Community Self-help Using Thought Field Therapy in a Traumatised Population in Uganda: a Randomised Trial

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a simple technique that involves tapping on points of the body corresponding to the meridians used in acupuncture. By using specific sequences, TFT can be used to treat a variety of psychological problems. Patients can be taught to treat themselves, and lay people can be trained to treat others in their community, as has been shown for narrative exposure therapy. Thought Field Therapy has been used to treat whole communities who have suffered psychological trauma following natural disasters and violent conflicts. In these circumstances, TFT can be used as a stand-alone therapy, or as an adjunct to other psychological therapies, by removing the pain of re-living the traumatic events. Studies in Rwanda have shown that individuals within a community can be treated with brief TFT sessions. Both short-term and longer-term improvements in scores of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) measurement scales have been demonstrated. The Kasese District in Uganda has suffered from factional conflicts and the consequences of the ongoing struggles in neighbouring countries for many years. Although the government has controlled the situation and secured the borders, many are still haunted by the psychological consequences. The purpose of the study is to validate the model of addressing widespread psychological trauma following conflict by training community leaders to help others in their community using TFT. Thirty-six community leaders will be given a two-day training in algorithm level trauma-relief TFT. They will then treat 128 volunteers for their traumas, using TFT, who will be assessed before and one week after treatment by the post-traumatic stress disorder check-list questionnaire for civilians (PCL-C). As a control, a further 128 volunteers will join a wait-list group, who will be assessed at the same time, but treated later. PCL-C scores before and after treatment will be compared with the wait-list group scores before and after waiting, but before their treatment. A follow-up assessment of the participants will be undertaken 1 to 2 years later.