User:Alfred112233/Be Set Free Fast

Be Set Free Fast™ is a set of psychotherapeutic procedures intended to depotentiate the impact of emotionally distressing memory traces that, when activated by environmental or mental stimuli, detrimentally (and often dramatically) impact a person's experiences and perceptions, and may negatively influence their responses. The name is an acronym for Behavioral and Emotional Symptom Elimination Training for Resolving Excess Emotions: Fear, Anger, Sadness, Trauma (an often-used abbreviation for Be Set Free Fast is "BSFF™"). The method was invented by clinical psychologist Larry Philip Nims, Ph.D. circa 1990, and is practiced and taught in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

Dr. Nims developed BSFF while trying to determine what essential processes were at work that seemed to make the original energy psychology method known as "The Callahan Techniques" (now Thought Field Therapy® or TFT®) so effective and fast-acting. While admiring the results of its application, Dr. Nims was wary of the reasons given for its effectiveness. While he did not initially challenge the assertion that emotional problems are caused by disturbances in the energy field (termed as "Thought Field" but referring to life force energies ("Chi") within and around the body), and that tapping on Chinese energy meridian points to correct these disturbances seemed to be helpful, he eventually surmised that it is ultimately the subconscious mind that effects the elimination of emotional and mindbody symptoms in accordance with the conscious intention and expectancy of the user, and that this same mechanism is at work within all effective therapeutic processes.

On this basis of this premise, he abandoned the meridian tapping protocols he had distilled from TFT and instead authored a set of instructions to be read to one's subconscious mind that were to be executed on the signal or "cue" of the conscious mind. The method continued to show very promising results, and Dr. Nims proceeded to start teaching it to clinicians and the lay public.

Upon deconstructing BSFF's components, it becomes apparent that elements of several psychological theories, methods, and phenomena are potentially simultaneously at work which produce emotional and cognitive shifts when the method is applied. The resulting process seems to bear features of psychodynamic theory, neurofeedback, classical conditioning, the placebo effect, hypnosis and hypnotherapy theory and principles, learning theory, cognitive psychology, experiential psychology (i.e. Gestalt Psychology, Focusing), and memory reconsolidation. //Deconstruction of elements of the BSFF procedures and process with citations of research and professional journals and texts to follow//

Anecdotal accounts range from mild-to-deep relaxation, shifts in perception of a personal problem, elimination or significant reduction of symptoms, intensification of symptoms followed by reduction of symptoms, gradual reduction of symptoms, dramatic reduction of symptoms, a shift from one set of symptoms to another, and negligible or no change at all. During a typical professionally-guided hour-long session, a number of iterations of steps in the protocol may be applied to various aspects of a problem before it is deemed complete.

To date there is no peer-reviewed research examining BSFF as an integrated method. Although several of its elements reflect well-established and well-researched psychological theories, psychotherapy methods, and psychological phenomena, a series of well-designed and well-executed studies on BSFF as a method needs to be conducted, reviewed, and replicated in order to confirm whether its effects are real and to compare its results to those of research-based psychotherapy modalities or psychiatric medication. Further studies should focus on determining whether or not BSFF actually engages subconscious processes as Nims et al characterize, as well as determining how much of a role, if any, each of its other elements has in creating a therapeutic effect, or whether some as-yet-undefined variable is responsible. Future Studies should eventually measure rates of success or failure for specific categories of psychological conditions. //Citations to follow//