Heal Traumatic Stress NOW
Complete Recovery With Thought Field Therapy
When it comes to the subject of physical healing I have to admit that I have some real reservations about alternative medicine. While some may indeed have healing properties it is an arena laden with snake oil and quackery. That said, I will also say that even though the medicine has come a long way in a short period of time, the idea of applying leeches to a patient today sounds ridiculous, yet not so many decades ago it was the norm. However even with all of the great strides being made, there is so much that we still do not understand.
No better example of lack of understanding is in the area of mental health. New ideas and drugs come and go, yet in reality our knowledge is sadly lacking. One thing is clear, the human mind is a wondrously complex place. In sheer processing power it is better than the very best supercomputer. As I sit here writing this review I am also aware that my wife is typing a review on her computer while watching a TV program. I can see kids playing outside. Part of my brain is quietly mulling over a book project I am working on. Yes our brain is a complex place.
Sometimes though things can go wrong, without doubt we live in a stressful environment, and stress can effect us adversely. The human has always lived in a stressful world, millennia ago it was the stress concerned with just staying alive, finding food, avoiding danger. Todays world has different stress types, but they are equally debilitating.
In No Open Wounds Dr. Robert Bray explores some techniques that can be used to resolve traumatic stress. His methods do not involve drugs, are non invasive, and can be practiced at home. The author discusses two techniques NOW (No Open Wounds) and TFT (Thought Field Therapy), they are complimentary, in fact a perfect marriage.
The therapy Dr. Bray endorses has its roots in some ancient Chinese techniques not unlike acupuncture. But rather than insert needles into ‘power points’ in the body, this involves tapping your finger on specific locations.
Does it work? Well the simple answer is I do not know. The book does include a number of testimonials, but I am always leery. Could it be a placebo effect? I mentioned earlier that the mind is a complex place, and sometimes just believing in something strongly enough can effect change. There are enough clinical studies out there that clearly show that placebo’s do have an effect in a proportion of patients, both in physical and mental illnesses.
I think that I will remain firmly seated on the fence on this therapy, but certainly I can see no harm in the techniques suggested by Dr. Bray, and if it works for a proportion of people I support it wholeheartedly. If traumatic stress, or even phobias are your problem, give it a try, it can’t hurt.
You can order your copy of No Open Wounds from Amazon. Dr. Bray also has a web site.
Simon Barrett
(4 votes, average: 3.25 out of 5)
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8 users commented in " Book Review: No Open Wounds by Robert L. Bray Ph.D, LCSW, CTS, TFT-Adv "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI believe the reviewer of “No Open Wounds” is trying to be fair in keeping an open mind about the effectiveness of Thought Field Therapy. I believe that is a legitimate approach to something like this. Moving off of “the fence” is just a matter of using the technique. It either works or it doesn’t. I have used “TFT” with returning troops from war zones and have watched them alleviate their phobia of “IED’s” (Improvised Explosive Devices) allowing them to calmly drive down the street of their hometown without panic at the objects on the curb. I have also witnessed a marked reduction in the need for anxiety and depression medication after using TFT. Does it cure everything? Of course not. But it does calm most people down so they can sleep well, interact with others well, focus well, and overcome negative emotions quickly and completely. I heartily recommend Dr. Bray’s book.
Herb Ayers, MA Licensed Mental Health Counselor
TFT Dx
I have just finished reading Dr. Bray’s new book, “No Open Wounds, Heal Traumatic Stress NOW”. Finsihed it in one sitting, matter of fact. My wife, Dr. Dariah Morgan and I, teach Thought Field Therapy workshops and while we have not done the extensive work with trauma victims attributable to Dr. Bray, we have indeed seen miraculous relief in many traumatic situations. Thought Field Therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free treatment that either works or it doesn’t. In 30 years, there has been no known harm done using its tapping algorithms. Dr. Roger Callashan, its discoverer and developer, works to this day refining and improving its efficacy. Dr. Bray represents himself and Dr. Callahan well in his book and offers all of us simple and easy-to-understand relief from our terrors for the pittance of $20!
