EMF-shielding and harmonising products

1. Introduction

Version followed: product claims as sellers publish them and as regulators have summarised them (UK Advertising Standards Authority rulings 2021 and 2023, US FDA and FTC consumer pages, Dutch ANVS 2021 product alert); the psychological work follows the WHO 2005 backgrounder on electromagnetic hypersensitivity, UKHSA guidance (updated 2026), the Rubin, Das Munshi and Wessely 2006 systematic review of treatments, and Baliatsas et al. 2012 on identifying criteria. The psychotherapist works alongside this method and does not sell, fit, recommend or advise on any product. [source: WHO 2005; UKHSA; Rubin et al. 2006; Baliatsas et al. 2012]

What the products are. EMF-shielding and "harmonising" products are consumer items sold to protect people from the electromagnetic fields (EMF) of phones, Wi-Fi, 4G/5G networks, power lines and household electronics. Two broad claims are made:

• Shielding or blocking: phone cases and stickers, screen filters, fabrics, canopies, paints, pendants and stones (for example shungite pyramids and spheres sold on UK teleshopping) said to block or absorb EMF and 5G signals. [source: ASA ruling Shop TJC Ltd 2023; FTC 2011]
• Harmonising, retuning or neutralising: small stickers, pendants, wristbands and plug-in units said to change the "quality" of the field rather than block it. Sellers describe, for example, devices that store and radiate "an intelligent combination of harmonising fields" or use "Scalar Energy" to make EMF safer for the body (energyDots smartDOT, as the ASA recorded the claims), or a plug-in "resonance-based device" with a core of crystals and metals that creates a "stable energy field" and a "360° harmonising field" said to address both EMF and "geopathic stress" (Somavedic, as a retailer describes it). Users are told they may feel calmer, more focused, more energised and sleep more deeply. [source: ASA ruling Global EMF Solutions Ltd 2021; Healf Somavedic page]
• Some "anti-5G" or "negative ion" jewellery and sleep masks have themselves been found to be radioactive (see section 4). [source: ANVS 2021; Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 2021]

Core idea of change, as sellers hold it. EMF from everyday technology is presented as harmful to the body or its "energy"; a product that blocks or harmonises the field is said to restore balance and relieve symptoms such as fatigue, poor sleep, headaches, stress and poor concentration. These are attributed claims. The idea of a "harmonising field" or "scalar energy" is described here as the sellers hold it, neither as fact nor dismissed.

The clinical context. Many buyers describe themselves as electromagnetically hypersensitive (EHS). WHO describes EHS as a set of real, sometimes disabling, non-specific symptoms (skin redness, tingling and burning; fatigue, poor concentration, dizziness, nausea, palpitations, digestive upset) that people attribute to EMF; it notes EHS "has no clear diagnostic criteria" and is not a medical diagnosis. The research term is idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to EMF (IEI-EMF), from a 1996 WHO workshop term. [source: WHO 2005; UKHSA; Baliatsas et al. 2012]

The psychotherapist's role. To work with the person, not the product: ask about use openly, understand what it means to them, support informed decisions, coordinate with their doctor, recognise risks (including physical risks from some products and the costs of avoidance), and, where the person wants it, offer established psychological help for distress, health anxiety and symptom-related disability (cross-reference Domain II). [source: WHO 2005; Rubin et al. 2006] [synthesis for framing]

Regulatory status (one line each).

• UK: advertising is policed by the ASA; it has ruled EMF-protection and anti-5G claims misleading and unsubstantiated, ruled that presenting EMF and 5G as harmful exploits consumer concern, and ruled that medicinal claims cannot be made for products not licensed as medicines or CE-marked medical devices. [source: ASA rulings 2021, 2023]
• US: FDA states it does not regulate shields and calls their protection claims "bogus"; a product claiming to prevent disease may be an illegally marketed medical device; FTC consumer guidance (2011) states there is no scientific proof shields significantly reduce exposure. [source: FDA page; FTC 2011]
• Netherlands: in December 2021 the national nuclear-safety regulator (ANVS) warned about ten "anti-5G" and "negative ion" products found to emit ionising radiation; selling them breaches the Dutch Nuclear Energy Act, and ANVS told known Dutch sellers to stop at once, while passing information on foreign traders to authorities that can act. [source: ANVS 2021; Bulletin 2021; DutchReview 2021]
• Other jurisdictions (EU-wide, Australia, Canada): [uncertain: not verified].

