Controversial Therapies

Abstract

Controversial therapies (CTs) are psychotherapies that lack an evidence basis, are implausible with respect to current psychological science, and may be associated with adverse events. CTs are rarely independently evaluated or transparently reported, and are often commercialized. Among CTs are Dianetics, primal therapy, transactional analysis, neuro‐linguistic programming, thought field therapy, recovered memory therapy, and attachment therapy. CTs have historical commonalities and share emphases on unconscious motivation, mind–body interactions, and views of memory that contradict established evidence.

How to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy: A 19-item checklist.

“…Some of these warning signs (especially 1–13) bear primarily on the promotion and marketing of treatments, whereas others (especially 14–19) bear primarily on the quality of research ostensibly supporting them, although there is some overlap between these two broad categories. Although we do not provide specific references for each warning sign, we encourage interested readers to consult the following sources for examples of the overhyping of interventions (Dawes, 1994; Eisner, 2000; Herbert et al, 2000; Jacobson, Foxx, & Mulick, 2005; Lilienfeld et al, 2014; Lilienfeld, Marshall, Todd, & Shane, 2014; Mercer, 2015; Norcross, Koocher, & Garafalo, 2006; Overholser, 2014; Thyer & Pignotti, 2015; Singer & Lalich, 1996; Witkowski, 2015).…”