At least, we think they are hoaxes.
Only time will really tell.
Sponsored link.
Some of the belief and therapy systems that we suspect to be hoaxes (or partial hoaxes) are listed
below. Please read our disclaimer before going
further:
Satanic Ritual Abuse: (SRA) A book, Michelle
Remembers triggered a full-fledged Satanic panic in 1980. It and subsequent books of
its genre have been shown to be hoaxes. But that did not slow down the growth of a public
belief that tens of thousands of infants were being kidnapped, ritually killed and
sometimes eaten by evil, Satanic cults every year. Over 90% of the adult population of at
least one state believes that SRA is real and widespread. SRA appears to be an unfounded
panic which is gradually winding down. The hoax is still being promoted by some radical
feminist and some conservative Christian groups in spite of a complete absence of hard
evidence.
Ritual Abuse in Day Care Centers: This
panic started in Bakersfield CA, spread to the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, CA,
and then expanded across North America, Europe and Australia. Improper child interview
techniques used by therapists and investigators resulted in memories of horrific ritual
abuse being implanted in the minds of young children.
According to an episode of the Turning
Point program: "Since 1980, in over 40 [US]
communities, some 200 people have been accused of these crimes... Today, 141 people, --
nearly three quarters of the accused in these cases -- have been acquitted, had their
convictions overturned or charges against them dropped." 1 Unfortunately, there
are thousands of children, many now teenagers or young adults who remain disabled by
memories of horrendous abuse that never happened. Also, the falsely accused
adults are never found to be innocent. At best, it is determined that a
conclusive case cannot be made against them.
Mind Control Cults: The Counter-Cult
Movement (CCM) started in the early 1970's. The "mind-control"
faction within the CCM spread the belief that new religious movements were entrapping
young people, and using mind control methods to reduce them to virtual slaves without
free-will. A few mass murders by a small number of destructive
cults were described as mass-suicides, and further convinced the public that new
religious groups were a major social threat. Some conservative Christian groups have
started a "doctrinal purity" faction within the CCM. They have monopolized on
the public's fear and hatred of cults, and directed it against small benign faith groups.
The latter's sole "crime" is that they have deviated in some way from
traditional Christian doctrine. The mind-control faction within the CCM seems to be in
rapid decline, hastened by some criminal convictions. However, the "doctrinal
purity" component of the CCM seems to be growing, particularly
in Russia.
Recovered Memory Therapy: (RMT) A split has
appeared between therapists and mind researchers. Some therapists believe that memories of
sexual abuse during childhood can be repressed, and later recovered through special
therapeutic techniques, like hypnotism, guided imagery, dream analysis etc. Professional organizations have realized that recovered memories
can often be false - memories of events that never happened. They urged caution.
However tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of clients became convinced that they had
been sexually abused as children. Many destroyed their families of origin with
accusations. This hoax appears to have peaked and is now in rapid decline. Many
ex-patients are suing their former therapists for damages and winning massive settlements.
This hoax has left a major trail of devastated individuals and families.
Abuse in Former Lifetimes: Some therapists age-regress their patients
using hypnosis, guided imagery and other recovered memory techniques to take them back in
to childhood, into the womb, and thence into a previous lifetime. Abuse during a previous
reincarnation is believed to be the cause of emotional problems among adults in their
present lives. Therapists who believe in past life regression appear to be quite
successful in finding abuse memories in their patients. This is a form of recovered memory
therapy. It is usually not as devastating to the patient as recovered memories of
childhood abuse, because the alleged perpetrators from a former lifetime are probably not
alive and thus cannot be accused.
End of the World Scenarios: The
Trends
Research Institute of Rhinebeck, NY predicted that 1998 would be a year in which Millennium
Fever would catch on across the world and the prophecy business will boom.
They were correct. Many people
predicting that the end of the world would come at or around the end of the millennium,
which they incorrectly dated as 1999-DEC-31. The correct date for the end of
the millennium is 2000-DEC-31. They expect that Jesus would return and engage in the war of Armageddon,2
or ETs will attack us from outer space, 3 or great natural
disasters will occur that will cause massive devastation. 4
The same fever materialized as the year 1000 CE approached.
