Fibromyalgia

Approximately 6 million adults in the U.S. suffer with fibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal disorder of unknown etiology characterized by widespread pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory disturbance, and mood issues. Symptoms sometimes begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection, or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event. Diagnosis usually occurs during middle age, and prevalence increases with age. Women are much more likely (7 to 1) to develop fibromyalgia than are men. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and depression. While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a variety of medications can help control symptoms.

However, a number of apparent cures following energy psychology treatments have been reported:

Case Example [summarized from a case described in Brattberg, 2008, cited below]:

A 54-year-old woman was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and PTSD in March 1993. Over the next decade she was prescribed numerous medications, but she received little benefit and the side effects worsened her overall health. In February of 2005, she began using EFT. Her practitioner's description on the database describes severe overall body pain: "It hurt to walk, sit, lie, or move. Even her eyelids hurt and pain persistently pulsed throughout her body. On pain scale of 0-10, her pain was almost perpetually at a 10. She had complained of sleeplessness for a few years but was reluctant to take sleep medication. Her cognitive abilities were thus very poor, mainly from lack of sleep." Seven in-office EFT sessions were provided along with e-mail and telephone support for back-home application. The patient was able to discontinue all pain and sleep medication within weeks, and a medical diagnosis in June 2006 showed her to be free of the three initial conditions. The patient's statement on the database: "I no longer have any symptoms of fibromyalgia, CFS, pain, PTSD, or insomnia. Diligent use of EFT was the only healing method that created this result."

Sample Fibromyalgia Treatment Outcome Study:

Brattberg, G. (2008). Self-administered EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) in individuals with fibromyalgia: a randomized trial. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, 7(4), 30-35. Full article.