Do These Strategies Work?

[bring em all in]

I saw a neuro-psychologist today and he presented options for dealing with/overcoming anxiety resulting from my PTSD.

One was “emotional freedom therapy,” (EFT), which consists of tapping the body on certain meridian points-like acupuncture/pressure. There are several books on this and he said a therapist in his practice teaches it. A Psychology Today article claimed it is one of the most effective treatments for PTSD. There are books and videos that purport to teach this technique as well.

Another was Low-level laser/light therapy (LLLT). Several websites claim it is very effective in dealing with anxiety and depression.

Has anyone had experience with either of these, or with regular acupuncture? How effective/ineffective was it?

 

[aut555]

I have heard good things about *tapping*, l am going to look into acupuncture myself.

 

[floodedsky]

I had regular acupuncture by a traditional Chinese acupuncturist, after I was front-ended by a car and received whiplash. It was weird. He hooked up the needles to an electrical stimulator which caused them to vibrate. This healed my whiplash in only two sessions! Maybe I was scared back to good health because enduring an hour of vibrating needles in one's back is quite challenging due to the discomfort. I have had other acupuncture sessions without the vibration, performed by a physiotherapist, but only somewhat successful. Maybe I needed more treatments. I have not had acupuncture for panic attacks, though. It's an idea. Thanks for the tip about tapping.

 

[Fadeaway]

I did EFT for a long time. It is now a bad habit I can't break and it doesn't help with anything outside of self harming because when you tap to the point you are sore it kinds of counts as self harm.

 

[Rani G2]

harming because when you tap to the point you are sore it kinds of counts as self harm.

My T who is very much open to alternative methods, has introduced me to EFT, what exactly do you mean? It really had no impact? Just interested in knowing....

 

[Fadeaway]

I would tap hard enough to cause myself pain.

 

[bring em all in]

I'm reading The Tapping Solution by Nick Ortner. I've also been reading up on the internet and there seem to be quite a few studies attesting to its efficacy. I can see where someone with a penchant for self-harm might "overtap," but the tapping described in the book sounds gentle.

I'm going to give it a try. Talk therapy, medication, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation have been to little use so far. It seems you can teach yourself from the book and youtube videos, but working with a trained EFT therapist is advised for more serious situations, which mine certainly is.