However, because of the low educational level at that time, the panic was
quite muted. Still, it generated a
subsequent
backlash against heretics and other religious non-conformists. Let us hope that we have
learned enough to prevent increased attacks on small religious groups in the new
millennium. By the time that 3000 CE rolls around, perhaps people will finally catch on
that years that end in three zeros are not otherwise special.
Crop Circles: People have been observing patterns of trampled wheat and
other crops in farmers' fields in 70 countries around the world since they
first appeared in England during the late 1970's. Some have been shown to be hoaxes
generated by individuals sneaking into a field, drawing some geometric shape, and
systematically trampling down the stalks. Some believers have concluded that the
"circles" are caused by natural phenomenon - some special wind activity. But the
precision of the shapes would seem to eliminate this as a possibility. A whole industry
has sprung up to publicize the un-human origin of these strange shapes.
5
The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal in Amherst, NY
has been studying crop circles since about 1985. Spokesperson Joe Nickell has
concluded that they are made by humans, and that they appeal to our sense of mystery, hope, and fear. "In those three words, you explain the human interest in most of the paranormal phenomenon. Crop circles are mysterious to people. If they are made by aliens, that's a hopeful message. And there's fear because we're not sure what the aliens are up to." Michael Shermer, author of
Why People Believe Weird Things, has said that the fascination with
circles "really is a religious belief. It's the promise of something transcendent, bigger than us, beyond us."
M. Night Shyamalan is the writer and director of the movie "Signs,"
which opened at North American movie screens in mid 2002-AUG. He is skeptical
about the circles, but is "hopeful they'll be proven true. I like believing in things and possibilities of things--so tantalizing."
Abuse by LGM (Little Green Men) on board UFOs: Some therapists believe
that abuse on board UFOs is a widespread phenomenon. They frequently use recovered memory
techniques to uncover repressed abuse "memories" in their clients. They remember
rising from bed, passing through walls, and elevated to a UFO where they are poked and
prodded in some form of medical experiment. Some believe that implants are inserted into
their bodies. One California therapist found such memories in about 75 of his patients. 6
UFO visitations: True believers in UFO visitations have convinced a
large percentage of the population that extra-terrestrial visitors have been visiting
Earth for decades. Hard evidence has not really surfaced yet. A lot of creative, fake
photographs have.
Mind Control Experiments by Federal Governments: Decades ago, the CIA
performed a series of mind control experiments using various drugs, electrical shock
treatments, etc. One goal was to produce an assassin who would kill on command. The
studies were unsuccessful and were abandoned. But individuals and groups spread the belief
that these experiments continue. They believe that people are being remotely controlled by
microwave energy beams. Others are being mentally programmed to perform specific functions
when triggered by a sound, image, color, etc. Still others are being tortured by rays
transmitted from overhead spy planes. "...using the science of "bio-medical
telemetry," [their] brainwaves are instantly analyzed by computer, revealing the
person's thoughts and feelings...the brainwaves are then messed up and sent back to
overpower the original ones, totally consternating the victim as he tries to be himself
through the overlaid intrusion." 7 Their beliefs
sound most improbable for three reasons: the cost of this type of program would be
prohibitive; the technology to influence people in these ways does not exist; electronic
monitoring instrumentation, to our knowledge, has never detected any energy beams.
Facilitated Communication: (FC) This is a communication
technique which originated in Australia as a method of helping autistic children, and
others with major speech disabilities. In its most common initial form, a facilitator
holds the autistic person's hand with a finger extended. The facilitator and user's hands
move down towards a keyboard until a key is hit. The hands are then retracted. This is
repeated until a message is entered. Later, the facilitator will attempt to guide the user
by placing their hand on the user's wrist, then forearm, then elbow and finally, shoulder.
FC was shown on 20-20 and Frontline; both TV programs did a bit of a hatchet job on FC.
People who have studied FC appear to divide into two groups, which we call the
believers and the skeptics. Initially, we supported the skeptics, and agreed
with them that FC is a hoax. It seemed impossible for a person with autism, who is often
staring at the ceiling or around the room, to play any part in the selection of a key on
the keyboard. But some studies seem to have proven the concept to be a useful method of
communication in a small minority of cases. We attended a FC conference in Syracuse NY on 1998-MAY,
sponsored by the Facilitated Communication Institute at Syracuse NY. 8
Our current belief is that both the believers and the skeptics have serious flaws in their
studies. We believe that FC has great promise, but only for a very small minority of persons with
autism. It is useless for the great majority of persons who suffer
from that disorder (and their families). In fact, it has done great harm.
