Acupuncture Without Needles Previous Page To begin to explain this, it is important to understand that one of the basic underpinnings of Energy Psychology is that every living organism possesses energy pathways, or meridians, which are partners with the chemical components of the body. Until recently, Western medicine has concentrated mainly on the chemical components of the body, with little understanding about the importance of neural/chemical interactions. If anything, energy systems were (and still are) seen as a result of "life," rather than as a precursor or full partner in the makeup of a complete living organism. The importance of electricity or other forms of energy associated with life had been relegated to the Frankenstein fable, or science fiction, with preachers and spiritualists taking up the cause of "soul," or "energy," and medical research dedicated primarily to the study of the "body" as a system of chemicals, organs, and organic molecules. Several studies document the existence of energy meridians, including research by orthopedist Robert Becker (Robert Becker MD; Cross Points, 1990 & The Body Electric, 1985), and biophysicist Maria Reichmanas (Reichmanas et al, 1976). Acupuncture, developed thousands of years ago by the Chinese, posits that stimulating, with needles, specific points along twelve major pathways that are known as meridians, alters the body's energy. Each of the meridians passes through a specific organ of the body, such as the lungs, heart, or stomach. The entire system is interconnected so that the life energy of the body (called Chi by the Chinese), travels from one meridian to the next, circulating throughout the body. These meridians interact with a number of more concentrated energy fields (chakras). Through trial and error, acupuncture has been developed and used by Chinese physicians to eliminate pain and to treat a wide variety of illnesses. Acupuncture is becoming widely accepted in the United States, and is now offered by some providers of medical inpatient and outpatient services. A number of anesthesiologists have converted their practice to the management of pain, using acupuncture as one of their key interventions. The World Health Organization cited 104 conditions that can be treated by acupuncture, including gastrointestinal disorders and sciatica problems (Burton Goldberg Group 1993). The evidence that all living things have an electromagnetic field is well established (Burr, 1972; Gerber, 1988). However, unlike the thousands-year-old acceptance of acupuncture for physical problems, the concept of Energy as it relates to human thought and emotions was not completely formulated until the 1980s. Psychiatrist John Diamond (1985) and psychologist Roger Callahan (1985) found that tapping on acupoints helped eliminate negative emotions, such as anxieties, phobias and painful memories, very quickly in most cases, especially when combined with the patient's conscious recognition or restatement of the disturbing thought. In the 1990's Fred Gallo (1998) and Gary Craig (Craig and Fowlie 1995) developed their own accessible approaches to energy psychology and helped mental health clinicians throughout the world learn its procedures. The same concepts used in acupuncture can be applied with great effectiveness, and with similar speed in most cases, to the treatment of psychological problems. It is a dramatic addition to talk, or conversational therapy, which has been a mainstay of psychology for much of the past 100 years. Some may believe that the most effective way of change is through verbal communication only, and that tapping on meridian points located on your face or body cannot change how you think effectively. But an increasing array of clinical evidence indicates that energy psychology works dramatically and permanently in many cases, and that there is not another application that is as fast or effective (Figley, 1995; Figley, 1996a, 1996b, 1996c, 1996d; Figley & Carbonell, 1995a, 1995b, Keane 1998). Energy Healing There is significant evidence and documentation that electrical, magnetic and other energy systems are an integral part of the life of every organism. This is so well accepted at this time that it appears to be simplistic to even restate this maxim. What follows from much of the research now, however, is that disruptions in those same energy systems are associated with severe physical or emotional trauma. For instance, there is extensive documentation about the relationship of energy to bone fracture (Becker, 1990; Becker and Selden, 1985), about the introduction of energy to impact and alter the regeneration of certain reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates (Becker and Selden, 1985; Frazee, 1909; G. Marsh and H.W. Beams, 1952), and the measurement of significant deformation of electrical fields in women with cervical cancer (Langman, 1972). Similarly, just as physical trauma can create disruptions in the energy fields of bones or cancerous tissue, psychological trauma can disrupt energy fields related to brain waves and thought, and are manifested in such afflictions as post traumatic stress syndrome, depression, professional or personal burnout, addiction, schizophrenia, and phobias (Lambrou, Pratt, 1999). As a specific example, the ontology of various forms of schizophrenia, whether genetic or environmental, is now firmly associated with significant abnormalities in electrical brain wave patterns. Perhaps the most important idea related to concept of Energy in psychology and medicine is that the energy field is a system that deserves its own treatment, and that physical and psychological cures in many cases will naturally follow healing of this system. The Empowerment Training Center recognizes that while most people respond very quickly to energy tapping therapies to remove emotional problems, some individuals have experienced such severe instances of trauma, (or repeated trauma over a long period of time), that energy therapies must include, in addition to tapping, more intensive healing applications. While application of energy based therapies which treat damaged energy systems is still in early development, Empowerment Training Center has developed a range of techniques, Energized for Life, which address more severe and chronic cases of depression, burnout, and addiction. The energy counterpart to this in physical medicine is called Therapeutic Touch, whereby physical therapists, nursing staff, and other therapists, are trained to "send" energy to assist in the healing of physical trauma or surgical wounds. Many health care organizations now offer Therapeutic Touch in their inpatient programs for the treatment of physical wounds and injuries. Similarly, Empowerment Training Center has developed programs for persons affected by severe or repeated instances of emotional trauma. Various forms of tapping are used, but methods are also applied which repair energy fields that have suffered severe and long-term damage. Included are techniques for Intransigent Trauma, Participant Intention, Empathic Energy Transmission, Cognition, and various other forms of "sending" energy that help to heal energy systems. So, in addition to removing blocks that disrupt the normal flow of the body's energy, Energized for Life identifies and repairs energy fields that are significantly disrupted or damaged. While more intensive and somewhat longer term than tapping, these advanced energy techniques produce results that are significant and can be a powerful ally of more traditional talk therapy. References Becker, R.O., Reichmanis, M., & Marino, A. (1976). Electrophysiological correlates of acupuncture points and meridians. Psychoenergetic Systems, l(105), 195-212. Becker, R.O. (1990), Cross Currents. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons Becker, R.O. (1985), The Body Electric. New York: Morrow. Brennan, B. (1987), Hands of Light: A guide to Healing Through the Human EnergyField, New York: Bantam. 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