What to do about a friend involved in quackery (Theta Healing)?

July 24, 2009 4:58 PM

What to do about a friend involved in quackery (Theta Healing)?

A dear friend, seeking therapy for emotional issues, is now getting 'Theta Healing'. I'm 99% sure it is total quackery. My friend would value my opinion if I gave it, but also might react badly and I can see the relationship being badly damaged.

I would like to simply leave it alone completely; my friend is smart, and of course may find some therapeutic value in the healing (I'd call it a placebo effect - perhaps worth unknowingly paying for?). But, I've read how some consider the practice not only bogus but dangerous. Surely I must raise it with my friend?

Theta healing claims to cure absolutely anything, and instantly. Anyone can become a certified practitioner by taking a 3-day course!

In a sense, it has a home page; that of it's creator, here:
http://www.thetahealing.com/

Heavy criticism here:
http://www.thetahealingtechnique.com/bulletin-board.html

And James Randi speaks out on it, and on and on. What to do?

posted by kaat to health & fitness (14 comments total)

This appears to be some sort of spiritual and/or "energy" healing, from what I've been able to Google on the fly. I guess it depends on how deep the emotional issues are for your friend, and how much stock your friend is putting into this type of therapy.

Perhaps the best way to approach it is to ask your friend why s/he decided on this course of action? Keep the conversation open-ended and let your friend tell you what goes on, and see if you can approach your objections in the course of the conversation, rather than saying, "I read up on this quackery, and you shouldn't be doing it."
posted by xingcat at 5:16 PM on July 24

Why not just let your friend do whatever they want? You might think it's stupid, but unless it's going to cause substantial damage to their financial status, it's probably none of your business.
posted by anniecat at 5:31 PM on July 24 [3 favorites has favorites]

If your friend were a cancer patient, my advice would be RADICALLY different.

However, emotional problems are elusive things. Ultimately, who knows why/how we drop certain problems/situations and progress as human beings? I think the how and why is different for everyone, depending on the situation.

If your friend were thinking of pills from a doctor, I would be way more concerned - long story there, and I know this view is bucking against the norm today as a pill to mask any symptom is always the answer - but the side-effects of medications are usually not worth the result. Some things (issues) are better processed organically, no matter how extreme they seem.

I tend to think that pills are for situations where altering the environment (moving, changing jobs , etc.) or yoga, meditation, talk therapy, group therapy and process groups, etc. have failed.

I think the time to "speak up" to your friend is if/when they have spent a significant amount of money on the endeavor and seen little or no result.
posted by jbenben at 5:40 PM on July 24 [1 favorite has favorites]

It looks like bog-standard quantum quackery to me.

Emotional problems are real, and unfortunately the gentle pablum that new age groups often dispense at first, can gradually give way to more damaging ideas later. For instance, some sort of vague "you are in control" message can morph into "you have problems because deep down you want to have problems" or eventually "you are subverting the treatment". And of course, there's no real treatment there.

On the other hand, you can only push so hard in these kinds of circumstances without alienating your friend. It seems like you already sense this. I think xingcat has the right approach. I think it's perfectly fine to say that you're concerned because you haven't heard of this before, and that you want to hear how the therapy is going to make sure your friend is getting the help he/she needs. Don't push, but just going over what happened may help your friend see through any flim-flam. Don't mention Randi or the word "quackery" (etc) until your friend has already raised substantial doubts.
posted by Humanzee at 5:58 PM on July 24 [2 favorites has favorites]

Say, "I did some research on Theta Healing and found that some people have concerns about it. Would you like to hear my opinion?"
posted by Wordwoman at 6:48 PM on July 24 [2 favorites has favorites]

See above. Next step, should it not be obvious, is to respect your friend's answer.
posted by Wordwoman at 6:50 PM on July 24 [1 favorite has favorites]

The most important thing is to avoid making your friend feel like the fool. You want to make it more like your friend is figuring it out for himself, or you're investigating together, rather than someone else (you) exposing him as gullible. Ask questions like "How do you think it works?" and "Have there been any blinded tests?"
posted by Stylus Happenstance at 7:11 PM on July 24 [1 favorite has favorites]

Truly useful input. I'm so thankful for this place. Thanks a lot. Right now, I'm with jbenben :)
posted by kaat at 7:30 PM on July 24

So, the challenge is how to do this as a good friend?

Yes, definitely ask questions, rather than making statements or challenging her in a way that will make her defensive. Play the role of someone who wants to be convinced, but is having trouble believing it. Seek evidence.

"So how does it work?"
"How do you know it's working?"
"Are there studies on this?"
"What do the investigative types say? Is it legitimate?"
"What the heck's a thetan?"
"So... how can we test this to make sure it's real?"

And so on. Instead of giving your opinion (no matter how certain you are, it's still an opinion, right?) instead gently encourage critical thinking. Be patient.

This puts you "on her side", rather than in an adversarial place. Again, be patient, and when after weeks or months she finally realizes it's stupid and gives it up: let her believe it was all her own smart head that figured it out all on her own, and drop the subject forever.

In other words, be supportive and helpful, but don't look for credit and don't gloat. And if you are ever tempted to say "I told you so", bite your tongue hard.
posted by rokusan at 7:33 PM on July 24

Having read some more, something interesting occurs to me. I mentioned the placebo effect in my question. Apart from the obvious quackery, everything these Theta practitioners say about how their stuff works is indistinguishable from a structured approach to induce the placebo effect.

My imagination had fun with it: What if some people realized that the placebo effect was real and desirable, and so set up alternative types of healing whose secret goal is just that: to induce the placebo effect. Presumably the placebo effect is a lot more difficult to achieve if the goal is known to the patient. Gee, maybe I'll start my own conspiracy theory. Or wait until someone points out that it already exists.
posted by kaat at 8:22 PM on July 24

I'd say what you do depends on why your friend has sought out this 'healing' and what they would do if they contracted something serious, whether they would continue to consult with a regular GP for checkups, etc. The note on the site wrt the 3 dead as a result of not going to doctors would concern me if it's accurate. However, if your friend has some ailment western medicine cannot cure and which is non life threatening, then I agree with what rokusan said. I have no use for quack cures and their providers or phony 'religious' types which often suck money out of people who cannot find relief anywhere, but trying to dissuade someone from following a false prophet (think about that one) is almost impossible. If your friend is battling a fatal disease and they're saying they have the cure, call the fraud squad to at least alert them. Other than having someone in the second position declared incompetent, I don't think you can do anything. And, btw, is this one of those things that expects a large donations?
posted by x46 at 8:57 PM on July 24

Thanks x46. My friend is paying $100 per hour-long session, but is also quite affluent. I believe my friend will stay in the allopathic world, at least for physical concerns. Key among my friend's emotional issues is trust, in various ways. To me, this makes my actions, if any, all the more sensitive. It's a friend for whom I have unconditional love, and I feel so strongly I must get this right. I'm comfortable doing nothing at least for now.

You know, I have concealed my friend's gender, thinking I'd rather get views without that being a potential bias. Is that silly? I thought it was interesting that my friend has already been referred to as specifically male and female here. I'm sure it's nothing.
posted by kaat at 10:41 PM on July 24

fwiw, I pictured a "she" but used "he" in the neutral sense.
posted by Stylus Happenstance at 11:50 PM on July 24

Be a friend. "So, tell me about the theta healing. How are you feeling? Who's the practitioner?" Let your friend share the experience. Maybe the quack healer has some people skills and your friend is getting some listening. If your friend starts raiding savings to pay for more "healing," is when you should act.
posted by theora55 at 6:35 PM on July 25