Improving your Golf Game using EFT June 6, 2011

Watch this video for an example of how EFT can improve your golf game.

Some Startling Healthcare Statistics May 13, 2011

Workplace Wellness affects every company’s bottom line irrespective of size. For example, health insurance premiums for employers and employees are almost three times that of wages and inflation. In fact, since 2000 employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 78%. These costs are further compounded by those associated with lost productivity, accidents, medical claims, and absenteeism related to an unhealthy work staff. If healthcare costs to the employer continue to rise they will infringe upon company profits, and in some cases put companies out of business. The most efficient way to decrease costs associated with healthcare insurance premiums and general illness is to invest in your employees’ health and promote workplace wellness. We address the current reform law later in this article.

Considering the uncertain healthcare climate, it is imperative that each company offering health insurance to their employees be aware of the some basic education programs that will mitigate the rising costs of healthcare. Programs that educate employees about improvements in nutrition and increased physical activity can help prevent up to 80 percent of lifestyle-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Wellness programs can also help employees manage stress. According to the American Institute of Stress, stress alone causes businesses nearly $300 billion annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, accidents, employee turnover, medical costs, and more.

For lack of a better pun, stress is something employers should “stress” about. In the Watson Wyatt’s 2007/2008 Global Strategic Rewards study of 411 full-time employees with medical benefits, 52% said their employer does not address stress, work/life balance, or mental/behavioral health with employees; while a staggering 40% weren’t even aware of what mental/behavioral health benefits were offered by their employer. The good news is that 35.7% of employees surveyed reported they would be more likely to use their mental/behavioral health benefits if their employer promoted them thus promoting a productive and profitable work environment.

Healthcare Reform Bill 3590 and Employer Costs

With the passing of Healthcare Law 3590, employer-based health benefits have changed. Businesses, if they are not already, will drown in healthcare costs, and something must be done. But will healthcare reform keep them afloat or further push gasping businesses with bureaucratic paper trails, audits, taxes, oversight leaving them with little choice but to ultimately go out of business?

The reform aims to make insurance premiums more affordable by creating a subsidized “health care exchange” by which all insurance companies must participate and abide by rules of cost containment and non-discriminatory coverage irrespective of pre existing conditions. Within this health exchange program will be a government plan option. I outline specific legislation in another article, H.R. 3590 and Business 2010.

There’s a problem with this logic however. In order to help make premiums affordable for all, the bill targets employers with a strong message: “play or pay.” If employers do not offer full employer-based health insurance coverage; contribute to the employee’s individual/family insurance premiums; or offer a contribution in lieu of coverage, they will have to “pay” a between $750 and $3,000 per employee per year fee based on company size and yearly payroll amount, not to mention your employees’ quality of care could be compromised as a result of long waits and inadequate resources. Many businesses may simply choose not to offer insurance, though we cannot ascertain this will happen conclusively at this point. The alternative of course is to incorporate wellness programs into the workplace to help fend off potential negative side effects of this bill as it is written today.

To help enforce this “play or pay” philosophy, government will have to boost its oversight of participating businesses while additionally auditing business practices. This plan could place heavy responsibilities and pressures employers who are the main gatekeepers to the insured, underinsured, and uninsured working populations. As an employer it’s important to truly examine how this reform could affect your employees and business systems. Be informed; take a critical look at H.R. 3590: http://www.house.gov.

5 Steps to Reduce Healthcare Costs Immediately

While you might not be able to control for the effects of health reform on your company, you CAN take a proactive approach to containing healthcare costs by improving the health of your employees through workplace wellness initiatives.

i) Inform employers about their health benefits
ii) Provide healthful foods in the workplace
iii) Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers to prevent spread of the flu and colds
iv) Encourage daily physical activity in the workplace (i.e. taking the stairs)
v) Allow for three ten minute breaks throughout the workday for your employees to move away from their desks and stimulate activity.

It is highly suggested that if you are not already doing so, assign someone in your firm to evaluate and improve preventive health and well being practices in your workplace.

Nicole Laws Contributed to This Article

Merahs Diab holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science with a minor in International Business from George Mason University and holds an MBA from the University of Miami. Merahs is a frequent guest speaker on various topics related to operations management and organizational behavior and has authored numerous works on organizational efficiency, marketing, and business decision making. He is the founder of DCG Advisors, a boutique management advisory firm that assists small to mid-sized companies restructure, find financing, virtual modeling, and in depth market analysis.

He can be reached at merahs@dcgadvisors.com.
(305) 720-2932

http://www.dcgadvisors.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4103625

Research Results December 1, 2009

Rowe, J. (2005). The effects of EFT on long-term psychological symptoms. Counseling and Clinical Psychology Journal, 2(3):104.

