Veteran suicides account for 20% of all identified suicides in the US. This leaves undeniable losses, for family, friends, and communities. Despite their plight, most veterans do not reach out for help. Instead, they avoid feared stigma or perceived harm to their careers from being labeled with emotional troubles. Unfortunately, there is little relief, even after seeking care. Veterans diagnosed with PTSD face long wait times for treatment. One study found 80% of veterans faced barriers to receiving care. That is the bad news. The good news? Help is on the way. One answer is treating veterans with PTSD using energy psychology.

Energy Psychology Helps Veterans with PTSD

Thankfully, energy psychology has a strong track record for treating PTSD. It combines self-tapping on acupressure points with trauma informed psychotherapy. Most research on energy psychology rests on two popular approaches, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Research shows that symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety are significantly reduced when using these techniques. More than 175 peer-reviewed studies using energy psychology back these findings. This includes six meta-analyses and over 88 random controlled trails, the gold standard for research designs. One study found 86% of veterans were no longer rated with PTSD after receiving only six sessions of energy psychology treatment. A replication study reported equivalent results.

In the US, the Veteran’s Administration has listed EFT as “generally safe.” Thanks to certification training programs like ACEP’s for EFT, therapists treat veterans’ and families around the world. Lives are being saved. You can find out how EFT saved a life, retold in one interview with a veteran with PTSD. He describes suffering “moral injury” from unspeakable acts during his service. He shares his powerful story of renewal with Robert Schwarz, PhD, ACEP's executive director.

Turning the Tide

ACEP leads the charge to treat symptoms of PTSD for veterans. ACEP partners with Lobby It, a US legislative lobbying firm, working to bring energy psychology to the nation. This team advocates for energy psychology practices treating veterans and others. Plans include adding information about energy psychology to the US Department of Veteran Affairs Circle of Health educational listings for Whole Health. Imagine the possibilities when energy psychology information appears alongside current topics like breathing for health, meditation practices, and progressive muscle relaxation.

We can each do our part to care for veterans or civilians with PTSD.

• Start the journey by getting trained in energy psychology.
• Donate to ACEP's Highest Need fund to help support ACEP's educational and advocacy efforts.
• Let others know through conversation or social media that energy psychology works.

We can help turn the tide for veterans with PTSD by using energy psychology.

Learn More

Curious about energy psychology research? Visit the ACEP research page. Or download over 176 energy psychology studies with abstracts by condition. Here is a link to a meta-analysis on PTSD research.

For an overview, visit https://veterans.energypsych.org/

Author

Lori Chortkoff Hops, PhD, DCEP is a licensed psychologist in Westlake Village, California, USA. She is certified in Comprehensive Energy Psychology and Logosynthesis. Lori is a past ACEP president and Reiki master. Learn more about Lori at www.drlorihops.com. Lori teaches online intuition classes and consultation. Check out her podcast Healing Tips from the Heart: Helpers, Healers and Guides.