Thought Field Therapy clinical applications: Utilization in an HMO in behavioral medicine and behavioral health services

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a self-administered treatment developed by p sychologist Roger Callahan. TFT uses energy meridian treatment points and b ilateral optical-cortical stimulation while focusing on the targeted sympto ms or problem being addressed. The clinical applications of TFT summarized included anxiety, adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression, anxiety due to medical condition, anger, acute stress, bereavement, chronic pain, c ravings, depression, fatigue, nausea, neurodermatitis, obsessive traits, pa nic disorder without agoraphobia, parent-child stress, phobia, posttraumati c stress disorder, relationship stress, trichotillomania, tremor, and work stress, This uncontrolled study reports on changes in self-reported Subject ive Units of Distress (SUD; Wolpe, 1969) in 1,594 applications of TFT treat ing 714 patients. Paired t-tests of pre- and posttreatment SUD were statist ically significant in 31 categories reviewed. These within session decrease s of SUID are preliminary data that call for controlled studies to examine validity, reliability, and maintenance of effects over time. Illustrative c ase and heart rate variability data are presented. (C) 2001 John Wiley & So ns, Inc.