With the many energy healing and energy psychology modalities available today, practitioners and consumers might not always know where to turn for sound information about training, research and professional standards in the field. Fortunately, there’s a locally-based organization addressing this international concern.

Formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1999, the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP), headquartered in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, has a global membership of more than 1,200 licensed mental health professionals and allied health practitioners. ACEP members adhere to a code of ethics and are dedicated to exploring, developing, researching and applying energy psychology and energy healing methods to alleviate human suffering, enhance human performance and access human potential.

ACEP has been a staunch advocate for ethical and professional standards in this emerging field of energy-based health care over the past 17 years. The organization led the charge in overturning institutional bans against providing continuing education for psychologists and other professionals studying these modalities. As the body of research on energy psychology and energy healing has grown in rigor and volume, the possibilities for creating truly integrative care have increased as well.

Between its international conference, national trainings, institutional advocacy, humanitarian outreach, online courses and free research pages, ACEP offers a wealth of information and support for both practitioners and consumers interested in bringing energy healing into the mainstream.

The amount of science and research that supports subtle energy methods is growing. There have been 82 published studies on the effectiveness of Meridian Tapping Techniques, including Emotional Freedom Techniques, a method derived from acupressure that involves tapping with fingertips on the body’s meridian points to release energy blockages.

ACEP has detailed much of the science behind energy healing in a new online program that features the field’s leading researchers, such as Bruce Lipton, Jim Oschman, Beverly Rubik, Dan Siegel, Dean Radin and many others. The course covers energy psychology, energy medicine and energy healing and offers continuing education to mental health professionals, physicians, nurses and body workers. While this course is geared toward practitioners, it’s also appropriate for people that want to be educated about the science behind these energy healing methods.

Robert Schwarz, PsyD, DCEP, is the Executive Director of ACEP. For more information about programs, call 619-861-2237 or visit EnergyPsych.org. October 2016.