Role of Energy Psychology in Treatment of Road Accident Trauma
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International Journal of Psychology and Counselling Vol. 2(5), pp. 85-90, November 2010 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/IJPC ISSN 2141-2499 ©2010 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Role of energy psychology in treatment of road accident trauma Zaved Ahmed Khan1*, Shahila Zafar2, Pratima Giri3 and Kumari Priyamveda3 1Medical Biotechnology Division School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore-632014 TN, India. 2School of Social Sciences and languages VIT University, Vellore-632014 TN, India. 3School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore-632014 TN, India. Accepted 30 September, 2010 Stress reactions after a road accident may include the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety disorders, as well as other psychiatric conditions such as prolonged grief reactions, somatisation and substance abuse. This paper reviews the approach, considers the viability and offers a framework for applying energy psychology in treating road accident trauma patients. Energy psychologies have been dubbed "power therapies" because they work so quickly compared to the traditional talk therapy. This appears to be partially because they target the more primitive parts of the brain - the limbic system, medulla oblongata and Enkephalin system, which is in every cell of the body. Key words: Energy psychology, road accident, trauma, therapy. INTRODUCTION The World Health Organization has revealed in its first in the period 1997 - 2003 and has since increased to 101. ever Global Status Report on Road Safety that more As per the annual NCRB report, road accidents had the people die in road accidents in India than anywhere else maximum (37.1%) share of unnatural causes of in the world. The statistics for India regarding road accidental deaths in the country. The impact of the accidents are chilling. At least 13 people die every hour in accidents is not only immediate but has long term effect road accidents in the country, the latest report of the in many cases. National Crime Records Bureau reveals (NCRB). The impact of road accidents can be broadly The number of vehicles registered in India is shown in categorized as in Figure 1. Table 1. Table 2 shows the sales of motor vehicles in India in 1997 and 2007. The sales figures also show an average annual increase of 10 - 12% per year. Multiple impacts of road injury Table 3 shows the number of road traffic fatalities and the population of India from 1997 to 2007. The total Road injury impacts on the indigenous community at number of fatalities increased at an average rate of about multiple levels. Direct effects can be measured in terms 4% per year in the period 1997 - 2003 and the rate has of deaths, hospitalisations and associated disabilities. increased to 8% per year since then. The number of Additional effects include emotional stress and fatalities per million population remained around 79 - 83 psychological impact of the injury on individuals, family members and close-knit community groups. Particularly when long-term care is needed, secondary impacts can result in reduced quality of life for carers. Financial stress *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: can also occur as a result from loss of labour, medical (0416)2243091/93 Ext. 2546, 9994546977. Fax: and legal costs and vehicle repairs. The impact can be (0416)2243092. particularly immense if a driver is killed or seriously 86 Int. J. Psychol. Couns. Road accident trauma Physical Psychological Musculoskeletal trauma Acute stress disorder Traumatic brain injuries Emotional stress and Psychological impact Figure 1. Impact of road accidents. Table 1. Motor vehicle registration in India (Mohan, 2009). Year MTW* Cars/Jeeps Trucks Buses Others** Total 1997 25,729 (69 )*** 4,67 2 (13) 2,343 (6) 484 (1.1) 4,104 (11) 37,332 (100) 2004 51,922 (71) 9,451 (13) 3,749 (5) 768 (1.3) 6,828 (09) 72,718 (100) Growth/year (%) 10.6 10.6 6.9 6.8 7.5 10.0 * Motorised two-wheelers ** Others include tractors, trailers, three wheelers and other miscellaneous vehicles which are not separately classified. *** Numbers in parentheses represent row percentages. Source: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Delhi. Table 2. Vehicle sales in India (Mohan, 2009). Year Motorised two-wheelers Three-wheelers Cars Commercial vehicles Total 1997 2,88 5,004 (79 ) 216,729 (06) 396,450 (11) 169,937 (5) 3,668 ,120 (100) 2007 7,416,191 (78 ) 380,66 3 (04) 1,273,89 3 (13) 479,593 (5) 9,550,340 (100) Growth/year (%) 10 6 12 11 10 Source: Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, Delhi. injured, reducing the already limited number of drivers problems by eliminating emotional traumas or blockages available to a community. The effect on indigenous police from the mind/body continuum by touching or tapping key who are required to attend road-crash scenes provides a points on the body. further