ABSTRACT
Energy-healing, medicine, and psychology techniques embrace the idea that humans are vibrational beings and that to effect change in a pattern requires working with the energy of the individual. The oldest organized energy-healing tradition is acupuncture,whichhas been used in China for over 4,000 years and codified for over 2,000 years. Subtle energy practices have been studied and used in a variety of settings since the 1960s by psychologists, and energy psychology has been developed, researched, and practiced since that time. Acupuncture protocols were acknowledged to have efficacy by the National Institutes of Health since the late 1990s, and the five-needle NADA approach has shown efficacy for decreasing anxiety and cravings in those in substance use treatment since that time. Kinesiology became another area of research for some psychologists in the 1970s and demonstrated that there is innate body intelligence that can be accessed for greater understanding of what an individual may need using simple yes/no questions. These two approaches led to the development of thought field therapy (TFT) and the emotional freedom technique (EFT),whichhave, over the past 20years,become evidencebased, with substantial research onthe efficacy of treating trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. This chapter will provide the reader with information on the history of these healing approaches and the usefulness of TFT and EFT.
