A new treatment is helping people overcome some of their fears, including some of the not-so-pleasant creatures that New Yorkers often see.
Dr. Harvey Baker, a psychology professor at Queens College, has been doing research about a treatment called accutapping, which can help with different kinds of phobias. The treatment involves verbal affirmations, reading “pleasant” magazine articles and using a person’s own fingertips to touch on acupuncture points.
Baker said that he originally heard about this treatment from other therapists he knew and was skeptical about it. It wasn’t until he saw a demonstration at a conference that he became convinced that it worked and started doing his own research.
“I’ve been involved in a few studies and it works,” Baker said, adding that it gives people hope. He continued, “I’m now convinced that it works – that it helps people. I’m impressed that it works. It’s valid.”
Baker, who said he has not seen any bad side effects of the treatment, has been doing studies involving “small critters,” such as rats, cockroaches, spiders and water bugs. He said that the technique “will work with any object,” although for the studies things that could be kept in a lab had to be selected.
“The majority of people will get improvement, sometimes dramatic improvement, in the first session, according to our research,” Baker said.
One reason why this method works, Baker said, is because it “very rapidly helps people relax.”
“People feel better after a single session,” he said.
Baker began doing studies eight years ago and is now involved in his fifth study on accutapping. This will be the first one that will measure brain waves. He said that a person can have an everyday fear of rats, mice, spiders, water bugs or snakes in order to participate in the study.
“It’s hard to get subjects because most people who have fears avoid the feared object and don’t seek any help,” Baker said.
Participants must be 18 or older and be able to attend one visit for two-and-a-half hours. Anyone interested in participating in the study can contact Baker at drharveybaker@gmail.com or 718-997-3242.
Baker said that he is planning on conducting more studies in the future, although at this time he is unsure if he will switch to another fear or not.