example of the potential impact of road trauma. Energy psychology utilizes cognitive operations such A stressful road accident exposure may exacerbate as imagery exposure to traumatic memories or preexisting psychiatric conditions, trigger a latent disorder visualization of optimal performance scenarios-combined or cause psychic vulnerability to later stressful events. with physical interventions derived from acupuncture, For many years ‘acute stress debriefing’ was the yoga, and related systems-for inducing psychological intervention of choice for road accident victims. However, change. It includes a variety of protocols (at least two research about its efficacy has failed to show any positive dozen variations have been identified) that generally fall outcome. Here we discuss energy psychology as an within the field of energy medicine (Feinstein and Eden, emerging technique for the treatment of road accident 2008), much as psychiatry is a specialty within related trauma. The term “energy psychology” refers to a conventional medicine. number of related energy therapies that are based on the Energy medicine is recognized by the National Chinese Meridian system of medicine. Energy Institutes of Health (NIH) as a form of "complementary psychology quickly and thoroughly relieves mental health and alternative medicine" that is based on the supposition Khan et al. 87 Table 3. Road traffic fatalities in India (Mohan, 2009). Year Fatalities Population (million) Fatalities/million persons 1997 77 ,000 955 81 1998 79,900 971 82 1999 82,000 987 83 2000 78,900 1,002 79 2001 80,900 1,027 79 2002 84,059 1,051 80 2003 84,430 1,068 79 2004 91,376 1,086 84 2005 98,254 1,103 89 2006 105,725 1,120 94 2007 114,590 1,136 101 Source: National Crime Records Bureau, Delhi. that illness results from disturbances in the body's (EFT), Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) and the Tapas electromagnetic energies and energy fields (National Acupressure Technique (TAT). TFT, EFT, and TAT have Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of been by far the most widely utilized and investigated EP NIH, 2005). approaches.EFT, TFT, and NET all work by accessing Energy psychology focuses on these energies for the the mind/body matrix or Meridian System in Chinese purpose of alleviating psychological problems and medicine. pursuing personal goals. Chinese medicine addresses the body's need for Body’s energies include the electrical charge in every balance or homeostasis. If the Chi or energy of the body cell and organ, the electrical pathways in the nervous is in balance then it is assumed that the body will be able system, the electromagnetic fields surrounding every to cure itself and run at top efficiency. Practitioners organ as well as the entire body and also more subtle assess the body's balance by testing acupressure or energies such as the chi spoken of by acupuncturists and acupuncture points in the body, which are divided up into the prana spoken of by yoga practitioners. With 12 main meridian systems. These meridian systems are psychological problems, an experience one regularly named for the main organs of the body such as the Lung encounters causes the brain to send out electrical signals Meridian or the Liver Meridian. Each of these systems that lead to an emotion (perhaps anxiety, depression, or corresponds with particular emotions. For example, the anger), a perception, or a behavior that is not appropriate lung meridian is associated with grief and sorrow and the for the current situation. The triggering experience may liver meridian with anger and resentment. Through a be one encountered with some frequency, such as process of tapping acupuncture points on the body, situations where is being confronted or tested. It may trauma is relieved and homeostasis is reestablished. also be internal, a recurring memory, image, or Thought Field Therapy, or TFT, a fringe psychological thought. One way to approach the problem is to work treatment , is one of the earliest formulations of EP, directly with the energies that maintain the pattern in the developed by an American psychologist, Roger Callahan brain’s response to the triggering experience. This is the (Callahan, 2002). It can heal a variety of mental and approach used in energy psychology. physical ailments through specialized "tapping" with the If every time one thinks about a particular situation, fingers at meridian points on the upper body and hands. certain parts of the brain become over-stimulated, leading EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a streamlined to emotions that get in one’s way, we can have one think variation of TFT that can be used by the general public about the situation while one touches or taps or outside clinical settings, originated by Gary Craig after massages trigger points that alter the dysfunctional studying with Callahan. EFT is an easy yet effective response in one’s brain. This retrains the body and brain method that allows quick release of negative emotions.