Arizona board sanctions psychologist for use of Thought Field Therapy

The Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners recently reprimanded a psychologist for using "Thought Field Therapy" and "Voice Technology" in his psychology practice.

The board placed the psychologist on three years' probation. During that time, according to the board, he may only engage in these practices separately from his psychology practice. In addition, his general practice will be monitored for a year.

Proponents say Thought Field Therapy was originated and its use has been advocated for over a decade by Roger J. Callahan, PhD, of Indian Wells, Calif. The basic practice consists of tapping spots on the body for the treatment of psychological problems. Proponents claim that patients experience complete relief within minutes for disorders including phobias, anxiety and depression.

Voice Technology, according to the Arizona board's report, is another level of Thought Field Therapy in which the practitioner analyzes patients' voices over the phone and determines on which points on the body the patients should tap themselves for treatment.

Last year APA approved the North East Texas Institute of Thought Field Therapy as a continuing education sponsor. Jo Linder-Crow, PhD, director of APA's Continuing Education Office, notes that APA has approved about 600 organizations that offer a broad range of continuing education topics for psychologists, and that approval does not imply endorsement of a particular therapy. There are specific APA requirements for disclosure for workshops that present nontraditional or controversial techniques. Also, APA approves only the provider organizations, not their individual course offerings.

The Arizona board cited the psychologist for purporting to deliver psychological services for a fee that did not constitute psychology by current standards, for making claims without empirical basis that the practice is superior to all other forms of treatment, for not maintaining adequate records, and for refusing to provide relevant data and information to the board.

The board said that the psychologist had regularly billed third-party payers for Thought Field Therapy as a psychotherapy procedure.

Randolph Reaves, JD, Executive Officer of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, said the Arizona sanction is the first he has seen for Thought Field Therapy although he sees the reports of 85 to 95 percent of disciplinary actions against psychologists in the nation.

Wil R. Counts, PhD, chair of the Arizona board, says that numerous psychologists in the state have been trained in the technique. He noted that after the board voted for the sanction, several psychologists asked for clarification on how they could or could not use the technique.

Charles R. Figley, PhD, professor at Florida State University who has done research on Thought Field Therapy, expressed shock that a psychologist would be sanctioned for using it. He calls Thought Field Therapy a version of relaxation response methods that uses some well-known acupuncture points. He believes it can be helpful as an ancillary treatment device. Attitudes about it, he says, are undergoing a paradigm shift so that in two to three years no one will have any objection to it.

--K. Foxhall



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