Gallo says he alone has trained a few thousand therapists. Last year s Energy Psychology Conference in Las Vegas was attended by about 500 therapists, twice the attendance of the year before, says Vincenzi, who practices psychology in Philadelphia. Although Gallo s not sure how or why the method works, he suspects sound physiological reasons will be found, relating to parts of the brain being stimulated, or biochemical releases being triggered. Research supports the notion that acupuncture stimulates parts of the brain, says Lambrou, and energy therapies may have similar roots. Acupuncture has long been used to treat some problems related to emotions, such as pain, addiction and stress, she says.
People often find that their sense of well-being is enhanced.
Skeptics, though, wonder if the placebo effect, not tapping, might be the reason for the successes. Herbert, of Hahnemann, says that even in tests of antidepressant medicines, the biggest chunk of that improvement is due to the placebo effect. That s something we re just now discovering. Sometimes 40 percent to 50 percent of patients will report feeling better, despite getting a worthless pill. In some patients it lasts permanently, he says.