Evidence status (one line). Health authorities state there is no scientific basis linking EHS symptoms to EMF exposure, double-blind provocation studies have not shown that people with EHS detect fields better than others, and the only controlled trial of a shielding device was too poor to assess; CBT had the most support among treatments reviewed in 2006, from limited studies. [source: WHO 2005; UKHSA; Rubin et al. 2006]

2. Framework

What a client typically experiences in the product world [source: seller and regulator pages above; sequence is synthesis]: noticing symptoms and reading or hearing that EMF may cause them; buying a first product (sticker, phone case, pendant); often moving to whole-room or whole-home measures (plug-in harmonisers, shielding fabrics or paints, meters to "measure" fields); seeking out areas with fewer fields; and, in severe cases, giving up work or changing lifestyle substantially, which WHO reports for some people with EHS. Retail descriptions present plug-in units as running "always on" in the background and suggest extra units for larger homes, which can increase spending over time. [source: WHO 2005; Healf Somavedic page]

No manual exists for the psychotherapist's alongside work. The phases below are a structure for the therapist's own work [synthesis], built on WHO's recommendations that care should focus on symptoms and the clinical picture rather than on reducing EMF, include medical and psychological evaluation and a review of home and workplace factors, and aim, in long-term cases, at symptom reduction, coping, return to work and social life. [source: WHO 2005; UKHSA]

Session counts above are [synthesis]; the trials reviewed by Rubin et al. did not follow patients beyond six months. [source: Rubin et al. 2006]

3. Guiding principles

• Symptoms are real. WHO states the symptoms are real and can be disabling. Practical meaning: never imply the client is imagining things; take the suffering as the starting point. [source: WHO 2005]
• Focus on the person and the clinical picture, not on the field. WHO and UKHSA advise that treatment focus on symptoms and the clinical picture rather than on the person's perceived need to reduce EMF. Practical meaning: your goals are sleep, energy, distress and function, not the home's field readings. [source: WHO 2005; UKHSA]
• Neutral about cause, honest about evidence. Practical meaning: you can say what health authorities have concluded when asked, without arguing; you do not endorse or ridicule a product. [synthesis; source for evidence: WHO 2005; UKHSA]
• Never perform, sell, prescribe or recommend a product. Practical meaning: no product names offered as suggestions, no meters, no referrals to sellers, no commission. [source: APA Ethics Code]
• Stay within competence and base judgements on established knowledge. Practical meaning: you do not measure fields or give technical advice on devices; medical questions go to the doctor. [source: APA Ethics Code]
• Coordinate, with consent. Practical meaning: a medical evaluation for other causes and liaison with the GP are part of the plan. [source: WHO 2005; APA Ethics Code]
• Autonomy and informed choice. Practical meaning: the client decides what to buy and use; your job is to help them decide with full information and in line with their values, without coercion. [synthesis; source: APA Ethics Code]
• Watch the costs of avoidance. WHO notes some people stop working or change their lives substantially. Practical meaning: track work, relationships, money and movement, not only symptoms. [source: WHO 2005]
• Expectation shapes symptoms. Witthöft and Rubin found that people who watched a TV report on supposed Wi-Fi hazards and then had sham exposure reported symptoms, most strongly those with high anxiety. Practical meaning: information diet and anxiety are legitimate treatment targets; introduce this idea carefully and never as "it's all in your head". [source: Witthöft & Rubin 2013, via University of Mainz press release]
• Safety first for physical risks. Practical meaning: check whether a product could itself be harmful (radioactive jewellery) or stop a phone working in an emergency. [source: ANVS 2021; FDA; FTC 2011]
• Self-help groups can help or harm. WHO calls self-help groups a valuable resource; groups can also reinforce fear. Practical meaning: ask what the group gives the client and what it costs them. [source: WHO 2005] [synthesis for second half]

4. Intervention inventory

All interventions below are the psychotherapist's own work alongside the client's product use. None involves supplying, fitting, testing or recommending a product, measuring fields, or giving technical device advice. Where a step is not drawn from a cited source it is marked [synthesis].

