A bigger swamp is still a swamp: Comments on Feinstein

David Feinstein’s response, “Comment on ‘The current status of energy psychology’; Growing evidence for extraordinary claims: (2014a) to my review “The current status of energy psychology: Extraordinary claims with less than ordinary evidence” (Bakker, 2013) claims to demonstrate that my selection and reporting of studies skews my data, and that (a) scientific support for the efficacy of energy psychology is accumulating, (b) initial findings suggest that the methods is surprisingly rapid and effective, and (c) plausible mechanisms are consistent with established psychological principles.

On the contrary, my review illustrated how inappropriately skewed Feinstein’s (2008,2012) citation of studies has been, (a) the support for energy psychology’s efficacy has flat-lined; (b) if something is surprisingly rapid and effective, it is not energy psychology; and (c) “tapping on meridians” and “energy fields” are still not consistent with established psychological principles.