Abstract
Previous research (Salas, 2000; Wells, et al., 2003), theoretical writings (Arenson, 2001, Callahan, 1985, Durlacher, 1994, Flint, 1999, Gallo, 2002, Hover-Kramer, 2002, Lake & Wells, 2003, Lambrou & Pratt, 2000, and Rowe, 2003), and many case reports (http://www.emofree.com) have suggested that energy psychology is an effective psychotherapy treatment that improves psychological functioning. The purpose of the present study was to measure any changes in psychological functioning that might result from participation in an experiential Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) workshop and to examine the long-term effects. Using a time-series, within-subjects repeated measures design, 102 participants were tested with a short-form of the SCL-90-R (SA-45) 1 month before, at the beginning of the workshop, at the end of the workshop, 1 month after the workshop, and 6 months after the workshop. There was a statistically significant decrease (p

< 0.0005) in all measures of psychological distress as measured by the SA-45 from pre-workshop to post-workshop which held up at the 6 month follow-up.

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Church, D. (2009) The Treatment of Combat Trauma in Veterans using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques): A Pilot Protocol. Traumatology, March 15:1.

Abstract
With a large number of US military service personnel coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co- morbid psychological conditions, a need exists to find protocols and treatments that are effective in brief treatment timeframes. In this study, a sample of 11 veterans and family members were assessed for PTSD and other conditions. Evaluations were made using the SA-45 (Symptom Assessment 45) and the PCL-M (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist – Military) using a time-series, within-subjects, repeated measures design. A baseline measurement was obtained thirty days prior to treatment, and immediately before treatment. Subjects were then treated with a brief and novel exposure therapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), for five days. Statistically significant improvements in the SA-45 and PCL-M scores were found at posttest. These gains were maintained at both the 30- and 90-day follow-ups on the general symptom index, positive symptom total and the anxiety, somatization, phobic anxiety, and interpersonal sensitivity subscales of the SA-45, and on PTSD. The remaining SA-45 scales improved posttest but were not consistently maintained at the 30- and 90-day follow-ups. One-year follow-up data was obtained for 7 of the participants and the same improvements were observed. In summary, after EFT treatment, the group no longer scored positive for PTSD, the severity and breadth of their psychological distress decreased significantly, and most of their gains held over time. This suggests that EFT can be an effective post-deployment intervention.

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Wells, S., Polglase, K., Andrews, H. B., Carrington, P. & Baker, A. H. (2003). Evaluation of a meridian-based intervention, emotional freedom techniques (EFT), for reducing specific phobias of small animals. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59:9, 943-966.

Abstract
This study explored whether a meridian-based procedure, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), can reduce specific phobias of small animals under laboratory-controlled conditions. Randomly assigned participants were treated individually for 30 minutes with EFT (n = 18) or a comparison condition, Diaphragmatic Breathing (DB) (n = 17). ANOVAS revealed that EFT produced significantly greater improvement than did DB behaviorally and on three self-report measures, but not on pulse rate. The greater improvement for EFT was maintained, and possibly enhanced, at 6 – 9 months follow-up on the behavioral measure. These findings suggest that a single treatment session using EFT to reduce specific phobias can produce valid behavioral and subjective effects. Some limitations of the study are also noted and clarifying research suggested.

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Feinstein, D. (2008b) Energy psychology in disaster relief. Traumatology141:1, 124-137.

Abstract
Energy psychology utilizes cognitive operations such as imaginal exposure to traumatic memories or visualization of optimal performance scenarios—combined with physical interventions derived from acupuncture, yoga, and related systems—for inducing psychological change. While a controversial approach, this combination purportedly brings about, with unusual speed and precision, therapeutic shifts in affective, cognitive, and behavioral patterns that underlie a range of psychological concerns. Energy psychology has been applied in the wake of natural and human-made disasters in the Congo, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mexico, Moldavia, Nairobi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, and the U.S. At least three international humanitarian relief organizations have adapted energy psychology as a treatment in their post-disaster missions. Four tiers of energy psychology interventions include 1) immediate relief/stabilization, 2) extinguishing conditioned responses, 3) overcoming complex psychological problems, and 4) promoting optimal functioning. The first tier is most pertinent in psychological first aid immediately following a disaster, with the subsequent tiers progressively being introduced over time with complex stress reactions and chronic disorders. This paper reviews the approach, considers its viability, and offers a framework for applying energy psychology in treating disaster survivors.

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Brattberg, G. (2008). Self-administered EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) in individuals with fibromyalgia: a randomized trial. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, August/September.

Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine if self-administered EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) leads to reduced pain perception, increased acceptance, coping ability and health-related quality of life in individuals with fibromyalgia. 86 women, diagnosed with fibromyalgia and on sick leave for at least 3 months, were randomly assigned to a treatment group or a waiting list group. An eight-week EFT treatment program was administered via the Internet. Upon completion of the program, statistically significant improvements were observed in the intervention group (n=26) in comparison with the waiting list group (n=36) for variables such as pain, anxiety, depression, vitality, social function, mental health, performance problems involving work or other activities due to physical as well as emotional reasons, and stress symptoms. Pain catastrophizing measures, such as rumination, magnification and helplessness, were significantly reduced, and the activity level was significantly increased. The number needed to treat (NNT) regarding recovering from anxiety was 3. NNT for depression was 4. Self-administered EFT seems to be a good complement to other treatments and rehabilitation programs. The sample size was small and the dropout rate was high. Therefore the surprisingly good results have to be interpreted with caution. However, it would be of interest to further study this simple and easily accessible self-administered treatment method, which can even be taught over the Internet.