4.1 Routine, non-judgemental inquiry and recording

• Purpose / when: At intake and when a client mentions EMF, 5G, Wi-Fi, "electrosmog", shielding or harmonising products, or unexplained symptoms tied to places or devices. [synthesis]
• Steps: (1) Ask as part of a general question about anything the client uses or does for their health. (2) Ask which products, since when, what they cost so far, and what changes the client has made at home or work (rooms avoided, devices removed, moves considered). (3) Ask what the client notices with and without the product. (4) Record products, spending, avoidance and any health-care changes in the notes, in the client's own words. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Lots of people use products or make changes at home to feel better. Is there anything like that you use or have changed, for example around phones, Wi-Fi or electricity?" / "What made you decide to get it, and what do you notice when you use it?"
• Watch for: A guarded or apologetic answer suggests the client expects ridicule; slow down. It is working when the client describes use freely and returns to it unprompted in later sessions. Note any product worn on the body continuously or used by children (see 4.6). [synthesis]

4.2 Hearing the symptoms and validating suffering

• Purpose / when: Early, and whenever the client feels dismissed by doctors, family or authorities. WHO states the symptoms are real and can be disabling. [source: WHO 2005]
• Steps: (1) Map the symptoms (skin sensations, fatigue, concentration, dizziness, nausea, palpitations, digestive symptoms, sleep). (2) Map their impact on work, home, relationships and mood. (3) Reflect the impact back without commenting on cause. (4) Ask about experiences of being disbelieved. [source: WHO 2005 for symptom list; steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Whatever turns out to be behind it, these symptoms are clearly real and they've taken a lot from you." / "It sounds as if being told it's nothing has been almost as hard as the symptoms."
• Watch for: Relief and more detail signal trust. If the client hears validation as agreement that EMF is the cause, gently restate that you are focusing on their experience and wellbeing rather than on the cause. [synthesis]

4.3 Exploring the explanatory model, meaning and hopes

• Purpose / when: After initial trust; before any decision work. [synthesis]
• Steps: (1) Ask the client to explain in their own words how EMF affects them and how the product helps. (2) Ask where the explanation came from (doctor, media, online groups, a seller, a friend). (3) Explore what the product gives: control, hope, safety, a sense of acting on the problem, belonging to a group, distrust of medicine or authorities, identity as a sensitive person. (4) Ask what they hope will happen and what they fear if they did nothing. (5) Summarise the model back and check accuracy. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Can you walk me through how you understand what's happening in your body when you're near a router?" / "If this product worked perfectly, what would your life look like?" / "What does it give you, apart from the protection itself?"
• Watch for: Strong distrust of medicine or authorities may also shape the therapy relationship; name it openly. Beliefs linked to 5G conspiracy content or a wider worldview need respectful curiosity, not debate. It is working when the client can describe both what they fear and what they want. [synthesis]

4.4 Encouraging medical evaluation and coordinating with the doctor

• Purpose / when: For every client with persistent physical symptoms. WHO advises a medical evaluation to find and treat specific conditions, plus an assessment of home and workplace factors such as indoor air, noise, flickering lights and poor ergonomics, and a psychological evaluation. [source: WHO 2005]
• Steps: (1) Ask when the client last had a medical review of these symptoms. (2) Explain that other conditions can cause the same symptoms and deserve to be checked whatever the client believes about EMF. (3) With written consent, write to or call the GP: describe symptoms, distress, avoidance and functioning, and the products used (because the doctor should know what the client is doing for their health). Share only what is needed. (4) Agree who does what: doctor for medical assessment; therapist for distress, coping and functioning; occupational health or employer for workplace review where relevant. (5) Do not advise on any medicine; route questions to the doctor or pharmacist. [source: WHO 2005; APA Ethics Code; steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Some of what you describe can have several causes, and some are treatable. Would you be willing to have your GP look at it again, so nothing is missed?" / "Would it be OK for me to let your doctor know how much this is affecting your sleep and work?"
• Watch for: Clients who refuse medical contact because they were dismissed before: offer to help them prepare for the appointment (symptom diary, list of questions). Watch for new or changing symptoms that need prompt medical review. [synthesis]

