Energy Psychology in Psychotherapy (Hardcover)

by Fred P. Gallo (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is the first book to provide a complete overview of the burgeoning field of energy psychology. Written by major proponents of the field, the chapters cover a wide range of cutting-edge treatment applications, including Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Methods (EDxTM), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT), and more.

About the Author
Fred P. Gallo is a clinical psychologist and the author of Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Methods.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.; 1 edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393703460
• ISBN-13: 978-0393703467
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #990,674 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Forever, November 16, 2002

By A Customer

This book brings the field of Energy Psychology all together, with chapters by major contributors to the field. If you want to know what these approches to therapy are about, this is the book to read and enjoy: one-stop shopping. The editor's (Gallo) introduction places the field in context and nicely sets the tone for the rest of the book. Then an amazing assortment of chapters follows on the major approaches, integrating Energy Psychology with EMDR and hypnosis, biofeedback, etc.

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars There's a sucker born every minute., November 18, 2008

By	Roger Carlson - See all my reviews

The authors provide no evidence or support of any kind for their speculations, which could be very harmful if people follow their suggestions. It is sad that there are so many disreputable people who write books on fantasy topics like "energy healing" just to make money. Have they no sense of morality? Do they believe their own hype? Can they not find any more useful and ethical way to earn a living?

10 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pseudoscience and delusions, September 7, 2005

By	DrLee "DrLee" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

After close examination of this text, I conclude that from a Chinese/western medical perspective that this book is an attempt to make pseudoscience look convincing in order to support the marketing campaign of the authors. From a position of Chinese medicine and medical physiology expertise, they have failed.

Energy therapy is based largely on false assumptions about the brain. It uses a "thought field" approach as the main background theory. However, thought fields do not exist. The book explains energy as in positive or negative terms. However there are no physical similarities or correlates between normal energy and thought energy. Any physics scholar will know that energy does not work that way. There are know known physical correlates with new age notions of thought energy. The book makes feeble attempts to argue for the existence of these spurious and non recordable energy fields.

It steers clear of paranormal claims that are usually associated with energy medicine, but it is still pseudoscience

Qi is more accurately conceptualized as a philosophy, not a science, and its physical existence is not empirically supported. The book is completely unconvincing in arguing otherwise. In addition, they note that while acupuncture, a procedure used to correct the flow of chi, has been shown to provide some minor analgesic effects, its utility has not been demonstrated for treating illnesses or diseases. Chinese medicine uses a combination of treatments that work together.

The authors' proposed mechanisms of action are all spurious pseudoscience. There are simpler far more plausible reasons that may explain the few cases of success with the energy therapies techniques. These include placebo effects resulting from the mere expectation for improvement, demand characteristics, therapist enthusiasm and support, therapist-client alliance, and effort justification (i.e., the tendency to report positive changes in order to justify the effort exerted), and psychological manipulations such as distraction, suggestion, acceptance, and dissociation. These reasons are dismissed by the author, in preference for erroneous notions about meridians, thought energy, and the flow of Qi. The authors even claim that when the techniques fail it is because a negative person has "undone" them.

Considering that these techniques may potentially distract the patient's attention away from a serious illness such as cancer, and that the energy therapists in general do not cater for this eventuality, sensible consumers need to think more than twice before embarking on this pseudoscientific treatment. The book may convince you to open your mind for a while. However, please do not be so open minded that your brain falls out.

Regards
Dr Lee