Mailing address
Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)
28 Garrett Ave. Suite 100
Bryn Mawr, PA. 19010 USA
Home Office Phone, Skype & Fax
ACEP Main Phone: 619-861-2237
ACEP EFT Questions: 484-380-2448
Skype: leslie.acep
Fax: 484-418-1019
ACEP Staff
Robert Schwarz, PsyD, DCEP, Executive Director
Email: acep_ed@energypsych.org
Leslie Primavera, Office Manager/Certification Coordinator
Phone: 619-861-2237
Email: admin@energypsych.org
Cynthia Joba, Director, Outreach & Communications
Email: cjoba@energypsych.org
Susan Carney, Admin Assistant/CE Coordinator
Phone: 484-380-2448
Email: Scarney@energypsych.org
Emotional Freedom Techniques in Hollywood
One of the most frustrating things about being an energy psychology practitioner is seeing the contrast between how quickly energy psychology can become the mainstay of your therapy practice versus how slowly it’s being accepted by mainstream healthcare. I’ve seen signs of progress through my work in the pain program of a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, as my colleagues and I have been fortunate enough to have our work featured in medical journals and even on PBS (1). ACEP has of course been in the forefront of this movement to increase energy psychology's acceptance, and mainstream media – Forbes, Readers Digest and Katie Couric – is finally beginning to highlight stories about energy psychology (2-4).
A little magic
But sometimes it takes a little magic to get to that next stage, the phase beyond research and data, and that’s what happened to me recently. It all began when a new couch that my wife and I had ordered from a local furniture store here in Western MA was delivered a year late (don’t ask!), in October of 2022. The fellow who unloaded it commented on my wife's British accent and mentioned that he'd gone to school in London - the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Not the usual furniture delivery guy story! I soon learned that he went on to become an LA-based actor, and he was staying in Western MA to help his mother-in-law's furniture store while scouting out the area for an upcoming film.
EFT tapping advisor for a film about veterans
As we chatted, he told me that the film – which he wrote and would direct and star in - would be about veterans returning from combat ("Oh, I used to work at the VA.") and would feature some new treatments for PTSD ("Oh, I have some experience with tapping."). We quickly realized that this was not your run-of-the-mill synchronicity, and he asked if I could be an advisor on the film. I told him to let me know the details, and I'd be glad to help. But I never heard back from him, and figured that was that - until this February, 4 months later. He and his crew had just begun filming in a converted mill complex near me, so I arranged to come by for a few days and help out (one advantage to being retired is the flexible schedule!).
One of my main tasks as the on-set Psych Advisor (a title we invented) was to teach the actress who played the veteran's therapist how to do EFT tapping properly, at least in an abbreviated adapted format. The therapist was played by Virginia Madsen (Sideways, Prairie Home Companion, etc.), a down-to-earth woman who defused my stereotype of the Hollywood diva, and who was genuinely interested in tapping and in helping vets.
I was able to get a reasonable facsimile of tapping built into the therapy scene, although that wasn’t the case with the EMDR segment (the flashing lights went a bit over-the-top – the director's call, not mine!). It was interesting to watch how the director, Steven Grayhm, sought to balance clinical accuracy with dramatic impact. While I didn’t always agree with his choices (too much therapist self-disclosure, for example), I could see how his higher purpose was always to present PTSD and therapy in a way that the audience could relate to.
Actress Virginia Madsen learning about tapping from ACEP member Rick Leskowitz
More training for cast and crew
Virginia had never heard of EFT, so to foster her continued interest in tapping, I gave her a copy of my favorite beginner’s guide to EFT, written by ACEP’s own John Freedom (5). I also showed some cast and crew how to use an even simpler version of tapping developed by another ACEP stalwart, the late Dan Benor (6), for their own worksite stress management. That led to some brainstorming about how on-set Psych Advisors could be a valuable fixture in Hollywood - a worthy project for another day.
The film is called Sheepdog (“Protect the flock. Confront the wolf.”)(7) and the plan is to debut it at film festivals this fall. Hopefully, success on the festival circuit (including the big one in Toronto, Steven’s hometown) will gain it wide distribution. But regardless, it's a moving and well-told story that will help spread the word about PTSD, healing, and energy psychology.
Isn't life interesting!
Author
Rick Leskowitz, MD, recently retired after working for over 25 year with the pain management program at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. A long-time member of ACEP, he has recently completed a book called The Many Faces of Life Energy: From Biofield Healing to Global Consciousness (Inner Traditions Press, 2024).
References
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cFzU3TZehk&ab_channel=TheJoyOfSoxMovie
2. Laurence, Emily. EFT tapping: What you need to know. Forbes Magazine, 10/25/22,
https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/eft-tapping/
3. Levine, Sara. What is tapping therapy, and does it work? Katie Couric Media, 10/14/22,
https://katiecouric.com/health/mental-health/does-eft-tapping-therapy-work/
4. Lee, Annabel. Can tapping help with anxiety? Readers Digest (UK), 2/16/23.
https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/health/wellbeing/can-tapping-help-with-anxiety?mibextid=kdkkhi
5. Freedom, John. Heal Yourself with Emotional Freedom Technique, Teach Yourself Press, 2012.
6. Benor, Dan. Seven Minutes to Natural Pain Release, Wholistic Healing Publications, 2009.
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