Dr Wayne W. Dyer and Tapping

[SusanB-M1]

Morse code tapping? Dance tapping? Tird tapping? Scotch tapping? Dap tapping? what is this tapping you speak of so blithely?

Well, as soon as I heard the title, I thought it sounded interesting!!

 

[Snorkio]

I never understood how Dr Wayne W. Dyer seemed to get non-stop airtime on my local PBS station at least until recently. Hopefully Dyer at least paid them for the air time.

 

[fuelair]

Oh yeah. Tapping and EFT`s.
.
How come nobody here explained in their own words what it is?
.
WhatEVER it is, does this put Dyer into the class of charlatans and promoters of woo?
And if he believes and promotes say 3.8 rated nonsense, then has he always been some fringe doctor in his field?
PBS features him. You`d think PBS would drop him if this is something bogus(whatever it is).

PBS has promoted a number of frauds like Dyer - especially during pledge drive weeks - for reasons that have resulted in me calling during pledge drives when this happened to let them know I would not be pledging this time due to their promoting known frauds/false cures .

 

[DarthFishy]

Oh wow, I actually had a run-in with this as a teen.

My parents signed me up for some kind of left/right brain test. Not surprisingly I did incredibly well on the test, but I needed to go to some workshops to really unleash my potential (for a substantial fee of course).

Some of the stuff we did was pretty standard creativity techniques, other stuff involved "crossing hemispheres", i.e. doing actions that moved your hands and feet to their opposite side, and I'm pretty sure there was touching or tapping yourself at specific points on the body involved.

Just remembered this stuff.

I'm relatively successful and happy in my life currently so obviously these techniques were responsible!

 

[pakeha]

PBS has promoted a number of frauds like Dyer - especially during pledge drive weeks - for reasons that have resulted in me calling during pledge drives when this happened to let them know I would not be pledging this time due to their promoting known frauds/false cures .

Well done, fuelair!

 

[shandyjan]

Ugh. I had a run-in with that back in the 90s, when my son's counseler wanted to treat his autistic spectrum disorder with tapping/bodytalk. When I refused it, she called CPS to accuse me of neglecting his health. It just got worse from there.

Horrible! And it seems as though these things don't go away completely, and the time is ripe for people looking for alternatives, and becoming anti science, or anti medicine. Your example shows why its important they don't take a hold over good sense.
eta, yes fuelair, well done!

 

[Iamme]

Comments ^^ acknowledged. (smh....at HIM)
Just reading some of the names of the procedures, techniques, or whatever you call them, sound like made up gibberish, that sound like bigtime terminologies to make them sound scientific. He might be a kook.

 

[xjx388]

That stuff about recording the emotional intensity, then tapping and repeating an affirmation, sounds like some kind of variation on Dianetic Auditing.

I think simply talking about the emotional problem, along with the sympathetic ear of the practitioner and support that goes along with that is therapeutic enough and the tapping thing is just some new age woo to justify charging big bucks.

 

[godless dave]

Oh that's why I was so confused by that tapping technic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapping

My initial response was that it is a cool technique but after Eddie Van Halen played "Eruption" it became trendy and thus over-used.

 

[luchog]

Horrible! And it seems as though these things don't go away completely, and the time is ripe for people looking for alternatives, and becoming anti science, or anti medicine. Your example shows why its important they don't take a hold over good sense.
eta, yes fuelair, well done!

Yeah, deadrose's experience with this crap is a good example of the harm that can be done when official government organizations condone and support this kind of pseudoscience quackery. One of the higher-ups in the local CPS office was a big believer in this EFT/Bodytalk nonsense, which is why it blew up into a big ********* for her. Unfortunately, that sort of thing is not that uncommon in this state. There's a massive support for woo medicine here, including among the various levels of government (we also have one of the largest woo-medicine schools in the world, Bastyr University, headquartered near the city). We even have laws requiring medical insurance providers offer support for chiropractic and naturopathic medicine (among others) in order to do business in this state.

 

[Altus]

Ugh. I had a run-in with that back in the 90s, when my son's counseler wanted to treat his autistic spectrum disorder with tapping/bodytalk. When I refused it, she called CPS to accuse me of neglecting his health. It just got worse from there.

