APA Rejects CE Approval for Energy Psychology Despite Evidence of Its Effectiveness in Treating PTSD With Soldiers and Victims of Disaster Such as Haiti

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Psychological Association (http://www.APA.org) has denied the appeal of The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (http://www.energypsych.org), a non-profit association of practitioners and researchers in Energy Psychology, to provide APA Continuing Education credit for Energy Psychology. This action sends a potentially chilling effect on the utilization of one of the most promising treatments for PTSD and trauma at a time when hundreds of thousands of our returning soldiers are suffering from PTSD and more effective treatments are desperately needed. Energy Psychology methods have been used successfully throughout the world to treat thousands of traumatized disaster survivors and U.S. soldiers and have been adopted by three international disaster relief organizations as a core modality (http://www.energypsychologyresearch.com).

One "Energy Psychology" technique involves the stimulation of acupuncture points by tapping on them at the same time that a traumatic memory or stressful trigger is brought to mind. The procedure is believed to send signals to the brain that counteract the stress response. Early research is finding it to be surprisingly effective. A paper presented at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine Conference in San Jose last September, for instance, showed that symptoms of traumatic stress were dramatically reduced in 19 military veterans with PTSD after six hour-long sessions using the method, and that 16 of the 19 of the veterans no longer scored within the PTSD range. Scores for a comparison group that did not receive treatment were unchanged. These outcomes are stronger than outcomes reported for conventional treatments such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, where a 50% success rate with PTSD after twelve sessions is considered a highly favorable response.

Despite findings such as these, the APA forbids its CE providers to give credit for course offerings in Energy Psychology. For the last 2 years The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology has been working to end this practice by becoming the first APA-approved CE provider offering courses in Energy Psychology.  

The essence of the CE Committee's (CEC) denials that prompted the appeal was that Energy Psychology remains "controversial and of uncertain acceptance" and that, "the CEC decision found that sufficient controversy existed to render uncertain the credibility of their claims and theory in the broader communities."

Continuing education is one of the primary ways a profession introduces new developments to its members. A course meets the APA's published standards for CE credit if it meets any one of four criteria. The first is that the psychological community has been studying or applying the approach. More than two dozen papers on energy psychology have appeared in peer-reviewed mental health journals, most of them showing favorable outcomes in systematic studies of the method. Meanwhile, at least three international disaster relief organizations have adopted energy psychology as a core modality in working with the mental health needs of disaster survivors.

In June, 2009, ACEP filed an appeal with the APA listing 17 counts where the APA CE committee's decision was 1) arbitrary or capricious or 2) not supported by substantial evidence.

On Dec. 14, the appeal was heard. During that meeting the representatives of the APA CE committee claimed that they followed proper procedure. Upon further questioning, the CEC Committee Chair stated that the CEC Committee did not have measurable criteria for their decision and that it was based solely on their "professional judgment." ACEP repeatedly asked what the threshold was for Energy Psychology reaching credibility in their eyes. They stated that there was "no line."

Greg Nicosia, Ph.D., the President, Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology and Member of the American Psychological Association, stated, "Frankly we were stunned by the APA's lack of ability to give a measurable objective that could be used to demonstrate the effectiveness of energy psychology. We can only hope that the APA will someday soon see fit to support the education of psychologists in a method that has the potential to significantly improve treatment of PTSD for our soldiers, as well as caregivers and victims in disasters such as Haiti."

Dr. Nicosia is available for interview.

About The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology:

The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (http://www.energypsych.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit association of practitioners and researchers in Energy Psychology.

SOURCE The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology