Supporting the Association for Thought Field Therapy by furthering research, education and charitable purposes.
Research Study and Presentation by Suzanne Connolly, LCSW, LMFT,
Leanor Zarazua, MA, and John Freedom, CEHP
Suzanne Connolly, LCSW, LMFT, Leanor Zarazua, MA, and John Freedom, CEHP presented their study at the Research Symposium on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) conference. The title of the study was A Teacher-Led Classroom Intervention In An Area of Mexico Experiencing Community Violence a Controlled Mixed-Method Feasibility Study.
Purpose: We aimed to explore the effectiveness of a daily ten-minute teacher-led group Thought Field Therapy stress-reduction intervention on middle-school adolescents residing in an area experiencing high levels of interpersonal and community violence. We hypothesized that it would lead to a reduction of trauma symptoms and improve grades in reading and math.
Method: In this double-blind feasibility study, adolescents in one school received a daily teacher-led Thought Field Therapy intervention, and children in a different school served as an active waitlist group and received the same amount of time in a daily unguided drawing activity. The two schools were geographically distant to prevent cross-contamination.
Results: Due to differences between groups in PTSD and academic performance prior to intervention, differences within each school’s scores over time were calculated and compared to each other for indirect assessment of effect. PTSD scores at the treatment school showed no lasting changes at five months, while the control school showed moderate improvement. Adolescents in the treatment group demonstrated large improvements in both reading and math. Adolescents in the control group demonstrated a moderate decrease in math, and no change in reading.
Discussion: Preliminary evidence gained in this study suggests that a teacher-led ten-minute group Thought Field Therapy exercise may assist adolescents’ learning in math and reading.
Presentation at the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology
by Suzanne Connolly, LCSW, LMFT
Suzanne Connolly, LCSW, LMFT also presented a seminar at the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology in Litchfield, AZ on Saturday, May 31, 2025. The title was Integrating CBT & REBT with TFT to Treat Negative Self-Assumptions & Shame.
Negative self-assumptions and shame can be deeply ingrained, but combining CBT, REBT, and energy psychology offers a powerful, efficient approach to transformation. Learn how these modalities work together to create rapid results through live demonstrations and immersive exercises.
Objectives:
Suzanne Connolly, LCSW, LMFT, is licensed as a clinical social worker, marriage and family therapist, and substance abuse counselor. She participated in three research studies in Rwanda that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Suzanne serves as an advisor to Japan Association for TFT. She has conducted thought Field Therapy (TFT) trainings throughout the world.
Suzanne Connolly, LCSW, LMFT Presents the June Training for Members of the
Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology
Members of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology received the following e-mail:
The June 2025 member training is with Suzanne Connolly, LCSW. Learn about TFT and how it can benefit your healing practice.
Introduction to Thought Field Therapy
Thought Field Therapy (TFT) was the first of the “tapping” approaches. In this introductory workshop you will learn about the history of tapping approaches, the meridians used in all tapping approaches, and their association with different emotions. Discover a simplified use of algorithms you can use to help your clients deal with trauma, anger, shame and rage. Finally, you will learn how to use TFT as a non-verbal approach that can be used with many different populations.
Suzanne Connolly, LCSW has been a licensed clinical social worker, a marriage and family therapist and a substance abuse counselor for over 35 years. She is the author of Thought Field Therapy: Clinical Applications, Integrating TFT in Psychotherapy as well as several research studies on TFT. She has presented over 250 Thought Field Therapy workshops to mental health professionals all over the world, including Israel, Mexico, France, Canada, Kuwait, Rwanda and the U.S.
A Meta-Analysis of Randomized and Non-Randomized Trials of Thought Field Therapy (TFT) for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Anxiety
Authors, Jenny Edwards, PhD; Fielding Graduate University, and, Michelle Vanchu-Orosco, PhD; Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region, have been accepted to present for the Research Symposium on Thursday, May 30 at the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) annual conference held at The Wigwam Resort, Litchfield, AZ (Phoenix).
