Even though we might wish for childhood to be a time of happy, carefree living, the challenges children face are no less difficult than those adults face. Though it is true that children may not have to earn a living, they do have to earn grades in school. There may not be a frightening boss to please, but instead a frightening teacher to please. In addition, there are the pressures of status among peers, self-esteem, physical accomplishment, and attractive appearance to grapple with. Faced with these pressures, the child may feel stressed and possibly even have symptoms of anxiety or depression. And if a child perceives an experience as traumatic, fear of that experience (or something like it) happening again may persist and even become overwhelming. Using reason and reassurance may not eliminate the fear, no matter how much the child may wish it could.

But thanks to the energy therapies, there is a way to eliminate stress and fear quickly and easily.

Usually self-applied, these methods use touching or tapping meridian points while tuning in to a problem, and thus are non-invasive and based on the natural functioning of the body. Though originally designed for adults, children can easily learn how to use them whenever needed to calm their fears and stresses. Knowing they can count on this tool gives children confidence and a sense of empowerment. For example, a little girl on a ferry trip was too frightened to go out on the deck and clung ever tighter to her teddy bear and her indoor seat despite the urgings of her family. She was taught a simple tapping technique, and in a few minutes she happily went out and played on the deck for the rest of the trip. The process works the same way in any situation in which the child feels fearful or stressed. [See sidebar for details about how children can be taught these methods.]

Dr. Roger Callahan developed TFTTM, the first of these techniques, utilizing psychology, the meridian system, and applied kinesiology (muscle testing) in a unique combination. After focusing on a problem and doing the tapping, the stressful response disappears. The process works very quickly and usually the changes are permanent. Modifications by Callahan’s students — especially EFTTM by Gary Craig and BSFFTM by Larry Nims — are similarly effective. Although thousands of practitioners have reported impressive results using these methods, research has lagged behind. But according to Dr. Patricia Carrington in her June 2004 EFT News & Innovations newsletter, that is changing. The prestigious Journal of Clinical Psychology is publishing a study comparing EFT and Diaphragmatic Breathing (DB), the preeminent treatment for phobias, in treating small animal phobias. After one session, behaviors and self-reports of amount of fear improved more with EFT than with DB and were maintained months later. And, in research reported recently at scientific meetings, EFT was effective in treating panic attacks, unreasonable fears, nightmares and flashbacks following auto accidents. With only two treatments, these symptoms improved and brain waves changed positively. Research has also shown EFT to be an effective treatment for very young children diagnosed with epilepsy when parents treated them each time a seizure seemed likely. Seizure frequency decreased and EEG readings improved after only two weeks of treatment.

The National Association of Social Workers has approved continuing education credits for an EFT self-study video-training course prepared by Dr. Carrington, who taught many years at Princeton and is presently Associate Clinical Professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She has encouraged research on effects of energy therapies on a number of different types of problems and has recently been invited to teach EFT to clinical psychology students at Rutgers' Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Because children are so responsive to these methods, and because through these methods they can be empowered to improve their own mental, emotional, and physical functioning, it is now possible, for them to move from fear and stress to peace and calm.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Dr. Jane Holmes maintains a private practice in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, using both traditional psychotherapy techniques and energy techniques, which she also teaches to children and adults. She can be reached at (404) 231-9568, or at janehr@juno.com.

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