Therapeutic Touch: (TT) Practitioners
believe that there is a Universal Life Force Energy that flows freely through the
body when a person is healthy. Illness, pain, injury etc is seen as interrupting or
unbalancing this life force. A skilled practitioner can detect these fluctuations and
equalize them. Typically, they pass their hands a few inches above the patient, and scan
the latter's body. The practitioner will "actually 'feel' various energy
sensations like: tingling, heat, cold, heaviness, and a drawing feeling, to name a few."
This allows them to determine the "type of imbalance is present..loose
congestion, tight congestion, localized imbalance, or an energy deficit/void."
9
Ms. Emily Rosa performed a series of studies to determine whether TT has any validity.
Therapists were asked to attempt to detect the energy radiated from Emily's hand inside a
box. Her hand was in the box half the time; it was removed for the other half. TT
therapists were unable to see the hand; they had to detect whether it was there by passing
their hands over the box. Two series of tests with a total of 21 therapists gave results
slightly less accurate than random chance. The therapists were correct 44% of the time.
10
Emily was a public school student at the time of the test. This technique is often practiced by
nurses, who could undoubtedly spend their time more profitably performing other tasks.
Homeopathic Medicine: This involves the preparation of medication by
successive dilution. A natural chemical (e.g. a poison such as arsenicum or phosphorous)
is selected - one "which at pharmacologic or toxic doses [will] cause symptoms
that mimic those which are the subject of treatment." The chemical is diluted
and re-diluted several hundred times. The result is a solution that is so
dilute that none of the molecules of the original substance are present. The patient then
drinks what is actually pure distilled water. Amazing cures are common. Unfortunately,
patients who can be easily cured by traditional medicine are diverted to this worthless
technique. 11,12
Cattle Mutilations: In the late 1970's many people in the American
south-west believed that secret underground cults, or visitors from outer space were
killing cattle on the open range, surgically removing organs, draining the body of blood
and disappearing without leaving tire tracks or other evidence of their presence. It
turned out that the individuals who were circulating these stories had very little
experience with cattle raising. When experienced ranch hands studied the carcasses, they
concluded that the animals had been killed by natural predators.
Reparative Therapy: Thisrefers
to any form of therapy, which attempts to convert individuals with a homosexual
orientation, to heterosexuality. Electric shocks, frontal lobotomies, and castration have
been used in the past; we use more humane methods today. Rather than messing
around with victim's bodies, therapists mess with their heads. But the results are still the
same. It appears to be almost a totally useless form of therapy. It has been condemned by
all the major mental health professional associations in the U.S. No article
in support of reparative therapy has ever been published in a peer-reviewed
journal. There is anecdotal evidence that many gays and lesbians who leave
therapy unchanged become profoundly depressed; some commit suicide. However, it is still
being promoted by very conservative Christian ministries and therapists.
Multiple Personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity
Disorder: Two novels, presented as documentaries, described women who were
believed to have multiple personalities: Sybil and the Three Faces of Eve. These
books caught the attention of the public and a number of therapists. The belief grew that
children can dissociate in response to severe abuse, so that as adults they function as
two or more personalities in the same brain. These alters (alternative personalities)
"may present themselves as differing from the body in age, appearance, sex,
language and even species. Some therapists claim to have uncovered vegetable and even
inanimate personalities."13According to the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV, the client is under the control
of one personality or alter at a time; she/he cannot recall events that happened when the
other alters were in control. The result is that there are great gaps of unaccounted for
time in the past. Different personalities exhibit different speech patterns, mannerisms,
attitudes, thoughts, and gender. Alters may differ in allergies, handedness, eyeglass
prescription or even the presence or absence of diabetes.
MPD/DID appears to be an iatrogenic (physician induced) disorder. Many mental-health
professionals believe that MPR/DID does not exist naturally, but has to be created with
the co-operation of a physician and patient. The therapist trains the patient to act as if
she/he has multiple alters in their brain. This is done without either being aware of the
process.
