The debate, in which Monica Pignotti is a major participant covers a range of loosely connected topics, including cult exit therapy, a decades old CNN appearance, a dissident cleric, and more.

This is, however, hardly the type of behavior in which the “Ralph Nader of Psychotherapy” (as Pignotti has described herself) would be expected to engage in.

She has, however, never held a license and therefore never seen a patient. Her academic career seems to have ended at Richard Stockton College in New Jersey.

She has a blog on Psychology Today. She uses it to promote her books, even when there are other books available on the same topic.

When the issue of her lack of licensing has been raised on the blog, she has caused commenting to be disabled.

Jean Mercer is involved in a so-called “advocacy group” with some rather dubious individuals. When this issue was raised on her blog, she also caused commenting to be disabled.

Among them is Larry Sarner. Sarner has been described as a mathematician. There is no documentation to support this claim.

Documentation is, however, available to support the claim that Sarner was involved in a great deal of litigation involving his designs for voting machines. The voting machines did not work.

Sarner lost every case. His wife, Linda Rosa, was also dragged into the fray.

This group also touts the work of Charly D. Miller. Once again, there is a great deal of documentation available to substantiate the claims made here. This documentation shows, among other things, that Miller was fired from a job for drinking, fired from a job for improperly disclosing patient records, and that she has been disqualified as an expert witness.

Mercer has also authored several publications with former Scientologist and Thought Field Therapy/Voice Technology practitioner Monica Pignotti.

- John Berlau

John Berlau is not a scientist. He began his career in journalism, working for right wing publications such as Insight and Reason.

He is currently the head of the Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).

Investors? Maybe Berlau has played the market. Entrepreneurs? Berlau has never been an entrepreneur!

In addition to believing that DDT may prolong your life, Berlau has other strange ideas. He believes that trees pollute more than cars. He believes that heating a gas makes it heavier. With respect to the last point, few could deny that he does know a thing or two about hot air!

John Berlau thinks global warming is a fiction. Stephen Hawking disagrees with him.

Hawking is willing to debate Berlau on the topic. Why hasn’t Berlau accepted Hawking’s invitation?

Is it because Berlau is afraid a discussion of basic science will expose Berlau for the fraud that he is?

Roger Callahan, Ph.D., is the founder of and world’s top authority on Thought Field Therapy and Voice Technology. He holds a degree in clinical psychology from Syracuse University and has been an associate professor at Eastern Michigan University.

Callahan’s work has been criticized by Monica Pignotti, a former practitioner.

Similar therapeutic approaches have been criticized by Larry Sarner and Linda Rosa.