The Energy of Energy Psychology

Abstract

The vague or controversial use of the term energy in the clinical subdiscipline known as “energy psychology” has been an obstacle to the field’s acceptance. This paper discusses five forms of energy and explores the role of each in energy psychology treatments. While patterns in (a) electrical signaling, (b) brain waves, and (c) electromagnetic fields are presumably shifted in any form of effective psychotherapy, a strength of energy psychology interventions is shown to be in their ability to initiate such effects in a deliberate and targeted manner. This paper examines the roles of these three well-established energy forms in explaining the rapid and durable outcomes seen with a wide range of conditions following energy psychology treatments. A fourth form of energy, “subtle energy,” is by definition too subtle for detection by conventional scientific instruments. These energies have, however, been recognized in at least 97 healing traditions around the world and are considered to be the infrastructure of the body’s physiological processes. Skepticism about subtle energies has, nonetheless, caused many critics to reject an energy psychology approach entirely, ignoring the substantial evidence base supporting it. Even more speculative are quantum influences that occur within energy psychology treatments, yet preliminary evidence for these dynamics, such as healing from a distance, has been accumulating. Although the more speculative mechanisms associated with energy psychology remain controversial, the measurable electromagnetic effects that have been shown to affect psychological states strongly support the use of the term “energy psychology.”

Integrating the manual stimulation of acupuncture points into psychotherapy: A systematic review with clinical recommendations.

“…Further doubts trace to the initial but lasting impressions in the clinical community about a therapy that was receiving popular attention for seemingly far-fetched claims, such as the “five-minute phobia cure” (Callahan, 1985), with no systematic evidence backing the claims. Another source of skepticism has involved confusion about the use of the word “energy” in “energy psychology” (Feinstein, 2022a). Energy psychology is an umbrella term for therapies that combine contemporary psychotherapeutic procedures with techniques, such as acupoint tapping, that purportedly work with the body’s energy systems.…”

The future of psychology: Approaches to enhance therapeutic outcomes

“…Energy psychology is an umbrella term for treatment approaches that incorporate an "energetic" component (Feinstein, 2022b) into the psychotherapeutic process, often adapted from timehonored healing and spiritual systems such as yoga and qi gong (Gallo, 2004). The somatic stimulation of acupoints by tapping on them is the most widely used and wellinvestigated technique within energy psychology.…”

Uses of Energy Psychology Following Catastrophic Events

“…Energy psychology is an umbrella term for treatment approaches that incorporate an “energetic” component ( Feinstein, 2022b ) into the psychotherapeutic process, often adapted from time-honored healing and spiritual systems such as yoga and qi gong ( Gallo, 2004 ). The somatic stimulation of acupoints by tapping on them is the most widely used and well-investigated technique within energy psychology.…”