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What is
Thought Field Therapy (TFT)?
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How was
TFT discovered?
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What is a Thought
Field?
A "field", in scientific
terms, is defined as "an invisible sphere of influence", magnetic
fields and gravitational fields being familiar examples. In this
case, when we think about a situation a Thought Field (a manifestation
of the body's energy system) becomes active. Effectively, the Thought
Field has been "tuned in" to that specific thought. The body responds
to its influence by reproducing, to a greater or lesser extent, the nervous,
hormonal, chemical and cognitive activity that occurs when we are in the
real situation. If that Thought Field contains perturbations then
the response is inappropriate. For example, someone with acrophobia
(fear of heights) may feel intense nausea and be in a state of complete
panic when simply thinking of climbing a few steps of a ladder,
something that would not trouble a normal individual.
What are perturbations?
The generating power behind the
nervous, hormonal, chemical and cognitive activity associated with negative
emotions. Such activity is not the fundamental
cause of the negative emotions; it is the perturbations themselves.
Removal of the perturbations, therefore, has a knock-on effect -
restoring those activities to normal with the consequent loss of the negative
emotions.
What is Psychological
Reversal?
A state or condition which blocks
natural healing and prevents otherwise effective treatments from working.
The psychologically reversed state is usually accompanied by negative attitudes
and self-sabotaging behaviour. In everyday life, psychological reversal
is often recognised as the "psychological block" which prevents us from
accomplishing certain tasks with ease. TFT offers rapid and simple
treatment for this problem.
Is TFT painful
in any way?
Not at all. No needles or
other instruments are used, nor does it require you to talk at length about
your problem, something that can cause considerable distress in itself.
What does
a treatment involve?
Quite simply, the patient is first
asked to think about their particular problem which, amongst
many others, can be an anxiety state, a phobia, a trauma, a loss, or
a feeling of anger or of guilt. They are then asked to quantify
their feelings on a scale of 1 to 10, with a 10 representing maximum distress.
Next, they are asked to tap on his or her own body in specific places,
or energy points, in a defined and precise order. Following the treatment
the patient is asked, once again, to think about their problem as clearly
and as negatively as possible. Typically, the patient reports that
they cannot do so at all! At this point the patient is now
free of their problem as they can no longer evoke the psychological distress
they once experienced. A cure has been effected.
Is TFT
suitable for children?
Very much so. Children are
particularly responsive to, and indeed enjoy, the treatment. The
simplicity and safety of TFT makes it especially suitable for nervous children
who might find conventional approaches intimidating.
SUD (Subjective
Units of Distress) Scale for use with children
Does TFT
work with animals?
Although still in the experimental
stage, early findings indicate that animals such as dogs, cats and horses
do respond to application of TFT. More information
here.
What are TFT
algorithms?
Determined using TFT causal diagnostic
procedures, the algorithms are precise treatment sequences that are known
to have a curative effect when applied to specific problems.
Does TFT have
any side-effects?
By side effects, most people mean
unpleasant
side-effects. The answer is simply "No". However, evidence
using Heart Rate Variability
analyses has shown that successful TFT treatment has at least one very
beneficial side effect - the rebalancing of the autonomic nervous system.
How successful
are the techniques?
Using TFT algorithms alone a success
rate of around 80% can be expected. Individual diagnosis by a diagnostically-trained
practitioner raises this figure to around 90- 95%. With the use of
Advanced TFT and Voice Technology™ the success rate approaches the ultimate. And
all this within a few minutes. No other treatment presently
available, conventional or complementary, can claim the same success rate,
speed and completeness.
What is Voice
Technology™ (VT)?
In 1986, Dr. Callahan discovered
an advanced and particularly precise causal diagnostic system reflecting the specific cause (the perturbations
in the Thought Field) of the problem being experienced. This unique
system allowed the VT practitioner to elicit diagnostic information from
the voice of their client so that specific tapping sequence(s) for complete treatment can then be determined. VT™ provides
the means for a previously unheard of psychotherapeutic procedure - curative
treatment over the telephone in minutes. Naturally, this sounds very
far-fetched but to appreciate how this could be possible one might consider
the vast amount of information contained in the groove cut into a vinyl
sound recording. To the eye it appears as a single wavy line, as
is the sound pressure wave induced from it when shown on an oscilloscope.
