As a therapist, anyone doing this sort of treatment is a complete wacko. There are bad therapists out there who harm clients like the person in OPs article, but this kinda stuff is absolutely not representative of the field. If someone’s practice isn’t evidence-based they’re going to have a hard time with the licensing boards, and crossing boundaries is taken very seriously.

That said, the history of psychology and therapy is filled with absolutely wacky stuff like this. Another fun example is rotational therapy.