Vol. 3:2; Article 1

This issue of the ejournal is dominated by attention to Thought Field Therapy (TFT). This was one of the four new treatments we investigated here in Tallahassee as part of the Active Ingredient research program by the Traumatology Institute (then the Psychosocial Stress Research Program) at Florida State University. TFT was the last to be tested using the systematic clinical demonstration (SCD) methodology of treatment model testing (Carbonell & Figley, 1996).

We were very impressed with TFT. As can be seen by videotape, TFT significantly reduced client distress in terms of desensitization to the fear response caused by the fear stimulus. However, TFT had a very fundamental limitation. In contrast t o EMDR that includes the reprocessing element, TFT did not. We now believe that all excellent traumatology treatment should have both elements. TFT excludes direction for the client in replacing the dysfunctional learning and its various cognitions/schema with those more compatible with being desensitized (being symptom free). In this way, clients learn new ways of viewing the past, present, and future. As a result they will not be constantly distressed by other factors associated with the original fear.

However, TFT advocates argue that all clients do not need this element. Indeed, most traumatized people suffer more from the results of chronic distress. They argue that if the practitioner just desensitize the client (i.e., SUDs down to 1 or 0), that is all the client may want or need at that time. For those who need more in the way of guidance in reprocessing, the therapist can provide it. This seems to be a reasonable argument. Yet for some clients this is not an option. This is certainly t rue for the clients we treat in our Friday Traumatology Clinic here at FSU. I speak here for myself not the ejournal or its Editorial Board. Dr. Callahan is a distinguished practitioner. He has demonstrated his skill in eliminating distress not only in hi s office but also on television in front of a studio audience. Indeed, it is easy to get distracted by the medium by which he demonstrates and discusses his approach. No matter the problems found in his arguments, his treatmen! t do es work extraordinarily well based on what we know in 1997. We are in his debt for inventing this extraordinary gift to mankind and want to understand it and use it to its fullest potential. At the same time, Wayne Hooke has raised some important points t hat are as yet unanswered by Dr. Callahan. The ejournal will attract, we hope, comments from our Traumatic-Stress Forum, including formal replies that we will publish with the issue, if at all possible.

The final article focuses on another powerful therapy, EMDR. This important study reports the results of treating twenty children and adolescents for a single traumatic memory with a single session of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Treatment was delayed 1 m for half the group. Over half of the 20 participants moved from Clinical to Normal levels on the Impact of Events Scale, and all but 3 showed at least partial symptom relief on several measures at 1-3 months following a single EMDR session. The results are hopeful but not definitive. We hope that this study will encourage more study.

The Field of Traumatology focuses on understanding the immediate and long-term consequences--both positive and negative--of traumatic events and the most effective methods for decreasing the negative consequences and increasing the positive co nsequences. The Field, therefore, has an interest in the traditional fields of law, emergency and trauma medicine, psychology, psychiatry, social work, sociology, family sciences, and others. The Ejournal was established in 1995 with its first issue dated April 26, one week following the Oklahoma City bombing. It is within this spirit of shock and attention to helping those affected that TRAUMATOLOGYe was born and exists today. In contrast to its parent publication, the Journal of Traumatic Stress, TRAUMA TOLOGYe intends to publish reports about research and treatment approaches still in progress or under development. TRAUMATOLOGYe will also attract contributions by authors who like our 30 day review deadline; that the Traumati! c St ress Forum (part of InterPsych Forum Consortium) is the primary sponsor and who receives the preprints with opportunities to respond. But submissions to TRAUMATOLOGYe that meet the specifications of JTS will be forward there, with the permission of the fi rst author. As a result, JTS will retain and strengthen its première leadership in the field. The Ejournal will become known for late breaking reports of interesting findings, innovative assessment methodologies, and treatment approaches that may o r may not become important. In terms of format, the Ejournal is available free (beta version only) to members of the Traumatic-Stress Forum and the first 30 days after the issue is published. During this period they have the opportunity to offer feedback to improve the overall quality of the publication (e.g., from editing to editorializing).

1995, Volume I, Issue 1
1995, Volume I, Issue 2
1996, Volume II, Issue 1
1996, Volume II, Issue 2
1997, Volume III, Issue 1
1997, Volume III, Issue 2