4.5 Supporting informed, values-based decisions about products and avoidance

• Purpose / when: When the client is considering buying more products, spending large sums, remodelling a home, moving, or leaving work. [synthesis]
• Steps: (1) Clarify the decision and the client's values (health, family, work, money, independence). (2) Ask what the client knows about the product's claims and what authorities have said; if asked, say plainly what WHO, UKHSA, FDA, FTC and the ASA have stated (section 1) without pressing it. (3) List practical costs: money, time, social limits, effect on others in the home. (4) Use a simple pros-and-cons or values grid the client completes. (5) Respect the decision; agree to review it later. No published decision aid for EMF products is cited here; do not present one. [synthesis; evidence content from WHO 2005, UKHSA, FDA, FTC 2011, ASA rulings]
• Example language (illustrative): "I'm not going to tell you whether to buy it. Can we lay out what it would cost you, in every sense, and what matters most to you?" / "You asked what I know. Health authorities such as WHO say they haven't found a link between these fields and the symptoms, and the advertising regulator here has ruled several protection claims misleading. You might weigh that differently from them, and that's your call."
• Watch for: The therapist sliding into persuasion (watch your own frustration); the client agreeing to please you. It is working when the client can name their reasons in their own words and the decision fits their stated values. [synthesis]

4.6 Checking physical safety risks from products

• Purpose / when: Whenever products are worn on the body, used by children or pregnant people, or interfere with phones.
• Steps: (1) Radioactive items: ask about "anti-5G", "quantum" or "negative ion" pendants, bracelets and sleep masks. In 2021 the Dutch regulator ANVS found ten such products, including a children's negative-ion bracelet and a sleep mask, continuously emitted ionising radiation; it advised owners to stop wearing them, store them away (preferably sealed in their packaging or a bag, in a closed cupboard), not put them in household waste, tell household members including children not to wear them, and await return instructions. ANVS judged the health risk low but said harm from continuous long-term wear could not be fully ruled out. Direct the client to their national radiation-protection authority or the product's regulator for current advice; do not handle or test the item. [source: ANVS 2021; Bulletin 2021] (2) Signal blocking: FDA notes shields may stop a phone finding a signal when needed and FTC notes they can make a phone work harder. Ask whether the client can still make an emergency call, especially if they live alone or care for others. [source: FDA page; FTC 2011] (3) Removal of medical or safety equipment: ask whether any household device the client relies on (alarms, medical devices, phone access for carers) has been switched off or removed because of EMF concern, and involve the doctor if so. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "One practical question: some anti-5G jewellery sold in Europe was found to be slightly radioactive. Do you have anything like a quantum or negative-ion pendant? It's worth checking with the authorities." / "If you needed an ambulance tonight, would your phone work with the case on?"
• Watch for: Products worn continuously by children; any refusal to have a working phone in a risk situation. Treat as safeguarding where a child is exposed to a hazard (4.10). [source: ANVS 2021 for products; synthesis for response]

4.7 Recognising financial exploitation and commercial pressure

• Purpose / when: When spending is rising, products are sold with fear-based messaging, or the client is recruited to resell. [synthesis]
• Steps: (1) Total the money spent and planned. (2) Ask how products were marketed (testimonials, claims that EMF or 5G is harmful, "independent laboratory testing" without details, multiple units recommended for larger homes). The ASA has ruled that customer surveys and self-reported responses are not adequate substantiation and that presenting EMF and 5G as harmful exploits consumer concern. (3) Ask whether anyone is encouraging the client to sell products or recruit others. (4) Explore the effect on household finances and relationships. (5) Offer reporting routes (4.11) if the client feels misled. [source: ASA rulings 2021, 2023; Healf Somavedic page for marketing features; steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Can we add up together what this has cost so far? Not to judge it, just so you can see the whole picture." / "How did the seller explain why you'd need a second unit?"
• Watch for: Debt, hiding purchases from a partner, pressure to buy before a deadline, or reselling schemes. It is working when spending decisions become deliberate rather than driven by fear. [synthesis]

