TFT (Thought Field Therapy) is a mind-body therapy created in the 1980s that uses tapping on the body's energy meridians to relieve emotional distress from psychological problems. It works by addressing imbalances or blockages in the body's energy system triggered by disturbances in a person's thought field that cause negative emotions. A TFT practitioner assesses which meridians are affected and has the client tap endpoints while rating distress levels. Standardized tapping sequences have an 80% success rate at reducing distress levels. However, early research on TFT lacked control groups, valid assessment measures, and accounting for placebo effects.
2. What is TFT?
• Created by Dr. Roger J. Callahan in the early 1980’s, published in 1985.
• Unique mind-body therapy that uses the power of the body's energy system to relieve
the emotional distress associated with most psychological problems.
• Qi is the energy of life within a person; meridians are their pathways/transit system.
• “Neither a traumatic event nor the person's thoughts about that event are the
fundamental cause of negative emotions. Instead, disturbances in the thought field
contain active information which triggers the neurological, chemical, hormonal, and
cognitive changes in the person which result in the experience of negative emotions.”
• These disturbances trigger imbalances (or blockages) in the body’s energy system.
• Created “by accident” in session with ‘Mary’.
• Gary Craig, creator of EFT, studied under Callahan and used TFT until streamlining his
own version.
• Psychological issues treatable using this method include: depression, anxiety, PTSD,
addiction, and phobia. (Also includes cardiological issue Atrial Fibrillation, (A-fib)).
3. How Does TFT Work?
• A TFT practitioner would assess which meridians are affected by the blockages
based on client’s reported emotional disturbances.
• Client would beforehand rate severity of trauma/pain on a 10-point scale: the
Subject Unit of Distress, (SUD).
• Client would tap him/herself at the endpoints of each meridian following a specific
sequence guided by practitioner who is also tapping him/herself.
• Tapping would require a light to moderate amount of force using the fingertips.
Typical rate is 160 BPM: (e.g. Lenny Kravitz “Fly Away”, The Beatles “I Saw Her
Standing There”, Pharrell Williams “Happy”).
• Predetermined tapping sequences (aka algorithms) have an 80% success rate, the
remaining 20% required individualistically formulated algorithms.
• Mechanisms of the treatment itself can neither be predicted nor explained using
conventional theories of psychotherapy, nor at this point can an understanding be
grasped with our current views of psychopathology.
6. Anxiety Algorithm
About 10-15 taps each.
Take an SUD reading.
1- Under the eye, on the edge of the eye socket.
2- Under the arm, halfway down the ribcage.
3- Below collarbone.
4- The “9-Gamut”, back of the hand, below pinky & ring knuckle.
5- Close your eyes, then open them.
6- Look down to your left, then down to your right (moving only your eyes).
7- Make a full circle with your eyes, then in reverse direction.
8- Hum a few notes.
9- Count to five.
10- Hum a few notes again.
Take another SUD reading.
DEMONSTRATION: https://youtu.be/_r1U80wYj_8?t=2m19s
7. Caveats
• From the ‘Journal of Clinical Psychology’: Callahan, 2001b and
2001c; Pignotti & Steinberg, 2001; Sakai et al., 2001; Johnson et al., 2001.
• Five of Callahan’s research reports were published without peer review.
• Instead, critiques were published alongside each report.
• Unbalanced focus on successful cases, pre-existing mental illnesses were
unevenly spread and too diverse, no control group, no additional testing
to account for placebo effect, lack of valid assessment measures, only
method of measurement was SUD, no accounting for demand
characteristics.
8. Additional Information
• Official website of Roger Callahan:
http://tfttapping.com/
• For training, certification, and Continuing Education
Credits (13):
http://www.thoughtfieldtherapy.net/online-training/
9. References
• A review of efficacy claims in energy psychology. McCaslin, Danny L. Psychotherapy: Theory,
Research, Practice, Training, Vol 46(2), Jun 2009, 249-256.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0016025
• http://www.mercola.com/article/mind_body/thought_field_therapy/overview.htm
• http://www.spiritualunite.com/
• https://energymedicineforlife.wordpress.com/
