Papers by David Feinstein
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Oct 1, 2014
Clear and transparent standards are required to establish whether a therapeutic method is "eviden... more Clear and transparent standards are required to establish whether a therapeutic method is "evidence based." Even when research demonstrates a method to be efficacious, it may not become available to patients who could benefit from it, a phenomenon known as the "translational gap." Only 30% of therapies cross the gap, and the lag between empirical validation and clinical implementation averages 17 years. To address these problems, Division 12 of the American Psychological Association published a set of standards for "empirically supported treatments" in the mid-1990s that allows the assessment of clinical modalities. This article reviews these criteria, identifies their strengths, and discusses their impact on the translational gap, using the development of a clinical innovation called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) as a case study. Twelve specific recommendations for updates of the Division 12 criteria are made based on lessons garnered from the adoption of EFT within the clinical community. These recommendations would shorten the cycle from the research setting to clinical practice, increase transparency, incorporate recent scientific advances, and enhance the capacity for succinct comparisons among treatments.
Energy Psychology (EP) protocols use elements of established therapies such as exposure and cogni... more Energy Psychology (EP) protocols use elements of established therapies such as exposure and cognitive processing and combine them with the stimulation of acupuncture points. EP methods such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and TFT (Thought Field Therapy) have been extensively tested in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and outcome studies assessing PTSD and co-morbid conditions have demonstrated the efficacy of EP in populations ranging from war veterans to disaster survivors to institutionalized orphans. Studies investigating the neurobiological mechanisms of action of EP suggest that it quickly and permanently mediates the brain’s fear response to traumatic memories and environmental cues. This review examines the published trials of EP for PTSD and the physiological underpinnings of the method. It concludes by describing seven clinical implications for the professional community. These are: (1) the limited number of t...
OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 2022
The vague or controversial use of the term energy in the clinical subdiscipline known as “energy ... more The vague or controversial use of the term energy in the clinical subdiscipline known as “energy psychology” has been an obstacle to the field’s acceptance. This paper discusses five forms of energy and explores the role of each in energy psychology treatments. While patterns in (a) electrical signaling, (b) brain waves, and (c) electromagnetic fields are presumably shifted in any form of effective psychotherapy, a strength of energy psychology interventions is shown to be in their ability to initiate such effects in a deliberate and targeted manner. This paper examines the roles of these three well-established energy forms in explaining the rapid and durable outcomes seen with a wide range of conditions following energy psychology treatments. A fourth form of energy, “subtle energy,” is by definition too subtle for detection by conventional scientific instruments. These energies have, however, been recognized in at least 97 healing traditions around the world and are considered to ...
Advances in mind-body medicine, 2020
Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) is a hands-on healthcare approach providing assessments and interventi... more Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) is a hands-on healthcare approach providing assessments and interventions that focus on the body's electromagnetic and more subtle energy systems. More than 1600 certified practitioners have completed an intensive 2-year training program in the method, and these practitioners have brought the approach to hundreds of thousands of people in individual sessions and self-care classes. In this article, the method's founders briefly trace its development and present illustrative case histories. They then address a number of questions that are pertinent for any approach to energy medicine from the perspective of their experiences advancing EEM. Broader acceptance of energy medicine has been impeded by the field's emphasis on energies with purported properties not known in the energies that fall along the electromagnetic spectrum. Such assertions challenge conventional concepts within Western medicine. The anomalies can, however, be explained by a fram...
A psychotherapeutic approach that combines cognitive techniques with the stimulation of acupunctu... more A psychotherapeutic approach that combines cognitive techniques with the stimulation of acupuncture points by tapping on them has been gaining increased attention among clinicians as well as among laypersons using it on a self-help basis. It is called energy psychology. Thirty-six peer-reviewed studies published or in-press as of April 2012—including 18 randomized controlled trials—have found the method to be surprisingly rapid and effective for a range of disorders. More surprising are reports of “surrogate tapping.” In surrogate tapping, the practitioner taps on himor herself and applies other elements of energy psychology protocols as if he or she were the person whose problem is being addressed, all the while holding the intention of helping that person. Essentially long-distance healing within an energy psychology framework, successful reports of surrogate tapping have been appearing with some frequency within the energy psychology practitioner community. A search of the litera...
