Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is based upon our meridian system (body's energy system) for dealing with psychological problems that includes careful diagnosing. TFT has proven to be very effective in dealing with PTSD, trauma, depression, stress, anxiety, phobias, fear, addictive urges, OCD, ADD, ADHD/ADID, anger problems, and several learning disabilities. TFT has the ability to rapidly and permanently alleviate debilitating emotions, which are associated with many traumatic memories and life situations that triggering them. This method has been so successful it has been the subject of many television and radio broadcasts. TFT is an emerging treatment, which is very well known on the west coast of America and in Europe.
Thought Field Therapy was discovered in 1981 by Roger Callahan Ph.D., a cognitive psychologist who tried everything in his repertoire to help a woman with a lifelong, severe, and apparently intractable water phobia. He decided to try a variation of a holistic, mind-body healing methods (based on the theory derived from Chinese medicine) that energy flows along meridian lines in the body. These meridian points appear to act as a governing force in healing and growth, and when they are blocked or unbalanced, the person experiences emotional disturbance, or what Dr. Callahan calls "perturbations." He discovered by directly treating the blockage in the energy flow by tapping on specific points on the body, the disturbance or upset, created by an unsettling thought patterns, disappears. The tapping virtually eliminates any negative feeling previously associated with a thought. Since this initial discovery Dr. Callahan has systematically developed TFT into a fast and lasting therapy for many life-limiting emotional problems. After TFT treatment the trauma changes into a memory without the triggers for emotional distress.
I have been personally trained by Dr. Callahan. When I first encountered TFT I was quite skeptical because the treatment was almost too good to be true. In fact, I decided to incorporate TFT into my practice slowly to make sure TFT indeed does what it promises. However, as I treated more and more clients with TFT I have come to the realization TFT is indeed a highly effective treatment. I have found that I am helping my clients faster than ever before. TFT has proven to be so successful that the Association of Thought Field Therapy is working closely with the international organization Green Cross. (Green Cross is an organization similar to the Red Cross but for emotional relief). TFT therapists have helped people with traumas connected to disasters in several places in the world such as Kosovo, South Africa, Rwanda, Congo, New York City after 911, and the Gulf Coast after Katrina. Most of these specialized trauma therapists are also trained in other therapies such as EMDR, EFT, and hypnosis. But because of the immediate effectiveness of TFT and its lasting results, TFT has proved to be very useful in dealing with traumas stemming from catastrophic events. Evidence indicates TFT has a success rate of 98% in eliminating severe emotional traumas for the victims involved in disasters. Recently TFT has been recognized by the International Trauma Organization.
Although TFT is relatively new, it is now practiced and taught on every continent and virtually every country in the world. No systematic in depth studies have yet been conducted on the effects of TFT, but as the Chief of Health of Kosovo wrote to Dr. Callahan: "No method has been as effective as Thought Field Therapy, and all the people who received TFT treatment in Kosovo had a 100% success rate, which is still lasting." In the near future TFT is to be recognized by the UK's National Health System.
In psychology, a treatment can be classified as being successful when there is no suffering or anguish upon recalling the traumatic event. At the same time, there should be no reduction in sensitivity, no distortion of values, and no impairment in the ability to love. The memory is retained, but no longer functions as a disturbance. Where previously the memory had controlled the person, now the person has control of the memory. In Thought Field Therapy this is exactly what is accomplished in 98% of the cases.