From this single strand of information the mind can pick out the individual
sound of every single instrument in the finest detail, a phenomenal feat
of information analysis.
I'm a die-hard
sceptic. What if I don't believe the treatment will work?
It makes no difference. The
treatments work whether you believe in them or not.
If TFT is so
revolutionary, why haven't I heard of it before now?
In common with many other ground-breaking
discoveries, TFT has met with considerable resistance and opposition to
acceptance despite the continuing build-up of evidence in its favour.
One possible reason for this negativity is that TFT theory will inevitably,
as a consequence of its own success, demand a complete rethink of many
therapeutic approaches in psychological medicine, and upon which many "experts"
have built their careers. It is worth bearing in mind that chemical
anaesthesia was first discovered in the mid-1800s yet it took almost 50
years for its use to become universally accepted.
"Faced with the choice of changing
one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone
gets busy on the proof. J.K.
Galbraith
Has any
research been carried out on TFT?
Click the button for the Latest Research Reference Material.
But I've
read an article on the internet that debunks TFT completely - who's telling
the truth?
You're probably referring to "Can
We Tap Our Problems Away?". The reader should be aware that the
writers of the article are prominent members of the Association for Advancement
of Behavior Therapy, one of whom is on the Editorial Board of the Science
and Pseudoscience Review Special Interest Group (SIG) who publish an online
magazine called "The Review". It is quite natural for them to attempt
to discredit anything that flies in the face of their own work.
However, the same could be said of
proponents of TFT, of course, so how does one get at the truth?
The answer is extraordinarily simple
- try TFT for yourself! An extract from Dr.
Callahan's book "Stop the Nightmares of Trauma" including a sample
treatment is freely available for anyone to use. There is nothing
like personal experience as the ultimate in proof. To our knowledge,
the authors of the articles critical of TFT have never tried (and apparently
have even refused to try) TFT for themselves. This
is a rather odd stance for supposed seekers of the truth as they could
get the answers they seek within minutes!
Reports of TFT research were also
openly criticised in the October 2001 edition of the Journal
of Clinical Psychology (Vol.57, Issue 10). A reply
to those criticisms is also available, pointing out that the criticisms
contain numerous critical reasoning errors, misunderstandings of the actual
claims for TFT, several straw-man arguments, a false a priori assumption,
arguments from false premises, and citing of references that, when checked,
are found not to support the specific point being made by the critic at
all! One critic even cites an article he co-authored that actually
contradicts the point he's making, and instead supports a
significant point made by TFT proponents!
What proof
is there that TFT has beneficial effects on the nervous system?
Recent clinical evidence obtained
from the use of the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) test, which is not subject
to placebo effect nor to researcher manipulation, has provided conclusive
proof that successful TFT treatment also rebalances the sympathetic and
parasympathetic contribution to autonomic nervous system function.
Click the button to read more about TFT and HRV.
Can TFT really
cure psychological problems?
A cure is defined variously as
As TFT can achieve all of the above
it is reasonable to claim that it offers a cure. In a successful
treatment all trace of the original problem disappears - by the patient's
own report. In the event of a return of the problem, this doesn't
mean that a cure was not achieved in the first place, only that it has
been undone. For example, a person taking aspirin
to cure a headache will, in all likelihood, be cured. If that person
then suffers another headache a few days later it does not mean that the
original dose failed to effect a cure, only that the headache has returned.
Retreatment leads to cure once again.
How long does
the effect last?
Once all aspects or complexities
of a problem have been successfully treated (i.e. all perturbations have
been removed from the Thought Field) and anything that may have undone
the cure has been identified and eliminated, the effects appear to endure
over time. Mary, Dr. Callahan's first case to
be treated with TFT, remains free of her severe hydrophobia almost 30
years later.
I've heard
that "energy toxins" can undo a successful treatment. Why?
The exact reason is unknown but it is
clear from experience that if a successfully treated individual is exposed to
certain exogenous toxins (not "poisons", but things to which an individual shows
a sensitivity), their problem returns. Once the toxins have been
identified and eliminated the problem, once again, can be cured and stay that
way. The individual need not be allergic to the toxin but sensitive to its
effects on the Thought Field. Such toxins are often "natural", e.g.
endogenous chemicals of plants with which they deter insect attack. Recent
developments in TFT treatments have shown that it is now possible to resolve
these sensitivities with
a very high degree of success.
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