Newly appointed to the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins in 1970, I wasn’t sure what to e... more Newly appointed to the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins in 1970, I wasn’t sure what to expect when the department chair called me into his office to discuss a special assignment. “I keep hearing about these ‘new’ therapies coming from the West Coast,” he told me. “Are they just more California fluff or developments worth knowing about? Go find out.” As a young therapist-researcher who was already pursuing personal improvement with the passion of someone convinced he needs a lot of it, I approached the assignment with the zeal of a young knight in search of the Holy Grail.
Healthcare, 2018
Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is an evidence-based method that combines acupressure... more Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is an evidence-based method that combines acupressure with elements drawn from cognitive and exposure therapies. The approach has been validated in more than 100 clinical trials. Its efficacy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been investigated in a variety of demographic groups including war veterans, victims of sexual violence, the spouses of PTSD sufferers, motor accident survivors, prisoners, hospital patients, adolescents, and survivors of natural and human-caused disasters. Meta-analyses of EFT for anxiety, depression, and PTSD indicate treatment effects that exceed those of both psychopharmacology and conventional psychotherapy. Studies of EFT in the treatment of PTSD show that (a) time frames for successful treatment generally range from four to 10 sessions; (b) group therapy sessions are effective; (c) comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression improve simultaneously; (d) the risk of adverse events is low; (e) t...
The Neuropsychotherapist, 2015
The stimulation of acupuncture points (acupoints) by tapping on them-used in conjunction with mor... more The stimulation of acupuncture points (acupoints) by tapping on them-used in conjunction with more conventional psychological interventions-has been shown to be effective in the treatment of a spectrum of psychological disorders (Benor, 2014). Known as "energy psychology" (Gallo, 1998), a variety of protocols have been developed, with Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT; Craig, 2010) and Thought Field Therapy (TFT; Callahan & Callahan, 1996) being the best known and most widely practiced. Outcome investigations suggest that including the somatic elements of the approach can resolve a range of clinical symptoms with greater speed, power, and precision than psychological interventions alone (see reviews in Church
Energy Psychology Journal, 2013
Frontiers in Psychology
Energy psychology, as most widely practiced, integrates the manual stimulation of acupuncture poi... more Energy psychology, as most widely practiced, integrates the manual stimulation of acupuncture points with imaginal exposure, cognitive restructuring, and other evidence-based psychotherapeutic procedures. Efficacy for energy psychology protocols has been established in more than 120 clinical trials, with meta-analyses showing strong effect sizes for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The approach has been applied in the wake of natural and human-made disasters in more than 30 countries. Four tiers of energy psychology interventions following the establishment of safety, trust, and rapport are described, including (1) immediate relief/stabilization, (2) reducing limbic arousal to trauma-based triggers, (3) overcoming complex psychological difficulties, and (4) promoting optimal functioning. The first tier is most pertinent in psychological first aid immediately following a disaster, with the subsequent tiers progressively being introduced over time with complex stress reactions and chron...
EXPLORE, 2018
The most well-known forms of "energy psychology" combine cognitive and exposure techniques with t... more The most well-known forms of "energy psychology" combine cognitive and exposure techniques with the stimulation of selected acupuncture points (acupoints) by tapping on them. Most clinicians who learn and utilize an acupoint tapping protocol integrate the approach within their existing clinical framework rather than using it as a stand-alone therapy. The method has been highly controversial, with its efficacy, purported speed, and explanatory models all questioned. Nonetheless, its utilization within clinical settings and as a self-help method has continued to expand since it was introduced more than three decades ago. This paper reviews the most salient criticisms of the method and presents research and empirically based theoretical constructs that address them. More than 100 peer-reviewed outcome studies-51 of which are randomized controlled trials-provide an evidential base for evaluating the claims and criticisms surrounding the approach. This review concludes that a growing body of evidence indicates that acupointbased energy psychology protocols are rapid and effective in producing beneficial outcomes in the treatment of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and possibly other conditions. Mechanisms by which acupoint tapping might bring about these treatment outcomes are also proposed.