The video above is from last year’s Keynote presentation by Suzanne Connolly on the ins and outs of doing good research. It wasn’t filmed so she had it filmed later because so many had asked for a copy.
You will find Suzanne’s explanatory notes, attached here.
As the TFT community, we want good research!! It is currently getting included in more literature reviews and meta-analyses. In the past, some of the TFT research conducted in other countries was of poor quality so we hope this excellent presentation, from an experienced TFT researcher, and may help encourage and guide others to do research.
Suzanne has said that she is willing to assist anyone doing TFT research (not do the work, but point them in the right direction. The research she has been involved in is getting better as she learns from past mistakes. The video is an effort to help others learn from those mistakes as well.
There is a chronic shortage of psychiatrists, psychologists, and trained professionals worldwide, especially in “third world” countries. With both natural as well as man-made disasters, the need for effective treatment is great.
Here is an opinion piece that appeared in a Norwegian psychiatric journal by Audun Irgens, PhD., and Anne Udal, PhD. Dr Irgens is a Norwegian psychologist who has co-authored several research studies on the effectiveness of Thought Field Therapy. The TFT community, including Suzanne Connolly, Carolyn Sakai, Irgens, and others have pioneered an approach whereby lay counselors who are trained in a brief, two-day training deliver TFT therapy to people in their communities suffering from anxiety, depression and PTSD. (more…)
Jennifer Cribbs
Abstract
Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a promising psychotherapy approach based on its ability to rapidly relieve human suffering. Drawing from the information gathered at SpiritLife Inc., an inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, this research examines the effects of a TFT intervention on individuals who have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD) and were experiencing distress related to trauma. This study found that 100% of participants experienced a reduction in distress symptoms post-intervention.
By AUDUN IRGENS: Audun Irgens, PhD, specialist in psychiatry and senior consultant at Østre Agder District Psychiatric Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Sørlandet Hospital Arendal.
In large parts of the world, professional psychiatric resources are unavailable. Training laypeople to provide treatment could help extend service provision.
Worldwide, mental illness represents a greater burden of disability than any other disease category (1). In large parts of the world, there is a gap between the need for and the availability of professional psychiatric resources. In 2011, the World Health Organization estimated that 76–85 % of psychiatric patients in low-income countries receive no treatment (2). In those parts of the world, there is a widespread shortage of trained health workers (3).
In an editorial in issue 17/2021 of the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, Martine Rostadmo wrote: ‘The world is unfair. The report from 2019 points out that research and development are mostly undertaken in high-income countries and fail to focus on the needs of low-income countries’ (4).
One of the authors of this article participated in a meta-study that was the first to investigate the effect of psychiatric treatment provided only by lay counsellors. The study was published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization in the summer of 2021 (5). The main finding drawn from 20 studies with a total of 5 612 participants was that lay counsellors can provide effective treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, depression and alcohol abuse in low- and medium-income countries. In the six studies that showed the best effect, the lay counsellors had been given 2–10 days of training (three studies: two days / two studies: one week / one study: ten days). In five of these studies, supervision was provided during the treatment sessions.
«Lay counsellors can provide efficacious treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, depression and alcohol abuse»
In other words, psychiatric treatment provided by lay counsellors who have undergone training and work under supervision can be an important contribution to extending effective psychiatric health assistance far more widely to people in low-income countries. This will also be significantly less resource-intensive and time-consuming than training a sufficient number of professionals. We therefore hope that the results of this study will be seen and used by national health authorities in many countries, as well as by Norwegian humanitarian aid authorities.
References:
Here is a recent study on the effectiveness of TFT for managing stressful emotions, out of Mexico. It’s a very simple, pre-post outcome study, with very clear images and tables.