Bruce Paton, PhD
TFTdx, TFT Adv
I think that the reviewer is taking a reasonable position, remaining open to actual evidence yet not simply believing that it works based on anecdotes and testimonials. I have to disagree with TFT proponent Herb Ayers that it is just “a matter of using the technique”. “It works” is a loaded phrase. What is working? As the reviewer wisely pointed out, we cannot know from testimonials from people who deliver TFT whether the positive results are do to placebo or factors that could be involved other than anything specific to TFT. The only way to know that is through carefully designed controlled studies, not just to a “no treatment group”, but studies that tap on sham points or tap in sequences other than those prescribed by Callahan. A controlled study I published in a peer reviewed journal on Callahan’s TFT Voice Technology showed that his claims of a precise technology were not supported. It seems that the extraordinary claims being made about TFT are not supported by evidence and the burden of proof is on the claimants. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Monica is a former scientologist on a mission - AND they trained her well.
Very surprising a University of Florida PHd would be so busy attacking alternative healing.
Monica has gone from a proponent of TFT to an obsessed attacker. It looks like she has set up a lot of blogs with the sole purpose to attack the alternative healing arena.
I found this on a search:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/85011059/abstract
No Open Wounds by Dr. Robert Bray is a great book, and I am for anything that helps our returning troops.
Since Jennifer chose to bring up the infamous non peer reviewed issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology on TFT, to set the record straight, here are links to some of the critical reviews that accompanied these non-peer reviewed articles:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/85011061/abstract
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/85011055/abstract
Here’s the abstract for psychologist John Kline’s commentary on Callahan:
“Callahan (2001) has offered a series of case reports in an effort to validate the rationale and methods of Thought Field Therapy (TFT). These case reports employ subjective ratings, that is, the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) rating scale as well as a gross measure of heart rate variability (HRV). My criticisms center around (a) inappropriately strong inferences given exclusive reliance on case reports, a potentially biased sample, and lack of appropriate controls; (b) misinterpretation of statistical artifact as systematic effect; (c) lack of systematic evaluation of HRV changes; and (d) erroneous interpretation of HRV. Callahan’s article provides no evidence for the efficacy of TFT nor does it provide evidence for the credibility of TFT’s rationale. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 57: 1187-1192, 2001.”
This is just one of five highly negative critiques which, by the way Jennifer, were by psychologists who never had any association with Scientology and yet strongly criticize TFT for the same reasons I do.
As for Jennifer’s claim that TFT helps returning troops, there is no evidence other than anecdotes that this is the case.
My initial response to Jennifer appears not to have gone through, thus I am giving the URL that shows that I retracted the article she linked to that I authored. See:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/109751024/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Moreover, my association with Scientology, a group I joined as a 17 year old, was 33 years ago and is ancient history and I have been an outspoken critic of the group for years. If that sort of ad hominem is the only way she has to respond to my criticism of TFT, that speaks for itself.
Dr. Bray’s book took the leap of thinking
” out of the box ” and is to be admired for at least thinking about the needs of patients in distress. I must strongly disagree with Monica Pignotti ( reviewer ), as he perception and history of being objective is tainted by her years in a Scientology Cult. Her knowledge of TFT and other forms of interventions are in question, as she is NOT a professional who evaluates or treats patients. He information suggests she is a social worker with huge biases and a problematic history of her own, so she cannot be seen as a professional reviewer. One must have qualifications as a Clinician, Educator at the higher level, and involved in assessment and treatment of the complex patient. The reviewer seems to still be involved in other cultish activities, given her affiliations and opinions in various forums. Having been a professor for over 30 years, one can tell an ill informed reviewer who has personal agendas and old baggage which colors an objective book review. We should be thankful for Bray’s open opinions which Ms Pignotti wants to suppress.
You obviously know nothing about me, Robert Arbuckle or whoever you actually are.
First, learn to read. I was not “the reviewer” of this piece. The reviewer was Simon Barrett. Would you like to also call him a Scientology cultist for daring to criticize TFT? I simply left a comment. Second, I left and completely repudiated Scientology in 1976. It was not until over 20 years later, in 1997, that I got involved in TFT as a mental health professional and yes, as a clinician and, in fact for seven years was regarded by Roger Callahan as one of the top, most highly trained practitioners and trainers and I treated hundreds of clients.
To bring up something I was involved with in my teens is a cheap shot that does not address my current criticisms of TFT. Your personal attacks on me do not in any way address the substance of the issues at hand, which is that TFT has no valid evidence to support its efficacy and there are many scientific psychologists who have never been anywhere near Scientology who completely agree with me on these points. And by the way, the “other cultish activity” I have been accused of being involved with is TFT, the therapy you defend. Currently I am known as a debunker of pseudoscience, which is the real reason people here are so upset with me for daring to criticize their sacred cows. I never suggested “suppressing” Bob Bray’s opinions but rest assured I will continue to criticize his unsupported claims about TFT.
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