[MT] Re: qualifications

In a message dated 11/18/1999 11:30:11 AM Atlantic Standard Time,
margoarrowsmith_at_mindspring.com writes:

> I would also like to say that my years as a therapist are an enormous aid.
>
> However, I must acknowledge my awe at Gary Craig, who, in fact, was an
> engineer/insurance salesman/investment person who, to my knowledge, had no
> other therapy training and is the father of EFT.

I also have tremendous respect for Gary and know there are folks who have a
gift of healing or tremendous insight into human nature without a lot of
credentials. I use something in my psychotherapy practice called Wave Work
which is a powerful tool for healing all kinds of problems, anxiety,
depression, PTSD, obsessive compulsive disorder, and has been extremely
helpful to people struggling with the effects of physical and sexual abuse.
Dayashakti, the woman who created this work, trains professionals at Kripalu
Yoga Center and she also has no formal training in psychology. ( She may have
a BA in English:-) Fact is she knows more about energy and how it plays out
in the mental, physical, emotional and subtle bodies than anybody I've ever
know.

Still she doesn't claim to be a therapist and would refer anybody she was
seeing with mental health problems to a trained mental health professional.
So, I think we have to keep an open mind, value each other's gifts and
knowledge but also be honest about what we do and don't know. If we are going
to be doing EFT or any energy technique with somebody who has PTSD for
example, it's not enough to know about how energy works, it's also necessary
to know something about PTSD.

Those of us who are trained and credentialed medical and mental health
professionals are in a perfect position to help bring these incredibly
powerful and effective healing tools out into the world where they are
desperately needed by so many people. EMDR for example is now being used (and
often paid for by third party insurance coverage) in many mental health
clinics and has received wide acclaim because it has been widely researched
and written about in the professional journals. I think it's a very effective
tool in some circumstances but find Wave Work, EFT, and other energy
therapies even more useful. However, it will be a long time before they gain
the acceptance that EMDR has.

We all have something special to offer to others and hopefully we can make
the space for everyone to do this work in a safe and genuine way that is
moved to do so.

Metta,

Suzanne

           
Received on Thu 18 Nov 1999 - 08:16:45 GMT