Barraza-Alvarez, F. V. (2021). Callahan’s thought field therapy in the management of emotions associated with stress. World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 7(2), 060-068. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2021.7.2.0085
https://wjbphs.com/content/callahan’s-thought-field-therapy-management-emotions-associated-stress
Taking into account that Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a non-invasive technique for managing emotions, and that it is characterized by being safe and fast, it was applied in a group of 14 people from the workforce of the Center of Childhood Integration and Connivance “Del Bosque”, Texcoco, Mexico, who voluntarily expressed some feelings associated with stress before an initial interview, in order to evaluate their effectiveness. 36% of the participants reported presenting anxiety; 29% fear; 21% obsession, and 14% rejection. Once the TFT was completed, these emotions, in all the participants, went from a maximum rating of 10 Units of Discomfort Sensation (UDS) to a minimum of 0 UDS, so it could be established that the TFT technique was effective in managing stressful situations that were to be eradicated, with written opinions that expressed satisfaction on the part of the participants, who had no adverse reactions when the technique was applied to them.
John Freedom, CEHP
A new review that includes the Connolly & Sakai study: This is an important new review that includes the Connolly & Sakai study. Click here to download.
I think anyone wanting to do research with TFT should look at the criticisms of the study in this Cochrane review as it helps avoid similar pitfalls. The Cochrane review is the most respected and thorough type of Review and quite intense. Just search Connolly to see what they look at in evaluating a study.
Another thing that is quite clear is that they selected only one of our studies. Most of our studies are difficult to find. Is there someone that does TFT that might look into how to get more visibility for our peer-reviewed journal articles? That would help promote Roger’s work more than anything.
APA Citation
van Ginneken N, Chin WY, Lim YC, Ussif A, Singh R, Shahmalak U, Purgato M, Rojas-García A, Uphoff E, McMullen S, Foss HS, Thapa Pachya A, Rashidian L, Borghesani A, Henschke N, Chong L-Y, Lewin S. Primary‐level worker interventions for the care of people living with mental disorders and distress in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021, Issue 8. Art. No.: CD009149. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009149.pub3. Accessed 07 August 2021.
You are cordially invited to attend a presentation of the findings of an exciting study on Thought Field Therapy on Friday, September 24 at 8:30 am Pacific time, 9:30 am Mountain time, 10:30 am Central time, 11:30 am Eastern time. The abstract of the study and information about connecting to the call via Zoom are below.
The Effects of a Thought Field Therapy Stress Reduction Protocol on the Stress and Empathy Levels of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
by Hadas Keppel
Abstract
The effects of a stress reduction Thought Field Therapy protocol vs. a control-stimulation protocol on general stress, parenting stress, and empathy (perspective taking) were explored in this mixed-model, randomized control study. Parents of children with autism, from Israel and the USA, showed reduced general stress and an increase in perspective taking following the intervention, as measured by self-reports. Parenting stress partially mediated the effect of TFT on perspective taking. There were no additional changes during the follow-up period. Participants’ personality characteristics of the broad autism phenotype (BAP) were measured at baseline. TFT was effective, regardless of participants’ BAP status.
Hadas Keppel, PhD, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from CA. This study was for her Doctoral dissertation at Fielding Graduate University.
Zoom Invitation
Topic: Hadas Keppel Presentation of Dissertation Findings on Thought Field Therapy
Time: Sep 24, 2021 09:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fielding-edu.zoom.us/j/2794674206
Meeting ID: 279 467 4206
Click her to view the online-first Systematic Literature Review, which includes three randomized thought field therapy studies.
Other intervention modalities in the review were various forms of CBT, various forms of psychoeducation, interpersonal therapy, and narrative exposure therapy. Criteria for being included in the review were that it had to be a mental health intervention conducted in a low or middle-income country by professionally trained laypersons. The trial had to be a randomized controlled trial. Our definition of layperson was that they were not already working as a medical or mental health worker such as a doctor, a nurse, a community health worker, or a professional mental health field.
The studies using Thought Field Therapy interventions compared favorably: High effect sizes, short training, and only one treatment. The link is here. Eventually, this paper will be put into an in-print edition of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. In its present form, it is still amendable to further editing and formatting.
NOTE: The TFT Foundation sincerely thanks Suzanne Connolly and Jenny Edwards for all their hard work and dedication on this article.