The online version of this article can be found at:
Advances in mind-body medicine, 2021
A database of peer-reviewed journal articles exploring the emerging sub-specialty known as "... more A database of peer-reviewed journal articles exploring the emerging sub-specialty known as "energy psychology" was assessed. This paper focuses on the 245 clinical trials, meta-analyses, systematic evaluations, and theory pieces examining energy psychology protocols that include tapping on acupuncture points (acupoints), the most frequently used and investigated intervention in energy psychology. The review derives 6 premises about the method's efficacy, speed, durability, and physiologic effects that have enough empirical support (at least 6 clinical trials each) to serve in delineating and making claims about the approach. These include that acupoint tapping protocols (a) are effective in treating a range of clinical conditions, (b) are rapid compared to conventional treatments, (c) lead to durable benefits, (d) produce changes in biologic markers that corroborate the subjective assessments of clients, (e) are a critical ingredient for the demonstrated clinical effec...
“Acupoint tapping” protocols have been shown to be effective with a range of psychological and ph... more “Acupoint tapping” protocols have been shown to be effective with a range of psychological and physical conditions. Along with these clinical improvements, desirable changes in biological markers such as stress chemicals and gene expression have also been confirmed. The stimulation of acupuncture points has been shown to be a necessary ingredient in this demonstrated effectiveness of “acupoint tapping” protocols, beyond exposure, expectation, a healing relationship, and other placebo or non-specific factors.
Energy psychology applies principles and techniques for working with the body's physical ener... more Energy psychology applies principles and techniques for working with the body's physical energies to facilitate desired changes in emotions, thought, and behavior. "Energy psychology" has been used interchangeably with "energy-based psychotherapy," or simply "energy therapy," and it is also an umbrella term for numerous specific formulations, such as Thought Field Therapy, Emotional Freedom Techniques, Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Methods, and more than two dozen others (see www.EnergyPsychologyIntro.com for an introduction to this area). Early empirical studies within energy psychology have been able to build upon a substantial body of research on acupuncture that have appeared in more than a dozen major peer- reviewed Western scientific journals that are devoted largely or solely to acupuncture, such as the American Journal of Acupuncture, Acupuncture in Medicine, and the International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture. Within this context, the m...
Energy Psychology Journal, 2014
Energy Psychology Journal, 2012
An obstacle to professional acceptance of the growing body of research supporting the efficacy of... more An obstacle to professional acceptance of the growing body of research supporting the efficacy of energy psychology is the vague use of the term energy in the fi eld's name and explanatory frameworks. This article explores whether the concept of "energy" is necessary to fully account for the observed clinical outcomes that follow "energy psychology" treatments. Evidence is presented that shifting 3 types of energy-electromagnetic signals, brain waves, and energy fi elds-gives energy psychology protocols their advantage in quickly changing longstanding patterns in the brain. Electromagnetic signals that reduce threat arousal in the amygdala follow the stimulation of selected acupuncture points (acupoints). Acupoint stimulation also produces delta waves that are believed to depotentiate neural pathways that maintain maladaptive fear. Meanwhile, energy fi elds that organize neural activity provide a possible solution to a quandary in neuroscience. Conventional neurological models cannot explain how the diverse brain activities that are involved in information processing are coordinated. Just as electromagnetic fi elds have been shown to organize cellular activity in wound healing, energy fi elds are believed to organize neurological processes. The rapid resolution of intrusive, unprocessed memories seen in energy psychology treatments is attributed, in part, to the way acupoint stimulation is able to directly impact these "organizing fi elds." A working model that attempts to explain energy psychology treatment outcomes contains 3 premises about electromagnetic and more "subtle" energies in psychotherapy: (a) energy is an omnipresent dimension of body and mind that can be infl uenced to impact each in desired ways, (b) energy carries information, and (c) clinical interventions can draw upon the ways energy fi elds, through resonance, infl uence other energy fi elds as well as neural activity.
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Papers by David Feinstein