They want studies examining whether it works and how it compares to other treatment methods. They make an even stronger plea for research to examine the concepts behind the observations; the latter is particularly important. Thus, looking at associated web sites and potential explanations provided by the authors gave me the well-recognized image of the six blind men examining the elephant; there appears to be something big in the room but it is not very clear what it is.

The area of energy medicine has the potential to be fascinating for researchers and practitioners for years to come. If your interest is piqued, I have no hesitation in recommending this as one of the ways to pursue your curiosity.