A BRIEF REVIEW: The common denominator among the various energy psychology approaches—amidst their divergent procedures and theories—is that each attempts to

In this program, you have so far:

If you are new to the field and have worked your way this far in the program, we salute you! The mechanics of reconditioning an energy response can seem quite complex, particularly when you are first learning the techniques.

You may be wondering if there are shortcuts. There are. You also may be wondering why we didn’t start with them. Both questions are addressed in this module.

The field of energy psychology is divided about protocols that might be thought of as "shortcuts" to the methods you have so far learned.

Most practitioners do agree that a key clinical challenge is to identify the proper area of focus, sometimes called the "top priority issue" or the "issue with greatest leverage." Elaborate psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral theories are sometimes employed to determine which problem states will be selected for treatment. This is an area where as many divergent views exist within energy psychology as exist in the psychotherapeutic profession of which it is a part.

Opinions also differ about the mechanics of energy treatment. What are the "necessary and sufficient conditions" for reliably eliminating a dysfunctional energy response to an image, memory, or circumstance? What are the active ingredients for successful treatment?

Some believe it is sufficient to access a problem state while introducing a standardized energy intervention, such as tapping a predetermined set of acupoints or balancing each of the chakras. These practitioners do not attempt to assess which meridians or other energy systems become disturbed when the psychological problem has been engaged, but rather utilize a blanket set of formulas or protocols. A specific set of acupoints, for instance, might be routinely used for treating fear, another for guilt. Roger Callahan began with individualized assessments and subsequently formulated generalizations: protocols or "algorithms" for specific issues. Other practitioners believe it is important to tailor the energy treatment to the individual’s unique energies and response pattern every time, and they use energy diagnostic procedures with each individual.

1. Using the alarm points and energy checks to identify the meridians that become disturbed when a problem state is active;
    

2. Assessing which of several possible treatment points for that meridian will be most effective for correcting the disturbance, using energy checks before the intervention;
    

3. Immediately energy checking whether the intervention was effective; and
    

4. Proceeding until each meridian associated with the problem has been corrected.

Systems that allow for an individualized assessment, with treatments that are based upon  that assessment, would seem more likely to be effective with more people more of the time than the simpler "one size fits all [fears, jealousies, etc.]" formulas. Tailoring a more elaborate treatment and zeroing it directly toward the energies that are disturbed would seem to increase the potency of the intervention.

The proponents of the simpler protocols, however, include respected mental health professionals who claim results that would be considered remarkable by the therapeutic community ("cure rates" of 80 to 95 percent after three and frequently fewer sessions with recalcitrant psychological problems) if subsequent research were to support their claims. A plethora of clinical reports along with early research findings suggest at least some efficacy to these brief, formula-based treatments.

Until more definitive research evidence is available, the issue is necessarily being explored in the laboratory of each practitioner’s office. Many energy-oriented clinicians believe that non-specific factors will provide the rationale for some of the more extraordinary claims, such as exchanges of energy between the therapist and client, the effects of intention, and the reverberation of simple interventions throughout the entire energy body. In any event, an advantage of the simpler protocols, beyond bringing more economy to the therapeutic process, is that the client can be given a simple tool to use if the problematic emotion reappears outside the treatment setting.

This module is an introduction to these more streamlined methods. It will:

Research evidence suggests that the client and therapist affect one another energetically in at least the following ways:

1. Heart activity and brain wave patterns between people in proximity to one another tend to spontaneously synchronize, particularly between healer and client.
    

2. A study of the subtle dynamics within actual clinical settings introduced the term "psychotherapeutic resonance" to describe the synchronization between therapist and client, from tiny movement patterns to striking correspondences in thoughts and emotions.
    

3. The impact of one person’s focused intention (through will, imagery, or prayer) on another person’s physical and psychological states (e.g., blood pressure, felt anxiety, and healing from disease) is well documented.

Many energy-based approaches for the rapid relief of psychological problems, after some basic preliminaries, have the client:

1. Access and lock in ("third eye up" or "leg lock") a problem state.
    

2. Rate the amount of distress it causes (SUD and MUD ratings).
    

3. Correct neurological disorganization before and throughout the treatment sequence.
    

4. Correct psychological reversals before and throughout the treatment sequence.
    

5. Shift the energies related to the problem state using appropriate energy treatments.
    

6. Integrate additional procedures that lower the SUD level (e.g. 9 Gamut, Eye Roll, Connecting Heaven and Earth), anchor in the results when the SUD has reached zero, and bridge the gains into back home situations.

While shortcuts may be possible in each of these areas, this module focuses on Point 5, the treatments that can be used to shift the energies related to the problem state.

After identifying, accessing, and rating the problem state and correcting for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals, and with the problem state brought to mind or "locked in", use one or more of these corrections:

1. Blow Out: Make your hands into fists and put your arms in front of you with your fists facing up. Take a deep inhalation and swing your arms above your head. With the fists facing toward you, bring your arms down swiftly and forcefully to the sides, opening your hands, exhaling and releasing the energy charge. Repeat several times.
    

2. Zip Up: Place hands at your groin and drag them slowly straight up the front of your body on an inhalation, leaving the body at the lower lip and continuing up and over your head. Repeat 3 times.
    

3. Hook In: Place the middle finger of one hand at the third eye and of the other hand at the navel. Press in and pull up. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds.

After identifying, accessing, and rating the problem state and correcting for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals, and with the problem state brought to mind or "locked in":

1. Tap the gamut spot (point below knuckle between ring finger and little finger).
    

2. Place the pads of the fingers at the temples and take a deep breath.
    

3. On the next in-breath, drag the fingers above the ears.
    

4. On the out-breath, drag the fingers back and around the ears and down the side of the neck.
    

5. Repeat 3 times.
    

6. Last time, rest the fingers on the shoulders and let the arms hang for several seconds.
    

7. Tap the spleen points that are about 4 inches beneath the underarms, in line with a man’s nipples or a woman’s bra line.
    

8. Do the third-eye/navel hook-up.

After identifying, accessing, and rating the problem state and correcting for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals, and with the problem state brought to mind or "locked in":

1. Blow Out: Make fists and put arms in front of you with your fists facing up. Take a deep inhalation and bring your arms above your head. With the fists facing toward you, bring your arms down slowly and deliberately as you exhale. Repeat several times.
    

2. Zip Up: Place hands at groin and drag them slowly straight up the front of the body on an inhalation, leaving the body at the lower lip and continuing up and over your head. Repeat 3 times.
    

3. Hook In: Place middle finger of one hand at third eye and of the other hand at navel. Press in and pull up. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds.

While doing the crown pull, breathe deeply, in through the nose and out through the mouth:

Place the thumbs at side of the head on the temples. Curl the fingers and rest the fingertips just above the center of the eyebrows.

Slowly, and with some pressure, pull the fingers apart so the skin just above the eyebrows is stretched.

Rest the fingertips at the center of the forehead and repeat the stretch.

Rest the fingertips at the hairline and repeat the stretch.

Continue this pattern, moving back over the head, down to the neck, and finally resting on the shoulders and dragging the fingers over the shoulders.

After identifying, accessing, and rating the problem state and correcting for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals, and with the problem state brought to mind or "locked in":

1. Place the little finger of each hand at the side of each nostril, extending the fingers out along the cheek bone, and tap rapidly for approximately half a minute.
    

2. Press the thumbs under the center of the eyes on the tip of the orbital bone and rest the fingers lightly on the forehead for about 30 seconds.
    

3. Tap the thymus for about 20 seconds, breathing deeply.
    

4. Tap the spleen points that are about 4 inches beneath the underarms, in line with a man’s nipples or a woman’s bra line.

After identifying, accessing, and rating the problem state and correcting for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals, and with the problem state brought to mind or "locked in":

1. Blow out, zip up, and hook-in.
    

2. Tap the thymus, breathing deeply.
    

3. With the thumb at the temples, place the other fingers on the forehead, holding for several breaths.

After identifying, accessing, and rating the problem state and correcting for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals, and with the problem state brought to mind or "locked in":

1. Do the Third-Eye/Navel Hook-Up.
    

2. Tap the thymus, breathing deeply.
    

3. With the thumb at the temples, place the other fingers on the forehead, holding for several breaths.
    

4. Sitting, cross the arms and, with 3 fingers, tap below the knees, toward the inside, while breathing deeply.

After identifying, accessing, and rating the problem state and correcting for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals, and with the problem state brought to mind or "locked in":

1. Tap one inch under the collarbone near the throat.
    

2. Tap the spleen points that are about 4 inches beneath the underarms, in line with a man’s nipples or a woman’s bra line.
    

3. Place the pads of the fingers at the temples and take a deep breath.

1. On the next in-breath, drag the fingers above the ears.
    
2. On the out-breath, drag the fingers back and around the ears and down the side of the neck.
    
3. Repeat 3 times.
    
4. On the last pass, hang on the shoulders.

4. End with the Third-Eye/Navel Hook-Up.

Based on this, what is the next step . . .

If the SUD level has not decreased (and is still above 2), correct for any neurological disorganization or intervening psychological reversals and then repeat the protocol.

A simple correction for an intervening psychological reversal is to tap the side of the hand ("karate chop" point) or massage the "sore spots" (the neurolymphatic reflex points on the sides of the chest) while saying 3 times "Even though I still have some of this problem, I deeply love and accept myself."

Also remain alert for PRs that are tied to specific criteria. Criteria-related intervening PRs can be addressed with wording such as "Even though it isn’t safe [safe for others, etc.] for me to completely get over this problem, I deeply love and accept myself."

If the SUD level is at 2 or less and has stopped decreasing, lock in the gains with the eye roll or other bridging or anchoring techniques. Do additional treatment point sequences as needed.

With a partner, identify a problematic emotional response in one of the seven areas covered so far in this module (anger, fear, panic, worry, jealousy, guilt, shame). Go through an entire treatment sequence as outlined below, using the corresponding protocol as step 5:

1. After appropriate preliminaries, access and "lock in" a problem state.
    

2. Rate the amount of distress it causes (SUD and MUD ratings).
    

3. Address neurological disorganization.
    

4. Correct psychological reversals before and during the treatment sequence.
    

5. Shift the energies related to the problem state using appropriate energy treatments.
    

6. Introduce additional procedures to lower the SUD level (e.g. 9 Gamut, Blow-Out/Zip-Up/Hook-In, Eye Roll), anchor it in when it has reached zero, and bridge the gains into back home situations.

Protocols can be developed to target any conceivable psychological problem. Shortly after the September 11 attack on the United States, the newsletter EFT News & Innovations  published three interviews with leaders of the field regarding applications of energy psychology with severely traumatized individuals and groups.

In developing your own shortcuts, as all practitioners of energy psychology eventually do, a key can be the Meridian Emotions Table. Numerous books also provide protocols tailored for specific psychological issues. The same caveats apply to these presentations as have been emphasized throughout this program. For some proportion of clients, the generalizations inherent in the protocols will not hold and it will be necessary to assess how the problem manifests itself in their unique energies and to tailor the treatment based on that assessment. However, where the generalizations hold, they can be enormously useful.

Among the most popular of the books that present protocols for specific issues are:

Freedom from Fear Forever by James Durlacher (Mesa, AZ: Van Ness, 1994).

Instant Emotional Healing by Peter Lambrou and George Pratt (New York: Random House, 2000).

Tapping the Healer Within by Roger Callahan (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 2001).

Energy Tapping by Fred P. Gallo and Harry Vincenzi (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 2000).

The practice of energy psychology can sometimes appear to be more like dispensing medication than dispensing psychotherapy. There’s a symptom. There’s an intervention. There’s relief. No insight required.

From that simplistic impression, clinicians new to the field have sometimes raised the concern that by "taking away" the difficult emotional response or shifting the self-destructive habit without much insight, the person is robbed of the life lessons surrounding that emotion or habit. The technique becomes a substitute for living an "examined life." A dependence is created that insulates the person from the meaning of difficult symptoms and emotions. But that is not how it happens. The psyche is too smart and life is too complex.

Symptom-oriented energy psychology treatments do not insure that the client will subsequently be living from values that are viable and life-affirming, relating in as loving a manner as he or she is capable, or establishing greater harmony with the life of the spirit. Those issues are there before and after treatment. But by rewiring emotional or behavioral loops that are patently harmful, you free the person to focus on issues beyond the symptom. Symptom-oriented relief does not erase life’s existential challenges. Nor must energy psychology stop with the relief of symptoms. Energy-oriented methods can be applied to virtually any issue that psychotherapy can address (Jump to module on Energy Interventions and Other Forms of Psychotherapy).

1. The psychological goal is vividly brought to mind.
    

2. Energy check for disturbances in the meridian system.
    

3. Correct the disturbances with the goal "locked in" (testing for neurological disorganization and psychological reversals along the way).
    

4. Bond a new, balanced meridian response to the psychological goal.

A protocol for enhancing peak performance:

You guessed it! With your partner, conduct a session to enhance peak performance in an area that matters to you (from your tennis serve to applying the techniques of energy psychology with a particularly skeptical client). Exchange feedback. Reverse roles.