That's incredible and sad. I was just reading the other day that the APA approved "tapping" for CEUs (continuing education units) http://www.stuffbusters.co.za/artic...american-psychological-association-standards/

These CEU courses are often taught at yoga and health centers that also host psychics. I really, really want to believe the profession of mental health is based on science, but the more I read about the behavior of its licensed professionals, the more disillusioned I become.

 

[icerat]

Here's the paper that the "scientific evidence" claim is based on -

ACUPOINT STIMULATION IN TREATING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS: EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY

It includes coverage of 18 randomized clinical trials which seem to support the therapy, though it notes replication that addresses potential experimenter bias is needed.

An interesting read, might be something there. The paper references some other papers that have found some support for acupressure points too, which will raise red flags for many here, but worth a read.

 

[Biscuit]

So what does Tapping work on? Well that list is extremely long but here are some of the things that it's been shown to help with: attracting more money into your life,...snip

Uh huh. Yes because wealth is drawn to you like iron fillings to a magnet. If the people attending this 10 day event spent those 10 days and all that energy developing new skills they will have better luck attracting money.

 

[Altus]

Here's the paper that the "scientific evidence" claim is based on -

ACUPOINT STIMULATION IN TREATING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS: EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY

It includes coverage of 18 randomized clinical trials which seem to support the therapy, though it notes replication that addresses potential experimenter bias is needed.

An interesting read, might be something there. The paper references some other papers that have found some support for acupressure points too, which will raise red flags for many here, but worth a read.

This caught my eye:

Quality of the Randomized Controlled Trials

The existing literature represents a relatively early stage in efforts to establish the
efficacy of energy psychology protocols. Many of the investigations described in this review
were conceived as pilot studies and were conducted by proponents of the method being studied.
Most had minimal budgets, with only a handful of the 51 reports (e.g., Baker & Siegel, 2010;
Brattberg, 2008; Karatzias et al., 2011, Wells et al., 2003) having been based on work that was
funded by a major institution.

 

[icerat]

This caught my eye:

yup, hence the need to address experimenter bias in the trial design

 

[Joey McGee]

Feb '13 study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23364126#

It's referred to as "brief exposure therapy combining cognitive and somatic elements"

Exposure therapy and cognitive therapy are well-regarded for PTSD. Distraction in the application of exposure therapy can be helpful as long as it isn't overwhelmingly distracting, which tapping surely isn't. There's nothing special about the acupuncture points, or the effect of tapping

 

[Altus]

Feb '13 study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23364126#

It's referred to as "brief exposure therapy combining cognitive and somatic elements"

Exposure therapy and cognitive therapy are well-regarded for PTSD. Distraction in the application of exposure therapy can be helpful as long as it isn't overwhelmingly distracting, which tapping surely isn't. There's nothing special about the acupuncture points, or the effect of tapping

What qualifies as "trauma" these days in psychotherapy? Seems a very broad spectrum to "tap." PTSD used to be confined to war veterans, as in the study, now "trauma" can be caused by, well, just being alive! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/opinion/sunday/the-trauma-of-being-alive.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

If these therapies are used in conjunction with psychotherapy, which is a narrative-based therapy, can normal life events be re-contextualized as "traumatic," requiring even more "tapping?"

Abstract
The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rests on several core assumptions, particularly the premise that a distinct class of traumatic events is linked to a distinct clinical syndrome. This core assumption of specific etiology ostensibly distinguishes the PTSD diagnosis from virtually all other psychiatric disorders. Additional attempts to distinguish PTSD from extant conditions have included searches for distinctive markers (e.g., biological and laboratory findings) and hypothesized underlying mechanisms (e.g., fragmentation of traumatic memory). We review the literature on PTSD's core assumptions and various attempts to validate the construct within a nomological network of distinctive correlates. We find that virtually all core assumptions and hypothesized mechanisms lack compelling or consistent empirical support. We consider the implications of these findings for conceptualizing PTSD in the forthcoming edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735807002048

 

[SnowCat]

I found out about EFT in 2005 I think when I went to see a hypnotherapist. I suffer from OCD and was trying out alternative therapies as well as standard therapies.

I found that EFT seem to work on negative emotions attached to memories about the past but it didn't work on my OCD or my OCD fears.

I haven't gone in to great detail about my OCD fear so I hope this makes sense. When I was suffering with a really bad OCD fear about noticing certain sensations in my body, I started talking to an EFT practitioner online who offered to do EFT for free, which was really nice of him and for about 6 months he did EFT with me over the internet and gradually I got better but the fear about noticing sensations in my body was still there, I had just learned to trust my body not to feel those sensation but if I did feel that sensation I would be terrified but luckily I didn't feel those sensation so I could still relax a bit.

I've tapped on that OCD fear about noticing certain sensations in my body and the fear has not reduced at all. It's also not worked on all of my negative memories but as I have said EFT has worked on some negative emotions about the past. I recently tapped with help from a friend about some bad childhood memories and I don't feel angry or upset by them any more. So I wonder what's happened there? Is it a placebo effect?

 

[Joey McGee]

I found out about EFT in 2005 I think when I went to see a hypnotherapist. I suffer from OCD and was trying out alternative therapies as well as standard therapies.

I found that EFT seem to work on negative emotions attached to memories about the past but it didn't work on my OCD or my OCD fears.

I haven't gone in to great detail about my OCD fear so I hope this makes sense. When I was suffering with a really bad OCD fear about noticing certain sensations in my body, I started talking to an EFT practitioner online who offered to do EFT for free, which was really nice of him and for about 6 months he did EFT with me over the internet and gradually I got better but the fear about noticing sensations in my body was still there, I had just learned to trust my body not to feel those sensation but if I did feel that sensation I would be terrified but luckily I didn't feel those sensation so I could still relax a bit.

I've tapped on that OCD fear about noticing certain sensations in my body and the fear has not reduced at all. It's also not worked on all of my negative memories but as I have said EFT has worked on some negative emotions about the past. I recently tapped with help from a friend about some bad childhood memories and I don't feel angry or upset by them any more. So I wonder what's happened there? Is it a placebo effect?

It's not the placebo effect really, it's just that the tapping action and the points aren't what is causing the effect. Exposure therapy works because you're bringing up the memories and revisiting them in a safe environment and the brain begins to turn off the alarms and negative emotions because it has learned these things are no longer a threat in current reality. A little bit of distraction during the exposure can help the process not become overwhelming. If you read into exposure therapy, I think you will understand why this worked for you. Exposure therapy is scientifically validated.

The kind of therapy that would be appropriate for your OCD would be cognitive behavior therapy, basically modifying your thoughts to change how your body is reacting. That's a good topic for research. I have little doubt that it will help you in at least some ways, as it can help everyone. A book called "mind over mood" comes to mind.

A fully qualified therapist in these modalities would be the most appropriate.

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/heal...r_information_guide/Pages/ocd_treatments.aspx

 

[SnowCat]

It's not the placebo effect really, it's just that the tapping action and the points aren't what is causing the effect. Exposure therapy works because you're bringing up the memories and revisiting them in a safe environment and the brain begins to turn off the alarms and negative emotions because it has learned these things are no longer a threat in current reality. A little bit of distraction during the exposure can help the process not become overwhelming. If you read into exposure therapy, I think you will understand why this worked for you. Exposure therapy is scientifically validated.

That's very interesting to know and makes sense.

The kind of therapy that would be appropriate for your OCD would be cognitive behavior therapy, basically modifying your thoughts to change how your body is reacting. That's a good topic for research. I have little doubt that it will help you in at least some ways, as it can help everyone. A book called "mind over mood" comes to mind.

A fully qualified therapist in these modalities would be the most appropriate.

Over the years I think I've had 3 or 4 courses of CBT. Most of the therapist I saw that did CBT weren't very good so it didn't completely work for me but I did have one really good therapist who did CBT. She really helped me lot and really reduced the OCD. She challenged my OCD which made me change my thinking. Unfortunately I was only allowed a set number of sessions with her and she also moved away so they gave me a new therapist. The therapist was nice but I didn't find her helpful. For a few years after that my OCD wasn't so bad but it crept back and I started seeing a new CBT therapist again I didn't find her helpful. Then I had a relapse and my OCD got very bad so the psychologist there saw me but I didn't find him helpful either. I'm now being referred to a specialise OCD place. CBT really does work on OCD but you need a good therapist who knows how to use CBT.