DanielBenor.MD

TWR/WHEE Research

1

Benor, Daniel. Rossiter-Thornton, John. and Toussaint, Loren. (2016). A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Wholistic Hybrid Derived from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Emotional Freedom Technique (WHEE) for Self-Treatment of Pain, Depression, and Anxiety in Chronic Pain Patients. J Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine . DOI: 10.1177/2156587216659400


Abstract


In this pilot study, a convenience sample of 24 chronic pain patients (17 with CFS/FM) were randomized into WHEE treatment and wait-list control groups for 6 weeks. Assessments of depression, anxiety, and pain were completed before, during and at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Wait-listed patients then received an identical course of WHEE and assessments. WHEE decreased anxiety (p < 0.5) and depression (p < .05) compared with the control group. The wait-list-turned-WHEE assessments demonstrated decreased pain severity (p < .05) and depression (p < .04) but not pain interference or anxiety. WHEE appears a promising method for pain, anxiety and depression in patients with chronic pain, compared to standard medical care alone. Though a small pilot study, the present results suggest that further research appears warranted. An incidental finding was that a majority of patients with chronic pain had suffered psychological trauma in childhood and/or adulthood.

2

Benor, Daniel J. Ledger, Karen. Toussaint, Loren. Hett, Geoffrey. Zaccaro, Daniel . Pilot Study of Emotional Freedom Techniques, Wholistic Hybrid Derived from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Emotional Freedom Technique, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment of Test Anxiety in University Students, Explore, Nov-Dec 2009, 5(6), 338-340. (Demonstrating significant effects of WHEE and EFT in only 2 sessions, compared with 5 sessions required with CBT.}

Abstract

Objective: This study explored test anxiety benefits of wholistic hybrid derived from eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and Emotional Freedom Techniques (WHEE), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFTs), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Participants: Canadian university students with severe or moderate test anxiety participated.
Methods: A controlled trial of WHEE (n = 5), EFT (n = 5), and CBT (n = 5) was conducted. Standardized anxiety measures included the Test Anxiety Inventory and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-21.
Results: Despite small sample size, significant reductions in test anxiety were found for all three treatments. In only two sessions, WHEE and EFT achieved the same benefits as CBT did in five sessions. Participants reported high satisfaction with all treatments. Emotional freedom techniques and WHEE participants successfully transferred their self-treatment skills to other stressful areas of their lives.
Conclusions: Both WHEE and EFT show promise as feasible treatments for test anxiety.

3

Armstrong, Linda M. A Validation Study of WHEE as Therapeutic Intervention for Alleviating Test Anxiety. MA Thesis. Energy Medicine University, Sausalito, California USA 2015

Summary

This study validated the anxiolytic effects of WHEE on a group of college students who experience significant test anxiety. In addition, this study compared the effectiveness of WHEE with the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in relieving test anxiety in college students. Students attended two respective therapy sessions in either WHEE or CBT and continued using learned techniques for one semester. Reactive anxiety was measured using the Reactions to Tests scale (Sarason, 1984). Both WHEE and CBT effectively alleviated test anxiety in this pilot sample. Although more extensive experiments are required to accurately determine the benefits of WHEE compared to CBT, this study demonstrates that WHEE is a validated tool for relieving test anxiety among college students.

4

Bair, Christine Caldwell. The heart field effect: synchronization of healer-subject heart rates in energy therapy, (Dissertation) Holos University Graduate Seminary, Springfield, MO, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology 2006. (Study shows significant effects of WHEE plus a healer’s heart field)


Download copy of dissertation here.

Also published as: Bair, Christine Caldwell. “The Heart Field Effect: Synchronization of Healer-Subject Heart Rates in Energy Therapy.” Advances in Mind-Body Medicine, Winter 2008-2009, 23(4), 10-19.


Summary


Christine Caldwell Bair found that significant synchronizations were demonstrated between heart rates of healer and healees – the primary focus of the study. The volunteer healees came in response to an advertisement to learn a self-relaxation and healing technique that was part of a study. Both the control and treatment groups were also taught WHEE (Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT). The control group demonstrated a significant decrease in Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) from before to after their practice of WHEE (p < .04), which was taught to all 41 participants simultaneously.


Subjects in the treatment group received the WHEE plus an intervention to demonstrate the effect of the bioenergetic field of the healer’s heart without any touch or specified technique . A HeartMath Freeze Framer earlobe unobtrusively monitored the participants’ heartbeats. The entire value of the research was in the significant difference in outcome as a result of ONLY being in the ‘strong’ range of the centered healer’s heartfield, which demonstrated additional significant effects compared to the control group who only practiced WHEE. “The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the healer’s heart field upon subjects during energy healing, as measured by synchronization of heart rates and scores on a Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale and Profile of Mood States (POMS) inventory. A nonequivalent pretest posttest design was used based on heart rate comparison of healer and subject, and correlated with pre-and post-test SUDs and Profiles of Mood States scores. The subjects included two populations: N = 50 who sat within the 3-4 foot ‘strong’ range of the healer’s heart field, the independent variable, while using self application of the WHEE energy healing technique, and N = 41 who completed the same process beyond the 15-18 foot range of the healer’s heart field. The dependent measures were heart rate, Subjective Units of Distress, and Profile of Mood States inventory. All subjects completed these measures within one hour. Statistically significant heart rate synchronization [p < .001] was found in the intervention population. Subjective Units of Distress and Profile of Mood States scores demonstrated more improvement than the control population, indicating additional benefit beyond the WHEE effect alone [p < .003].”


The researcher notes in private communications about WHEE: Anecdotally, Dan reported that almost all the folks I’ve had opportunity to teach it to actually USE IT because of it’s ease, unobtrusiveness, and effectiveness – very different than other techniques which work fine, but no one uses them because they can’t get off alone and find 15-20 minutes to do them, so they just don’t bother.”

JHC – WHR Observations (From eZine of IJHC – WHR October 2006)

It is helpful to have this objective research confirmation of the efficacy of WHEE.

The healer was able to add significantly greater decreases in the subjective units of distress of the experimental group compared to the self-healing effects in the control group. This is an important finding, providing evidence that healer interventions can add to self-healing treatments.

General observations on TWR/WHEE research

TWR/WHEE is particularly helpful in research for two reasons:


A. It is easily learned, easy and rapid to use, and very potent and effective.


B. WHEE taps into the research database of EMDR and is thus more easily accepted by hospital research boards and conventional medical and nursing researchers and clinicians. The efficacy of EMDR is gaining acceptance as equivalent to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for treatment of PTSD by growing numbers of authorities.

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