This belief is a major financial gift to psychiatric hospitals, because such patients
need very long term care. 14 Fortunately, most patients' health insurance
finally ends, and the patients are released. Being isolated from the therapists, they
often work their way back to mental health. Others commit suicide. This psychological fad
appears to have peaked in the early 1990s, and is now in rapid decline. All of the DID clinics in mental hospitals
have been closed down or
converted to less dangerous methods of therapy. Some private therapists who
continue DID therapy continue to harm their patients
Unfortunately, a remake of the film Sybil is being made which will
probably give MPD/DID a new lease on life.
Compression Therapy: This is a form of therapy that is intended to improve the bonding
between the patient and their parent. The patient, typically a child, lies in
the fetal position and is wrapped tightly in a sheet. Pressure is applied to
the child's body in order to simulate the forces of birth. Unfortunately,
there is a narrow gap between the pressure needed to simulate the birth
process and the pressure which will asphyxiate the child. Compression Therapy
is sometimes referred to as "rebirthing therapy." However, the latter only
involves deep breathing exercises and is not dangerous, Fatalities have been
reported in the past from compression therapy. However, it was the death of a ten
year old girl, Candace Newmaker, in Evergreen,CO on 2000-APR-18 which brought
this experimental and dangerous treatment to public attention. According to a
media account, 15 "Candace's adoptive mother, Jeane
Newmaker of Durham, N.C., brought her daughter to Colorado for therapy for
what she believed was an attachment disorder. Newmaker has said that Candace
was belligerent to the point of violence at home and that the girl wouldn't
bond with her." Therapists Connell Watkins, 54, and Julie Ponder, 40,
were
charged with child abuse resulting in death. The trial was heavily covered in
the media, starting in 2001-MAR. On 2001-APR-9, Dr. Kurt Stenmark, a
pediatrician at Children's Hospital, testified that Candice, "lying
under four adults, couldn't take deep breaths, progressively lost oxygen and
fell unconscious before her heart stopped beating..." He said that
the girl died from a lack of oxygen to the brain, which finally induced
cardiac arrest. It appears that elementary precautions, like a blood-oxygen
monitor, were not employed during therapy.
Candace herself seems to have had a much better grasp on reality than
either her mother or the therapists. She said that the therapy was "stupid"
and that "I can't talk when you're on top of me."
On 2001-APR-20, Connell Watkins and Julie Ponder were found guilty of child
abuse resulting in death. They face mandatory jail terms of 16 to 48 years.
Candace's mother, Ms. Jeane Newmaker received a suspended sentence. She must
serve 400 hours of community service during the next four years, and undergo
grief counseling.
To their credit, the American Psychiatric Association issued a
position statement in 2002-JUL which concluded: "There is no scientific
evidence to support the effectiveness of coercive holding therapies, or
so-called "re-birthing techniques," said the American Psychiatric Association
in a position statement on Reactive Attachment Disorder. The position
statement was approved by the APA Board of Trustees in late June." 22 It was too late to save the life of Candice, but it may
prevent other children from harm.
On 2002-SEP-17, the House approved a resolution (H.Con. Res. 435) condemning
compression therapy as dangerous and harmful by a vote of 397 to 0. They urged every
state to enact laws banning the practice. The resolution mentioned that a
total of five children have died in the U.S. during "attachment therapy."
Representative Sue Myrick, (R-NC), the sponsor of the resolution, said: "I
encourage all states to outlaw this voodoo science and prevent another tragedy
from happening." Rep. Myrick is probably using the term "voodoo" as a
universal snarl word, without directly referring to the religion of
Vodun. 26
Primal Scream therapy: This was invented and promoted by Dr. Arthur
Janov, a psychologist in Los Angeles. His first book, published in 1970, The Primal Scream
became a best-seller.
16 He has since written "The New Primal Scream." 17 The rationale behind this therapy is that all of a
persons "neuroses, psychoses and psychosomatic ills derive from
repressed memories of childhood traumas, particularly the trauma of being born."
In therapy, the patient is age-regressed back into
childhood. Repressed memories seem to emerge, leading eventually to memories
of the person's birth. "When patients recover their lost memories of
early trauma, especially the trauma of birth, they often writhe on the floor,
sobbing and screaming with rage at whatever was done to them or at the
violence of their birth." 18 With these memories
restored, the patient's emotional problems are believed to disappear; their
aging processes slows, and their resistance to disease increases. In
opposition to Primal Therapy is the near-consensus among memory
researchers that infants cannot retain memories of events in their life. A
person's earliest memories typically are from 42 months of age or later;
retained memories prior to 24 months are unheard of.
Exorcism: This is a religious ritual that is intended to clear a
person from indwelling demonic spirits. During New
Testament times, medical science was in its infancy. Many physical and mental
diseases and disorders were blamed on demonic possession. Jesus
is recorded as having performed exorcisms on
many people, successfully driving from one to a thousand evil spirits from
their bodies. Therapists, with the exception of some who are conservative
Christians, now realize that the source of physical and mental illnesses are
bacteria, viruses, emotional disturbances, etc -- not indwelling demons. Yet
exorcisms continue. In fact, they appear to be growing in frequency within the
Roman Catholic church in Africa, where beliefs in demons and evil Witches are
common. Amateur exorcists often beat their victims to drive off demons. About
once a year in North America, a person dies from abuse during an exorcism.
Rapid eye movement therapy: Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1988.
19,20,27 Her academic background is primarily in English literature. She
has a doctorate in clinical psychology by the Professional School of
Psychological Studies in San Diego, CA, and unaccredited organization.
40,000 therapists have since been trained in EMDR in 55 countries. It is claimed to cure
almost any emotional problem in a few visit to the therapist. It "usually
consists of a therapist sitting before the patient and waving two fingers...from
left to right. The patient is asked to focus hard on the traumatic event while
watching the fingers." After about 30 seconds, the movement is stopped and
the patient is asked to blank out the distressing thoughts and memories. The
entire process is repeated two or three dozen times. Variations of EMDR exist,
using tapping of the client's shoulder, or beeping sounds in alternating ears
from earphones. The therapy has been said to cure or treat anorexia, bulimia,
children's behavioral problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, learning disabilities,
multiple-personality disorder, Parkinson's disease,
post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, sleep disorders, etc.
Unfortunately, only individuals who have paid US$ 435 and attended the ENDR
workshops are shown the details of the technique. Dr. Harold Merskey is professor emeritus at
the University of Western Ontario, and is a skeptic of miracle cures and fad
therapies. He has criticized recovered memory therapy,
therapy recovering satanic abuse "memories," and
multiple personality disorder. He notes that some of
EMDR's major endorsers were previously promoting these earlier, now discredited,
therapies. 23
Thought Field Therapy (TFT) This is a new, experimental therapeutic
technique which is a close cousin to EMDR. TFT's efficacy and safety have yet to
be evaluated. However, this does not stop large numbers of therapists and counselors
who have started to use it on their clients. TFT attributes emotional problems to blockages in energy fields within he
body. Pseudo-scientists often talk about energy fields or power centers in the
body that cannot be detected by any instruments known to humanity. "In order to correct these perturbations, clients are directed by the TFT therapist to tap on the body's 'energy meridians' in specific sequences,
called 'algorithms,' which vary based on the particular problem being treated.
For example, the client may be instructed to tap at the corner of the eyebrow
five times and then continue tapping on other parts of the body in a specific
sequence as instructed by the therapist. In addition, the clients are told to
roll their eyes, count, and hum a few bars of a song at various points during
the treatment." 24
There are two positive features of TFT and EMDR therapy:
These treatment methods seem to have little opportunity to
seriously damage the client, except financially.
Many therapists and counselors have switched from RMT therapy, which
is profoundly dangerous, to TFT and EMDR
It will probably take another
decade before these a consensus is reached that two therapies are useless. We hope that EMDR
and TFT are around for a long time, because the new untried, experimental therapies that
will eventually replace them
may have greater potential to injure clients.
The Dkeptics Dictionary reports that Monica Pignotti was trained in thought
field therapy
"...and became a believer but then did a controlled experiment in
which she treated half her patients with taps on the places taught
by Callahan and the other half by tapping at random places. She says
she got the same (good) results with both groups, which suggests
that the power of suggestion (the placebo effect) is what is really
at work here."
