EFT for PTSD

Gary Craig
Energy Psychology Press (2009)
ISBN 9781604150407
Reviewed by Victor R. Volkman for Reader Views (2/09)
 

I was first exposed to the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) protocol in 1994 when I heard a presentation from Joyce Carbonell, PhD, one of the two lead researchers in Dr. Charles Figley’s landmark “Active Ingredient” study of EFT, Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), EMDR, and Visual/Kinesthetic Dissociation (V/KD).  Although the study was meant to discover what these disparate therapies had in common, its most immediate effect was to usher in the era of Energy Psychology.  Little did I know that the very same year Gary Craig’s team began their first highly documented foray into PTSD treatment in an equally unique six-day intensive residential treatment program at the VA hospital in Los Angeles.  This VA study, extensively videotaped and documented, is a cornerstone of “EFT For PTSD”.  So when I discovered this new book written by EFT’s founder, I naturally leapt at the chance to review it.

It is now 15 years since EFT exploded into the alternative therapy regime and perhaps I live in a bubble but many of my friends and relatives have tried it. EFT works so quickly and unexpectedly that it almost always throws you off balance the first time for its eerie immediate action.  Unfortunately, we’re no closer to a thorough explanation of EFT’s active ingredient.  It is most often compared to its nearest conceptual cousin by bearing out the principles of acupressure releasing of trapped energy in meridians.  There is no doubt that EFT “interrupts” habitual and compulsive thinking, the raw destructive power of which has been well-documented in Daniel G. Amen, MD’s “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.” Nevertheless, readers hoping to find a complete, testable theory of EFT should look elsewhere.  The emphasis of Craig’s work has always been to expose the greatest number of people to EFT through videos, workshops, books, websites, and any other means to spread the technique as far and wide as possible. It’s in that light that it is best to consider “EFT for PTSD.”

The work is very notable for its use of layman’s language throughout; I do appreciate the extra care that was taken to make the basic ideas behind post-traumatic stress understandable to servicemen and women and their families.  “EFT For PTSD” is a rich mix of background info, case studies, expert testimonial, and step-by-step instructions. Indeed perhaps “Edited by Gary Craig” would be a more apt credit as the work contains the work of no less than 17 essays by a dozen contributors including MDs, veterans, and expert EFT practitioners. The narrative is carefully weaved though it’s easy to forget whose essay you’re in the middle of when they are written in the first person.

EFT is literally such a simple process that I have seen it encapsulated on a fold-out business card and the rote steps can easily be taught in under an hour.  It differs from many techniques in that you “do” it entirely on yourself though it is extremely helpful to have a practitioner guide you through your first dozen or so runs.  EFT does require a bit of personal focus and thus having someone prompt you through the steps really helps this until you get the hang of it. The paradox is how quickly symptoms can disappear, whether it’s back pain or nagging guilt or shame, however in complex cases it is necessarily to carry on daily maintenance of the practice.  Indeed, a commitment to learning and practicing on your own is perhaps the unwritten rule of success for PTSD.  However, motivation is not hard to come by once the client has their first few successes. Many have tried a half dozen or more treatments, drugs, therapies and so on with no luck at all before they finally stumble on EFT.  After a 15-hour course of EFT over the span of a week or so, dramatic results ensue. Craig concedes that there is a degree of falloff as time goes by, and post-tests indicate this. The permanence of gains therefore may hinge on the clients willingness to engage in EFT as the long-term coping solution.

The book does provide the complete steps of EFT, albeit with more complexity than needed owing to the listing of variations of tapping locations, affirmations, sequences, and tweaks to the basic recipe.  This might be the hardest part for someone using the book without a practitioner handy. You could end up wondering exactly which was the right way to go, regardless of the general assertion that there’s no “wrong” way to do a tapping technique.  For those willing to experiment, there is a wealth of ways in here to access the trauma.  I personally found the storytelling technique to be the most intriguing as it is a twist on the classic technique of Exposure Therapy wherein a person relives the traumatic event in a safe environment to eliminate the charge, sort of the reverse of Pavlov’s dog.  In this case the person recounts the story until stress appears and then halts the process until a tapping sequence returns them to normal.

“EFT for PTSD” by Gary Craig is the seminal work on the applications of EFT in cases of military and civilian post-traumatic stress disorder treatment.  I encourage anyone interested in the possible uses of EFT in this regime to check it out