4.8 Psychoeducation on attention, expectation and the symptom cycle

• Purpose / when: Only after trust is established and the client is curious about how symptoms vary. Witthöft and Rubin showed that people who watched a TV report about supposed Wi-Fi and phone hazards and then received sham exposure reported symptoms such as agitation, poor concentration and tingling; effects were strongest in those with high anxiety, and some withdrew because symptoms were severe. The authors frame this as a nocebo effect, where expecting harm can itself produce symptoms. [source: Witthöft & Rubin 2013, Mainz press release]
• Steps: (1) Ask permission to share a general idea about how bodies and attention work. (2) Explain that expecting harm and scanning for sensations can increase real bodily symptoms in anyone, without implying the symptoms are imaginary. (3) Draw with the client a personal cycle from their own examples: trigger (seeing a mast, reading an article) → worry → body scanning → sensations → attribution to EMF → avoidance or protection → short-term relief → stronger belief and narrower life. (4) Ask the client what fits and what does not. [steps synthesis; cross-reference Domain II health anxiety and somatic symptom protocols]
• Example language (illustrative): "Can I share something that's true for everyone's nervous system, not just yours?" / "When you read that article last week, what did you notice in your body over the next hour?"
• Watch for: The client hearing "it's psychological" as "it's fake" (repair at once, 5.3). Do not present the study as proof about this client. It is working when the client starts noticing links between worry, attention and symptoms on their own. [synthesis]

4.9 CBT-informed treatment for distress and symptom-related disability (IEI-EMF)

• Purpose / when: When the client wants help with symptoms, anxiety or a shrinking life. Rubin, Das Munshi and Wessely found that three of four controlled CBT studies for EHS reported benefit over waiting list and concluded that CBT was "the most appropriate therapy" on current evidence, while calling the evidence limited. Baliatsas et al. describe cognitive and behavioural aspects of IEI-EMF as promising but not yet established. WHO sets goals of reducing symptoms and functional limitation, developing coping strategies and supporting return to work and social life. [source: Rubin et al. 2006; Baliatsas et al. 2012; WHO 2005]
• Steps: The reviewed trials' session content is not described in the cited sources [uncertain: not verified]. Use an established CBT protocol for health anxiety or persistent physical symptoms from Domain II and adapt it [synthesis]: (1) agree shared goals in terms of functioning (sleep, work hours, visiting family, using public transport); (2) build the personal cycle (4.8); (3) keep a diary of symptoms, situations, thoughts and actions; (4) work on unhelpful interpretations of sensations using guided discovery; (5) reduce body checking and online symptom searching; (6) identify protective products and avoidance as possible safety behaviours, and plan any reduction only as the client chooses (4.9a); (7) build activity and sleep routines; (8) prepare a relapse plan.
• Example language (illustrative): "What would you be doing in three months if this were less in charge?" / "Let's look at the diary: which days were better, and what was different?"
• Watch for: Rising distress with no gain in function suggests slowing down; worsening mood or hopelessness needs risk review (4.10). It is working when the client does more of what matters to them, whatever happens to symptom intensity. [synthesis]

4.9a Graded reduction of avoidance and safety behaviours (client-chosen)

• Purpose / when: Only when the client wants to regain a specific activity (for example, an office, a friend's house, a train) and agrees to test it. [synthesis]
• Steps: (1) Obtain explicit informed consent, explaining that this is an exposure-style method, that symptoms may rise at first, and that the client can stop at any time. (2) Exclude contraindications with the doctor: unassessed medical symptoms, unstable cardiac or other conditions, pregnancy-related concerns, current suicidality or severe depression. (3) Build a ladder of the client's own feared situations from easiest to hardest. (4) Start low; agree in advance what the client will notice and record. (5) Debrief: what was predicted, what happened, what was learned. (6) Never insist; never remove a product the client wants to keep; the client sets pace and steps. (7) Do not design steps that involve device settings or exposure measurements. [synthesis; cross-reference Domain II exposure protocols]
• Example language (illustrative): "You've said you'd love to go back to your sister's flat. Would you like to plan a small first step, one you choose, and see what happens?" / "You can stop at any point, and stopping isn't failing."
• Watch for: Severe or new symptoms (stop and refer medically), panic, dissociation, or the client feeling pushed. It is working when predictions are tested and the client widens their range of activities. [synthesis]

4.10 Risk recognition and response

• Purpose / when: Throughout. [synthesis]
• Steps: Screen and respond to: (1) Delayed or abandoned medical care because symptoms are attributed to EMF: encourage medical review (4.4). (2) Severe isolation, job loss, homelessness or relocation to escape fields; WHO notes some people stop working or change lifestyle substantially. (3) Depression and suicidality: standard risk assessment and safety planning; involve crisis services as needed. (4) Children: products worn by children (one radioactive item was a children's bracelet), children denied phones or school because of household fears, or children's own symptoms attributed to EMF without medical review; consider assent, the child's own experience and safeguarding referral where a child is exposed to hazard or deprived of care. (5) Pregnancy: route questions to the midwife or doctor; flag radioactive products. (6) Group pressure: groups that discourage medical care or demand ever more protection. (7) Financial exploitation (4.7). [source: WHO 2005; Bulletin 2021; steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "When things are this hard, some people start to feel life isn't worth it. Has that been on your mind?" / "How are the children finding the changes at home?"
• Watch for: Hopelessness, giving up housing, refusing urgent care, a child's daily life being restricted. Act on standard risk and safeguarding procedures. [synthesis]

4.11 Reporting routes

• Purpose / when: When the client feels misled, a product appears hazardous, or a professional has acted improperly. [synthesis]
• Steps: (1) Misleading advertising: UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (which has upheld complaints about EMF and anti-5G products); US, the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov). (2) Products claiming to prevent or treat disease: US FDA (may be illegally marketed devices); UK, medicines and devices regulator (MHRA) [uncertain: not verified as a stated route for these products]. (3) Hazardous or radioactive products: national radiation-protection or product-safety authority (in the Netherlands, ANVS asked buyers from foreign webshops or suppliers to contact it by phone, and owners of other "negative ion" products to store them away and contact it). (4) A licensed health professional selling or recommending products: their professional or licensing board. (5) Children at risk: local safeguarding services. Support the client to report; report yourself only where law or safeguarding requires. [source: ASA rulings; FTC 2011; FDA page; ANVS 2021; APA Ethics Code]
• Example language (illustrative): "If you feel the advert misled you, there's a body that looks at that. Would you like to look at how to complain together?"
• Watch for: Shame about having been misled; frame reporting as protecting others. [synthesis]

4.12 Managing the therapist's own position and conflicts of interest

• Purpose / when: Always. [synthesis]
• Steps: (1) Never sell, distribute, endorse or receive referral payments for products, meters or services. (2) Do not give technical opinions on EMF or devices. (3) Notice personal reactions (ridicule, anxiety about 5G, frustration) and take them to supervision. (4) Disclose in informed consent what your role is and is not. [source: APA Ethics Code]
• Example language (illustrative): "My part is your wellbeing and how you're coping. I don't advise on products or measure anything, and I don't sell anything."
• Watch for: Being asked by the client to approve a purchase; a colleague promoting products to clients. [synthesis]

4.13 Reviewing everyday home and workplace factors (through the right professionals)

• Purpose / when: When symptoms cluster at work or in particular rooms. WHO lists flickering fluorescent lights, screen glare, poor ergonomics, indoor air quality, noise, workplace stress and anxiety about EMF as possible contributors, and recommends assessing home and workplace and reducing stress. [source: WHO 2005]
• Steps: (1) Ask what else differs in the places where symptoms are worse (light, noise, air, posture, workload, conflict). (2) Suggest the client raise these with occupational health, the employer or the GP. (3) Work in therapy on workplace stress and return-to-work planning. [steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Apart from the wireless equipment, what else is different about that office: light, noise, air, the people, the workload?"
• Watch for: This gives the client concrete, non-dismissive options; it should not become a hunt for a new single cause. [synthesis]

4.14 Working with self-help groups, family and information sources

• Purpose / when: When groups, family members or media shape the client's fears or support. WHO calls self-help groups a valuable resource; Witthöft and Rubin call for accurate media reporting because alarming reports may lead people to believe they are sensitive. [source: WHO 2005; Witthöft & Rubin 2013]
• Steps: (1) Ask what the group or online community gives (understanding, belonging, practical help) and what it asks (more protection, distrust of doctors, buying). (2) Agree a personal information plan: which sources, how often, and what the client does after reading something frightening. (3) With consent, include partners or family in a session to share the formulation and reduce conflict or collusion. [steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "What do you get from the group that you don't get anywhere else?" / "After an hour reading about masts, how do you usually feel?"
• Watch for: Pressure to cut off people who disagree, or to avoid treatment; family conflict escalating. It is working when the client keeps supportive connections and reads with more choice. [synthesis]

5. Handling problems

The sources cited above do not set out how to handle these problems in therapy; all responses below are [synthesis] unless a source is given.

• The client wants you to confirm EMF is the cause. Say what you can honestly say: that you take the symptoms seriously, that you are not an EMF expert, and, if asked, what health authorities have concluded (WHO 2005; UKHSA). Return to shared goals. Illustrative: "I can't tell you what's causing it, but I can help with how much it's running your life." [synthesis; evidence from WHO 2005, UKHSA]
• The client wants you to recommend or approve a product, or brings a meter to session. Decline kindly, restate your role (4.12), and turn to the decision process (4.5). Do not take readings or examine devices.
• The client hears psychological help as "it's all in my head" (rupture). Acknowledge the hurt directly, apologise for any part you played, restate that symptoms are real (WHO 2005), and explain that psychological approaches help with many physical symptoms whatever their cause. Offer to slow down or to focus first on what the client chooses.
• Stuck: protection keeps expanding and life keeps narrowing. Review the costs together using the client's values (4.5); ask what the client would do with the time and money released; consider bringing in family or the GP; check mood and risk.
• Non-adherence to diary or graded steps. Ask what got in the way; shrink the step; check whether the step was the client's goal or yours; consider whether a fear of being "proved wrong" is in play and name it gently.
• Overwhelm or symptom flare after exposure-style steps. Stop, ground, debrief; return to a lower rung or pause; seek medical review for new or severe symptoms. Revisit consent before any further steps.
• Distrust of doctors blocks medical evaluation. Offer to help prepare for the appointment, suggest a different doctor if the client wishes, or ask for consent to write a brief letter that frames the request respectfully (4.4).
• Group or seller pressure. Explore the pressure, support the client to set their own limits, and offer reporting routes if claims were misleading (4.7, 4.11).
• The client owns a possibly radioactive product. Follow the national regulator's advice (in the Dutch case: stop wearing, store away, do not put in household waste, await return instructions); do not handle it yourself. [source: ANVS 2021]
• Household conflict, especially over children. Separate the adults' beliefs from the child's needs: medical care, school, contact with friends. Involve safeguarding services only where a child is exposed to hazard or deprived of care, and explain this limit of confidentiality at the start (APA Ethics Code).
• Therapist's own reaction (ridicule, irritation, or shared fear of 5G). Take it to supervision; it can show through tone even when words are neutral.
• Requests for written support for relocation or workplace adjustments. Describe distress and functional impact accurately; do not state that EMF is the cause, which would go beyond your competence (APA Ethics Code).
• Risk escalates (hopelessness, homelessness, refusing urgent care). Follow standard risk-assessment and safety-planning practice and involve crisis or medical services (4.10).

Sources

• Radiation and health: electromagnetic hypersensitivity (WHO backgrounder, December 2005)
• Electromagnetic fields: electromagnetic hypersensitivity (UK Health Security Agency, GOV.UK, updated May 2026)
• Rubin GJ, Das Munshi J, Wessely S (2006). A systematic review of treatments for electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 75:12-18. doi:10.1159/000089222. Author-uploaded copy
• Baliatsas C, Van Kamp I, Lebret E, Rubin GJ (2012). Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF): a systematic review of identifying criteria. BMC Public Health 12:643. BMC Public Health PDF
• EMF-Portal entry for Baliatsas et al. 2012
• Witthöft M, Rubin GJ (2013). Journal of Psychosomatic Research 74(3):206-212 (full title [uncertain: not verified]). The nocebo effect: media reports may trigger symptoms of a disease (University of Mainz press release, May 2013)
• FTC offers tips to help consumers avoid cell phone radiation scams (Federal Trade Commission, June 2011)
• Reducing radio frequency exposure from cell phones (US FDA)
• ASA ruling on Global EMF Solutions Ltd (energyDots), 8 September 2021
• ASA ruling on Shop TJC Ltd, 14 June 2023
• "Anti-5G" jewelry and sleep masks are radioactive (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, December 2021)
• Dutch nuclear experts warn against radioactive anti-5G necklaces (DutchReview, December 2021)
• ANVS (Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection), 16 December 2021: Do you have a 'Quantum Pendant' anti-5G pendant or a 'negative ion' jewellery item or sleep mask? If so, store it away safely
• Somavedic collection page (Healf, retailer description)
• Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (American Psychological Association)
• American Psychological Association: Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct