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Acupressure-Based Technique Is Highly Effective at Treating Anxiety

A quick and simple non-drug treatment is highly effective for anxiety, according to a comprehensive study. The study was published in the oldest peer-reviewed psychiatry journal in North America, and examined 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of a behavioral method called EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques. Described by Examiner.com as: “one of the most successful […]

Acupressure Boosts Effects of Psychotherapy in New Research

A new study shows that acupressure, one of several components in a stress-treatment approach known as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), is key to the method’s efficacy. The study,1 authored by psychologists Rachel Rogers and Sharon Sears of Fort Lewis College, was published in the November 2015 issue of the Energy Psychology journal and confirms similar […]

Depression Creates Communication Barriers in Relationships

Depression creates barriers to communication and commitment in couples, according to a study in the journal Communication Monographs (Knobloch, Sharabi, Delaney, & Suranne, 2015). Depression is linked to social withdrawal, which can be problematic in a relationship as it limits communication and commitment. Avoidance may in fact be due to a wish to preserve a […]

Marital Problems Can Seriously Compromise Your Health

Concerns over marital problems can increase stress during the work day, leading to an increased risk of heart disease and strokes, according to research published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Researchers from University College and Brandeis University in London found that domestic problems can carry over into the workplace, potentially resulting in serious health […]

Placebo Effect is Affecting the Development of New Drugs

The placebo effect is a proven medical phenomenon and even an adjunct to the actions of conventional treatments, but it is now affecting the development of new drugs, particularly amongst Americans. While placebos are inert substances that produce no medical effect on the body, the “placebo effect” refers to the phenomenon of patients feeling better […]

Spirituality Produces Marital Satisfaction and Happier Children

Religion and spirituality can strengthen marriages and families. Many such results are found in a series of studies published by the American Psychological Association in two special editions of its journals. A higher degree of commitment was found in romantic partners who prayed for their significant others. Couples with a strong sense of spiritual intimacy […]

The Dark Side of Neural Plasticity

The Dark Side of Neural Plasticity Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are the “signature wounds” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are invisible. Warriors who have had limbs blown off or sustained other bodily injuries (over 40,000 U.S. military personnel have been injured in these wars to date) are […]

American Psychological Association Standards and EFT

EFT has benefited from a sustained research program over the past decade. One of our goals has been to meet the standards for “empirically validated treatments” published by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division 12 Task Force, as well as the “evidence-based practice” standards of the US Government’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices […]

NIMH Dumps DSM Diagnosis

In a dramatic announcement, Thomas Insel, the director of the US government agency that provides grants for the study of mental illness, the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), has rejected the “bible” of psychiatric diagnosis, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). The DSM has been used for decades to define psychological conditions such as […]

EFT Improves Sport Confidence

A study recently published in a large peer-reviewed sports journal showed that EFT improves confidence levels in athletes. Researcher Darlene Downs gathered data from 10 female volleyball players at a university, and Dr. Dawson Church wrote up the results for publication. They analyzed the athletes’ levels of PTSD, as it manifested both physically and emotionally. […]