What is Thought Field Therapy (TFT)?

Thought Field Therapy is a therapeutic technique that utilizes acupressure points on the body to treat psychological problems. The method was developed by psychologist, Dr. Roger Callahan.

How does TFT work?

Thought Field Therapy is essentially an exposure technique. The client must think about the problem, in a safe and caring environment, while tapping acu-points eliciting the relaxation response. When the treatment is effective, the negative feeling, emotion, or memory appears to collapse its negative coding, allowing it to be replaced or paired with a neutral emotional response. The memory is not gone but the charge to the memory or problem is gone.

How long does TFT Treatment Last?

Because most clients are understandably skeptical that tapping on acu-points will be of any help, neither the placebo effect nor positive thinking seem to play a part in the results achieved in TFT. Results in TFT are nearly immediate, and appear to be permanent in many cases. Most TFT therapists have witnessed the long standing results of TFT.

Is there research using Thought Field Therapy?

In 2006 and 2007, a pilot study was conducted in Rwanda with orphaned survivors of the 1994 genocide. The results showed dramatic improvements in symptoms of trauma, as measured by the Child Report of Posttraumatic Symptoms Inventory before and after treatment. A two-year follow-up indicated that these improvements were sustained over time.

Additionally, a systematic literature review and meta-analysis conducted by Brown et al. examined interventions used in response to natural and manmade disasters. The findings revealed that Thought Field Therapy (TFT) demonstrated the highest effect size—greater than those observed for EMDR, CBT, Mindfulness, and other approaches—even after just one treatment session.

How is TFT different from Accupuncture?

Although TFT is a form of acupressure, they are different in that TFT operates directly on the thought field or informational field (the negative or positive emotions and the accompanying sensations of a specific thought), while acupuncture is used for physical problems.