Trauma Counseling: This involves counseling people who have just
experienced a traumatic experience. Sometimes, trauma experts descend on a
school after a shooting or suicide. About 9,000
experts came to New York City after 9-11. Although the therapists mean well, it
appears that trauma counseling does not help; on average, it may make the victim
worse. Richard Gist, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri
said: "If this was a drug, we'd take it off the market. Instead, it has taken
on the force of a religious movement." Columnist Margaret Wente comments: "It
turns out that the most effective form of trauma counseling is the
old-fashioned, private, unprofessional, unpaid kind -- the kind delivered by
your mother with a pot of chicken soup, or the folks next door who offer to look
after your kids or drive you to the hospital or cut your grass, or the friend
who just hangs out with you, and takes you for a movie and a beer, and isn't
trying to debrief you." To this, we might add volunteers at Distress
Centers, (a.k.a. Crisis Centers, Suicide Prevention Bureaus). She continues: "...the
grief industry has trivialized grief. It has turned it into a pathology, then
promised us the cure. It has infantalized our culture, and cheapened mourning,
and encouraged us to lose our collective sense of what genuine tragedy is, and
how time heals if we let it." 25
Other therapies: There are many therapies and belief systems that we
have not studied in depth, but which we suspect are useless and/or dangerous. Some
are:
Alien abductions: the belief that LGM (little green men) from outer space
kidnap humans, take them to their space ships and perform intrusive medical
experiments. This belief appears to be false, and is caused by sleep paralysis
Astrology: the belief that the location of some of the planets (but
not others) in the solar system at one's birth have a significant role to play
in the person's life.
Dream analysis: That a person's emotional distress can be
understood by analyzing their dreams.
Horoscopes in the media: the belief that every person on earth can
be divided into 12 groups depending upon their birth date, and that events in
their day can be predicted with accuracy.
Numerology: the power of numbers in one's life
Palm reading (a.k.a. Palmistry, Chiromancy, Chierology): the belief
that markings and folds in one's palm predict the person's future and reveal
their past.
Reflexology: the belief that areas on a person's feet are linked to
specific organs in their body. Treating the feet will cure ailments in the
organs.
Future memory recovery: This is a variation of recovered memory
therapy. However, it is not memories from the past that are sought after as
the cause of present-day emotional distress. It is memories from the future of
events that have not yet happened.
Various therapies: According to a Victoria, Australia
newspaper, Consumer Affairs Victoria warned that "con artists
were keen to profit from those seeking the divine." A search of
Australian web sites showed:
A Melbourne school which offers certificates in spiritual healing
for $480 Australian dollars.
A four-hour "soul retrieval" for $60 in Queensland.
A "DNA upgrade" by the same Queensland company.
21
Sponsored link:
References:
The following information sources were used to prepare the above
essay in 1997 and update it more recently. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
Turning
Point program of 1996-NOV-15, ABC-TV
Rapture Ready anticipates the imminent arrival of Christ and the end of the
world as we know it. See: http://www.novia.net/~todd/
Bennett G. Braun, Ed., "Treatment Of Multiple Personality Disorder"
at: http://www.dhearts.org/
Peggy Lowe, "Girl unconscious as heart quit: Doctor says adults'
weight 'detrimental' to Candace's breathing during 'rebirthing',"
2001-APR-10. See: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
"Reactive Attachment Disorder: Position Statement," American
Psychiatric Association, at:
http://www.psych.org/archives/ You need software to read these files. It can be obtained free from:
Scott Lilienfeld, "EMDR Treatment: Less than meets the eye,"
Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 20, #1, 1996-JAN-FEB.
Brandon Gaudiano & James Herbert, "Can We Really Tap Our Problems
Away?: A Critical Analysis of Thought Field Therapy," Skeptical
Inquirer, Volume 24, #4, 2000-JUL-AUG. Online at:
http://www.csicop.org/
Margaret Wente, "Big business: the trivializing of trauma," The
Globe and Mail, Toronto, ON, 2002-SEP-7.
G.J. Devilly, "Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: A
chronology of its development and scientific standing," Scientific Review
of Mental Health Practice, 2002 1 (2) Pages 113 to 138.
Robert Carroll, "thought field therapy," The Skeptic's
Dictionary, at:
http://skepdic.com/
