People who use energy psychology (EP) in their own healing work or in their clinical practice know how powerful it can be. But it can be tricky to introduce these Eastern-influenced tools to Westerners. With the right elevator speech, you can help people understand EP. Then, they might give it a try – and then, they will feel better. Here’s how you can introduce energy psychology to people who aren’t familiar with it.
1: First, give a general overview of what energy psychology is.
Many Americans today have heard of acupuncture and the chakras, but everyone has heard the term “the mind-body connection” or, as Deepak Chopra has turned to calling it, “the bodymind.” (Because they are so interconnected, they are really the same thing!) So, when you are introducing EP to people who don’t know about it, you can say
“Energy psychology is a set of mind-body tools that help people deal with their mental health issues.”
I like to say, “EP a set of body-based tools to help manage our difficult emotions.” You can make it your own, using the language that best suits you and your audience.
2: Then, let them know that other people are using it
People like to be part of things; it provides a sense of belonging. When we are introducing something that could seem unusual, this can be especially helpful! You can say something like
“These techniques have been around for more than 30 years and thousands of people in the US and around the world have been using them for many kinds of issues.”
You can call back the issue that people are presenting with, because EP has a strong enough track record to cover just about everything people are facing, and all get good results. So, instead of “many kinds of issues,” you can use whatever you are seeking to help with – depression, anxiety, trauma, overeating, chemo brain, the list goes on!
3: Build a bridge
EP tools are grounded in Eastern ideas. Many Westerners need to have that acknowledged; that builds the bridge to normalizing it. If you are using a meridian technique like EFT or TFT or TTT, you can say “we will be tapping on a series of acupressure points.” If you are using AIT or another chakra-based technique, you can say “we will be working with energy centers.” In any case, you can give a nod to the Eastern influence by saying
“These techniques are grounded in Eastern practices that have been around for thousands of years and are becoming increasingly understood in the West.”
You can add something about how many people signed up for Nick Ortner’s Tapping Summit (___) or how many therapists have been trained by ACEP (_____). This kind of wording helps people understand that there is a paradigm that is not a monolithic truth.
4: Explain that trauma gets locked in the body, and EP uses the body
Bessel Van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score tells the story: When we experience trauma, that trauma seems to get “locked” in our bodies. When we experience PTSD, our brains light up as if we were experiencing the trauma all over again. Our bodies go into fight-flight-freeze mode instantly. People might know that the trauma is in the past, but it feels like it’s in the present. We can’t think our way out of this. To explain this, try saying something like
We know today that trauma gets locked in the body, and in order to release trauma, we need to involve the body.
I like to cite Van der Kolk when I introduce EP because, credibility. I’d add, “according to the research from Harvard professor of psychiatry…”. You might like to add that, too.
5: Cite some research stats
There has been a lot of research over the past two decades, which has been very helpful in legitimizing EP! If you want to brush up on your EP research, check out ACEP’s research guide. When you are talking to clients, you can say something like
“More than 200 studies have demonstrated how effective EP is at treating anxiety to depression to PTSD to chemo brain.”
If you are speaking to a specific population, you can cite the research that’s relevant to them. You don’t need a ton of information, just something to pique their interest. I recently introduced EP to a group of people with breast cancer and told them about a study (embed the link to the blog about this) of 212 cancer patients who decreased their “chemo brain” after eight weeks of tapping. They were enthusiastic about giving EP a try!
6: Give a compelling example
Much as I love citing research, there’s nothing like a human story to make the case for EP. If you’ve been using EP in your practice, you probably have some good ones of your own. If not, you can share ACEP member and FREA founder Robin Trainor’s (link to her page) story which she recently shared with me. I think it’s a good one:
“A woman had been gang raped 10 years before she and Robin met. She was haunted by the trauma, couldn’t forgive, and said it was ruining her life. Robin did EFT with her. The woman was 10-out-of-10 upset at the beginning, but after 45 minutes of tapping, her distress went to zero. A year later, she was still free of the trauma.
It’s relatable, and it sure is compelling! Stories like this usually clear up any more hesitation and help paint a full picture of what EP can offer.
Try the recipe!
You can incorporate these five talking points can a brief introduction of EP. Each point builds on the previous and they create a compelling story that helps people overcome any hesitation to trying EP. We know how powerful EP is, and how much it helps people. Giving it a solid introduction honors the tradition and evidence of EP and can help us reach more people.
- It’s a set of mind-body tools.
- Many people use it.
- It’s grounded in Eastern traditions.
- Trauma gets locked in the body, and EP uses the body
- It has research backing.
- Here’s a compelling story of how it helped someone.
- What’s your favorite EP story? Share your comments below.