117 studies, strongest evidence first. Search and filter to
find what you need — each card explains what the researchers did and
found before giving the technical detail.
Meta-analysis Higher rigor
Clond, M. · 2016
This review combined 14 randomized studies testing tapping for anxiety, covering nearly 700 people. People who tapped saw a large drop in anxiety symptoms, clearly bigger than the improvement seen in the various comparison groups. There weren't enough studies comparing tapping directly against CBT to say how the two stack up head-to-head.
Across 14 RCTs and 658 participants, EFT produced a within-group pre-post effect size of 1.23 (95% CI 0.82-1.64, p<.001) on anxiety scores, significantly larger than the pooled within-group control-group effect size of 0.41 (95% CI 0.17-0.67, p=.001). This is a pre-post design contrast (EFT's own pre-post change vs. controls' own pre-post change), not a between-group EFT-minus-control effect size.
Meta-analysis Moderate rigor
Gilomen, S.A., Lee, C.W. · 2015
This is a broader review of tapping-style acupoint therapies (not EFT alone) for general psychological distress, pooling 18 studies. Overall, people who received these therapies improved more than comparison groups, but the individual studies varied a lot in quality and design, and the researchers themselves say it's still an open question whether tapping the acupoints specifically matters, versus other common ingredients shared with other therapies. We include this as an honest, unresolved piece of the evidence base rather than a clean-cut result.
Pooling 18 RCTs of acupoint stimulation techniques (including EFT) for psychological distress (921 participants: 12 studies vs waitlist, 5 vs adjunct treatment, 1 vs alternate treatment), the authors found a moderate-to-large pooled effect (Hedges' g=-0.66, 95% CI -0.99 to -0.33) but noted substantial heterogeneity (I²=80.8%, reduced to 72.3% after removing outliers) and explicitly stated it was not possible to determine whether acupoint stimulation itself, versus other common therapeutic factors, drives the effect.
Meta-analysis Moderate rigor
Wong, K.W., Wu, X., Dong, Y. · 2024
This meta-analysis reviewed 17 randomized trials of various interventions (not limited to EFT) meant to reduce nurse burnout during COVID-19, finding mixed results overall and generally low-quality evidence across the field. It concludes more well-designed trials are needed rather than endorsing any single intervention strongly.
Across 17 RCTs, not all interventions led to positive outcomes; GRADE and risk-of-bias assessment revealed low to very low certainty evidence overall, with high heterogeneity among outcomes, though subgroup analysis showed greater success for interventions targeting nurses caring for COVID-19 patients specifically.
Systematic review Higher rigor
Choi, S.H., Sung, S.-H., Lee, G. · 2025
This 2025 review pulled together seven randomized studies testing tapping for anxiety in different groups of people, from nurses to pregnant women. Every study that compared tapping to doing nothing found a real drop in anxiety; when tapping went up against CBT, the two came out about even. The review's authors note that most of the underlying trials had at least some methodological concerns, which is worth keeping in mind.
All six studies comparing EFT to no intervention reported significant reductions in anxiety symptoms favoring EFT; versus active controls, EFT showed effects similar to or better than breathing therapy and progressive muscle relaxation, with no significant difference from CBT; risk-of-bias assessment rated 1 study low, 5 some concerns, and 1 high risk.
Systematic review Moderate rigor
Kwon, C. Y., Lee, B. · 2025
Hwa-Byung is a Korean condition rooted in suppressed anger that shows up as physical and emotional symptoms. This review pooled nine studies of six different therapies, one of which was EFT, and found that most approaches, including tapping, meaningfully eased Hwa-Byung symptoms. The reviewers were candid that the studies generally lacked strong control groups, so the evidence is suggestive rather than airtight.
Nine studies (7 controlled trials) of six intervention types, including emotional freedom technique, were reviewed; most interventions significantly improved Hwa-Byung symptoms versus waitlist or pre-post comparison, though methodological limitations including lack of appropriate control groups were noted.
Systematic review Moderate rigor
Doherty, A., Benedetto, V., Harris, C. · 2021
This review pooled 22 randomized trials of psychological support during infectious disease outbreaks, of which only one used EFT specifically (most used CBT, online counselling, or other approaches). Overall, these interventions as a group significantly reduced depression and anxiety, but the review found high risk of bias and heterogeneity across the studies, so EFT's individual contribution can't be assessed from this analysis.
Across 22 included RCTs (one using EFT specifically), meta-analyses found a significant benefit for managing depression and anxiety, while the effect on stress was equivocal (SMD 0.16, 95% CI -0.19 to 0.51).
Systematic review Moderate rigor
Church, D., Stapleton, P., Mollon, P. et al. · 2018
This is a consensus guideline paper synthesizing over 100 clinical trials on tapping for PTSD, recommending a stepped-care approach (5 sessions for subclinical PTSD, 10 for full PTSD). It reports the evidence base shows EFT outperforming standard psychotherapy and medication in some comparisons. As a guidelines/review document built on practitioner survey and existing literature, it summarizes rather than generates new controlled data.
Drawing on more than 100 clinical trials, the paper concludes EFT's treatment effects for PTSD, anxiety, and depression exceed those of both psychopharmacology and conventional psychotherapy, with typical successful treatment in 4-10 sessions and low adverse event risk.
Systematic review Preliminary
Hasibuan, S.H., Said, F.M., Rashid, N.A. et al. · 2025
Researchers reviewed published studies on tapping (EFT) and its spiritual variant (SEFT) for breast cancer patients' mental health. Across the studies they found, both approaches reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, with the spiritual version potentially helping elderly patients more. As a literature review rather than new data collection, its conclusions are only as strong as the underlying studies, many of which are small and uncontrolled.
A systematic literature review of PubMed and Google Scholar articles (2019-2024) found EFT and SEFT effective for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression in breast cancer patients, with SEFT's spiritual component offering additional benefit especially for elderly patients.
Systematic review Preliminary
López-Del-Hoyo, Y., Fernández-Martínez, S., Pérez-Aranda, A. et al. · 2023
This review looked at digital (eHealth) stress-reduction programs for healthcare workers generally, not specifically EFT, finding that self-guided and 'third-wave' therapy apps often produced meaningful stress reductions. Because EFT isn't the specific focus, this entry is only indirectly relevant to tapping evidence, and the authors themselves note methodological shortcomings limit firm conclusions.
Of 22 eHealth interventions identified, 13 produced significant posttreatment reductions in healthcare professionals' stress levels (9 self-guided, 8 'third wave' psychotherapies), with significant effects also found for depression, anxiety, burnout, resilience, and mindfulness.
Systematic review Preliminary
Lee, S.H., Jeong, B.E., Chae, H. et al. · 2017
This is an earlier (2017) publication of essentially the same systematic review methodology and findings later republished by overlapping authors in 2021 (Lee et al.), pooling 14 clinical trials of EFT for student mental health and finding consistent benefit but noting generally poor study quality and small samples in the underlying literature.
Of 14 extracted clinical trials (8 RCTs, 2 non-randomized controlled trials, 4 before-after studies), EFT showed significant clinical usefulness for public speaking anxiety, test anxiety, stress, depression, learning-related emotions, adolescent anxiety, and eating issues, though risk of selection bias was high or uncertain in most studies.
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Stapleton, P., Roil, C. · 2026
One of the largest EFT trials to date: 588 adults with self-reported visual impairment were randomly assigned to an 8-week online tapping program or a waitlist. The tapping group saw meaningful drops in anger, anxiety and depression and improved sense of their own vision functioning, and those gains held six months later, while the waitlist group did not change. An intention-to-treat analysis (which accounts for people who dropped out) reached the same conclusions, so the results don't hinge on only the completers. It replicates an earlier visual-impairment tapping program by Carol Look.
In a randomised controlled trial (n=588; 321 EFT, 267 waitlist), an 8-week online Clinical EFT program produced significant Time x Allocation interactions for anger, anxiety, depression, and subjective vision functioning (all p<.001) versus waitlist. Improvements in the EFT group were maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat mixed-effects models confirmed the per-protocol findings for all four outcomes (all p<.001), indicating dropouts would likely have achieved similar gains.
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Güven Santur, S., Özşahin, Z. · 2024
Over 130 pregnant women in early pregnancy, some dealing with nausea and worry about the pregnancy, were randomly assigned to learn EFT or receive no extra support. The women who tapped saw their pregnancy-related anxiety drop substantially, while the untreated group's anxiety barely moved - and their nausea eased slightly more too. This is a solid randomized trial with a meaningful sample size for a population, pregnant women, that doesn't have many treatment options considered safe.
EFT significantly reduced total pregnancy-related anxiety (pretest 29.85 to post-test 20.67, p < 0.001) while the control group showed no change (p = 0.933); the EFT group also had significantly lower nausea intensity at the end of treatment (p = 0.02).
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Menevşe, Ş., Yayla, A. · 2023
Just over 100 patients awaiting gallbladder removal surgery in Turkey either got EFT before the procedure or standard preoperative care. The tapping group reported far less surgical fear and anxiety, with their felt-distress ratings cut roughly in half. This is a solid randomized trial in a real clinical, pre-surgical setting.
The EFT group's post-test scores on the Surgical Fear Questionnaire, Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire, and SUD were significantly lower than the control group (P < .001), with SUD scores reduced by 54.4%.
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Okut, G., Alpar, S. E., Dönmez, E. · 2022
84 emergency-room nurses in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic were randomly assigned to either an online-guided tapping session or no intervention. The nurses who tapped reported a real drop in their fear of COVID-19, their in-the-moment distress, and their immediate anxiety, while the untreated group barely changed. Their longer-running "trait" anxiety (a more stable personality-level measure) didn't shift significantly, so the benefit showed up mainly in acute, immediate anxiety rather than deeper baseline anxiety.
Fear of COVID-19 decreased by a mean of 4.58±2.47 in the EFT group versus 0.09±2.47 in control (p<0.001); SUD decreased 5.61±1.16 vs 0±1.15 (p<0.001); state anxiety decreased 8.82±7.26 vs 0.22±7.25 (p<0.001); trait anxiety change was not significant between groups (p=0.095).
Randomized trial Higher rigor
TFT (related method)
Irgens, A. · 2017
Seventy-two people with agoraphobia were randomly assigned to Thought Field Therapy (a tapping-based approach), CBT, or a waiting list, with an independent, blinded rater checking their progress. Both active treatments clearly beat waiting, and tapping held its own against CBT with no significant difference between them a year later. This is a well-designed, blinded-assessment randomized trial, one of the stronger pieces of evidence in the tapping literature for a specific anxiety disorder.
Both CBT and TFT showed significantly better results than waitlist (p < 0.001) at post-treatment, with no significant differences between CBT and TFT at post-treatment (p = 0.33) or 12-month follow-up (p = 0.90).
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Gaesser, A.H., Karan, O.C. · 2017
Sixty-three students between 10 and 18 years old with anxiety were split into three groups: tapping, standard cognitive behavioral therapy, or no help at all, with three sessions spread over five months. Tapping significantly beat doing nothing; CBT improved but did not statistically separate from the no-treatment group in this small pilot, and tapping and CBT did not differ significantly from each other. This study is notable for its unusually careful, low-bias design - independent blinded assessments and low dropout - which makes its comparable-to-CBT finding more trustworthy than most.
63 students were randomized to EFT (n=20), CBT (n=21), or no intervention (n=21) over 3 sessions across 5 months; the no-intervention group had significantly higher anxiety than EFT (p<0.01) at follow-up, but EFT did not significantly differ from CBT (p=0.18), and this was the only study in a 2025 systematic review rated as low risk of bias across all domains.
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Church, D., Brooks, A. J. · 2014
Fifty-nine veterans with clinically significant PTSD symptoms, on top of their usual care, received six sessions of EFT coaching. Even though pain, depression, and anxiety weren't the direct target, all three improved significantly along with PTSD symptoms, and the pain relief was still there six months later. This randomized trial adds to a body of evidence that treating PTSD with EFT tends to lift mood and reduce pain as well, not just trauma symptoms in isolation.
Pain decreased significantly during the intervention period (-41%, p < .0001), and anxiety and depression both reduced significantly, alongside significant PTSD symptom improvement, with gains tracked at 3 and 6 months.
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Geronilla, L., McWilliams, M., Clond, M. et al. · 2016
In this replication trial of 58 veterans with PTSD, six tapping sessions produced a very large drop in anxiety compared with usual care - one of the largest effects seen across all the studies in this area.
Six EFT sessions vs treatment-as-usual in 58 veterans; between-group anxiety difference d=2.3 (95% CI 1.38-3.22, p<0.001), one of the largest effects in this literature. The same trial's PTSD outcome is reported in Sebastian & Nelms 2017 (d=3.06) and Stapleton 2023 (g=2.51).
Randomized trial Higher rigor
Church, D., Hawk, C., Brooks, A.J. et al. · 2013
In this trial, 54 veterans with PTSD got either six hour-long tapping sessions or their usual care. The tapping group's anxiety dropped substantially more than the usual-care group's, a large and statistically real effect.
Six EFT sessions (n=29) vs TAU (n=25); anxiety difference d=1.52 (95% CI 0.81–2.23, p<0.001). The same trial's PTSD-specific outcome is reported separately under Sebastian & Nelms 2017 (d=1.93) and Stapleton 2023 (g=1.80).
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Okyay, E., Ucar, T. · 2023
159 pregnant women in Turkey who had previously lost a pregnancy were split into three groups: tapping, listening to music, or no special support. Both the tapping group and the music group ended up doing better on measures of psychological growth and well-being, and had lower stress-hormone (cortisol) levels, than the group that got neither.
EFT and a music intervention, delivered separately to pregnant women with a prior prenatal loss, were both associated with greater psychological growth, higher well-being, and lower cortisol levels than the control group, per the study's stated conclusions.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Irmak Vural, P., Aslan, E. · 2019
120 women in labor at a Turkish hospital were split into three groups: tapping (EFT), a breathing-awareness technique, or usual care. Women who tapped reported less distress during the harder parts of labor and less fear about the birth afterward, compared with both other groups. It's a solid randomized study, though it looked only at a single labor experience rather than longer-term outcomes.
In this 3-arm RCT (EFT, breathing awareness, control), SUDS scores in the active and transition labor phases were significantly lower in the EFT group, and W-DEQ fear-of-childbirth scores differed significantly between groups (p<0.001); both EFT and breathing awareness helped, but EFT was found more effective.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Emadi, S., Hekmat, K., Abedi, P. et al. · 2024
116 first-time pregnant women in Iran were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of daily EFT tapping or no intervention. The tapping group's fear of childbirth dropped noticeably while the control group's fear actually crept up, and the difference held after delivery too. This is a solid randomized trial, though it relies on self-report questionnaires and was conducted in one country/clinic setting.
Fear of childbirth score decreased from 49.39 to 40.42 in the EFT group (p<0.0001) while the control group's score increased (p=0.002); postpartum fear scores were also significantly lower in the EFT group (27.13 vs 45.88, p<0.0001).
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
TFT (related method)
Morikawa, A., Fujimoto, M., Kawagishi, Y. et al. · 2025
Ninety-nine people in Japan during the pandemic were randomly assigned to a brief online Thought Field Therapy session or a waitlist. The TFT group saw large, statistically significant drops in distress ratings for a wide range of personal issues, with the effect holding for weeks afterward. This is a randomized trial with a reasonably large sample and a very large effect size, though it relies on self-reported distress ratings rather than clinical diagnostic measures.
Among 88 participants completing online TFT, significant reductions occurred in stress, irritability, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints (p<.01); SUDS scores for 248 issues fell from an average of 7 to 1.5 (p<.01, large effect size).
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Zhou, X., Zhang, G., Chen, D. et al. · 2025
Ninety-nine patients recovering from lower-limb fracture surgery in China were split into three groups: routine care, routine care plus ear acupressure, or routine care plus ear acupressure and EFT tapping. The group that got both ear acupressure and tapping had the least pain in the two days after surgery and the lowest anxiety three days out. Because EFT was combined with acupressure rather than tested alone, it's not possible to say how much tapping itself contributed versus the acupressure.
The combined auricular acupressure plus EFT group had significantly lower VAS pain scores at 4, 12, 24, and 48 hours post-intervention and lower anxiety scores at 72 hours than the acupressure-only or control groups (P < .05).
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Stapleton, P., Le Sech, K., Toussaint, L. L. et al. · 2025
Ninety-eight adults who had experienced interpersonal betrayals or hurts were randomly assigned to a single online EFT session or a control task, then assessed on forgiveness, empathy, rumination, mood, and anxiety. The EFT group showed moderate improvements across most of these measures. This is a preregistered randomized trial, which adds credibility, though it tested only a single session's effect.
Results revealed moderate improvements in most outcomes for the EFT group compared to control, suggesting a role in fostering forgiveness and psychological recovery after interpersonal offenses.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Stapleton, P., Lilley-Hale, E., Mackintosh, G. et al. · 2020
Overweight and obese adults took an eight-week online tapping course they could work through at their own pace, then were checked back in with two years later. Their food cravings dropped by more than a quarter, they felt less controlled by food, and their anxiety and depression scores improved too — and most of these gains were still holding two years out. Their weight did drop over the first year but crept back by the two-year mark, so tapping looks more reliable for cravings and mood than for lasting weight loss by itself.
Participants who completed an 8-week self-paced online EFT program showed significantly reduced food cravings (-28.2%), power of food (-26.7%), depression (-12.3%), anxiety (-23.3%), and somatic symptoms (-10.6%) from baseline to 2-year follow-up, with restraint improved (+13.4%); BMI and weight decreased significantly through 12 months but were no longer significantly different from baseline at 2 years.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor Critical finding
Stapleton, P., et al. · 2013
This trial gave 96 overweight adults with anxiety either four tapping sessions or no treatment yet. Anxiety improved slightly more in the tapping group, but the difference was small and could plausibly be due to chance in this sample size.
Four EFT sessions (n=49) vs waitlist (n=47); anxiety difference d=0.27 (95% CI −0.12–0.66, p=0.177), not statistically significant in Clond's table. The same sample's depression outcome (N=45 analyzed) is reported in Nelms & Castel 2016 as d=0.37 (−21% symptom change).
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Unknown, et al. · 2025
Ninety people in Nanjing, China with COPD (a chronic lung disease) who were also dealing with real anxiety and depression took part in this study. Half got their usual hospital care; half got usual care plus six weeks of tapping sessions. By six weeks, the tapping group had bigger drops in anxiety and depression and did better on sleep, fatigue, and lung-disease-specific quality of life than the group that didn't tap. This is a single-site trial in one hospital, so it's a solid early result rather than a settled answer across all COPD patients.
90 COPD inpatients with anxiety (AIR-C >=8) and depression (SDS >53) were randomized to routine care (n=45) or routine care plus a 6-week EFT program (n=45); the EFT group showed larger declines in anxiety and depression at week 6 and greater improvement in sleep quality, fatigue, and CAT quality-of-life scores than controls.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Church, D., et al. · 2012
In this study of 83 nonclinical adults with moderate anxiety, a single hour-long tapping session led to a large drop in anxiety compared with people who did nothing, and a smaller but still real drop compared with people who simply talked to a supportive interviewer.
One EFT session (n=28) vs waitlist (n=27) and supportive interview (n=28); EFT-vs-waitlist difference d=1.34 (95% CI 0.66–2.02, p<0.001); EFT-vs-interview difference d=0.71 (95% CI 0.00–1.42, p=0.049).
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Tanriver, P., Gurcayir, D. · 2026
Eighty knee-replacement patients were randomly assigned to Tapping or standard care after surgery. The Tapping group reported less pain and anxiety afterward. Numbers needed to size the effect were not in the abstract; pull the full text at review.
In a block-randomised trial (n=80), postoperative EFT produced significantly lower post-intervention pain (VAS) and state anxiety (STAI-S) vs standard care (p<0.05), with no baseline differences. Abstract reports significance only; group means/SDs not available (PMC full text embargoed at scan time), so no between-group effect size captured yet.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Yakici, T., Yagcan, H. · 2026
Eighty nursing students with PMS were randomly split between weekly Tapping sessions for two cycles or no treatment. The Tapping group ended up with far lower PMS and menstrual-symptom scores and better mental quality of life, a large between-group difference.
RCT (n=80): after ~8 weekly individual EFT sessions across two menstrual cycles, the EFT group scored significantly lower than control on PMS (113.7 vs 149.4, p<0.001), menstrual symptoms (55.4 vs 79.1, p<0.001) and distress (SUDS 3.5 vs 5.7, p<0.001); SF-12 mental component improved significantly, physical component did not. Baseline scores were equivalent.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Dincer, B., Inangil, D. · 2021
Eighty nurses working in COVID-19 wards — under some of the highest stress conditions in healthcare — either did one brief guided tapping session online or received nothing extra. The nurses who tapped reported dramatically lower anxiety, distress, and burnout than those who didn't, all after a single session. This was a single-session, self-report study conducted during an extraordinary crisis period, so it speaks to fast relief in an acute high-stress setting rather than long-term burnout prevention.
80 nurses were randomized to a single brief online EFT session or no intervention; the EFT group had significantly lower anxiety (STAI 32.25 vs 64.43, p<0.001), lower distress (SUDS 2.85 vs 7.40, p<0.001), and lower burnout scores (2.48 vs 3.43, p<0.001) than the control group.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Qi, W., Xinyi, Y., Yuhan, W. et al. · 2024
Seventy older adults in Nanjing, China living with HIV — many dealing with anxiety, low mood, and poor sleep — were split into two groups. Half added a short daily tapping session to their usual care for two weeks; half continued with usual care alone. The tapping group ended up with better anxiety, mood, and sleep scores than the group that didn't tap. It's a fairly short intervention window (two weeks) in a specific population, so longer-term durability isn't yet established.
70 older adults living with HIV at the Nanjing Public Health Medical Center were randomized to 2 weeks of daily 15-20 minute EFT sessions (n=35) added to routine care, or routine care alone (n=35); the EFT group showed a positive effect on relieving anxiety and depression and improving sleep quality compared to controls.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Tang, X., Wang, L., Ni, S. et al. · 2023
Sixty-six people on long-term dialysis for kidney failure — a group that often struggles with poor sleep — were split into a group learning tapping over 12 weeks and a group getting usual care only. The tapping group slept better, felt less anxious and depressed, and had less trouble functioning during the day, and three-quarters said they'd keep using it. This is a pilot study focused partly on whether tapping is even practical for this patient group, and it found that it is, alongside real symptom benefits.
66 hemodialysis patients with sleep problems were randomized to a 12-week EFT intervention or control; the EFT group showed statistically significant improvement in anxiety, depression, sleep quality, sleep duration, and daytime dysfunction versus control, and 75% of participants said they would continue practicing EFT.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor Critical finding
Brattberg, G. · 2008
Sixty-two women with fibromyalgia — a condition causing widespread pain and fatigue — tried daily self-guided tapping for eight weeks, while a comparison group did nothing different. The tapping group ended up less anxious and less depressed, and reported better quality of life in areas like vitality, social functioning, and mental health, though pain itself and a couple of other measures didn't show a clear difference. It's a modest-sized study with a do-nothing comparison group, so it's an encouraging early result rather than the final word.
26 women did daily self-administered EFT for 8 weeks (56 sessions total) versus 36 on a no-treatment control; the EFT group had significantly lower anxiety (7.4 vs 9.7, p<0.05) and depression (6.9 vs 9.1, p<0.05) on the HADS, and improved on 5 of 8 SF-36 quality-of-life subscales, though self-efficacy and some physical-function subscales did not differ significantly.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Thomas, R., Cutinho, S., Aranha, D. · 2017
Fifty women awaiting gynecological or obstetric surgery in India, all with at least moderate anxiety, either received two short EFT sessions before surgery or standard care alone. The tapping group's anxiety dropped by roughly three-quarters, while the standard-care group's anxiety stayed the same. This is a clean, randomized trial showing a large, statistically decisive effect in a real pre-surgical setting.
Anxiety scores in the EFT group dropped from 27.28 (± 2.47) to 7.60 (± 2.00), highly statistically significant (p < 0.0001), while the control group showed no change.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
TFT (related method)
Irgens, A., Dammen, T., Nysaeter, T. E. et al. · 2012
Forty-five patients with various anxiety disorders in Norway were randomized to Thought Field Therapy or a waiting list. The tapping group improved significantly more on anxiety and daily functioning, and the benefit was still there a year later. This is a genuine randomized trial with a meaningful follow-up period for a mixed anxiety-disorder population.
The TFT group had a significantly better outcome on two measures of anxiety and one measure of function compared to the waitlist group, with improvement maintained at 3 and 12 months post-treatment.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Kwak, H.-Y., et al. · 2015
Forty people in Korea with Hwabyung — a condition tied to long-suppressed anger — were split into two groups: one did four weeks of tapping in a group setting, the other did progressive muscle relaxation. The tapping group ended up with bigger improvements in anxiety, anger, and physical symptoms, and those gains held up better over six months when people kept practicing on their own. It's a modestly sized study comparing two active techniques rather than one active treatment against nothing.
40 Hwabyung patients were randomized to 4 weeks of group EFT (n=20) or PMR (n=20); the EFT group improved more than the PMR group on physical symptoms and on overall anxiety and anger, with better maintenance of gains during self-training through 24-week follow-up.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Jones, S., Thornton, J., Andrews, H. · 2011
People who dreaded public speaking were split into an EFT group and a wait-and-see group. The tapping group's fear of speaking up dropped significantly more than the group that just waited.
A randomized controlled trial found EFT produced significantly greater reductions in public speaking anxiety than a waitlist control.
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
Kwak, H.-Y., et al. · 2020
Thirty-one Korean adults with Hwabyung — a recognized anger-suppression condition — were randomly split into a tapping (EFT) group and a group doing progressive muscle relaxation, four weeks of group sessions either way. Both approaches helped with anxiety, depression, and physical Hwabyung symptoms, but the tapping group saw a bigger drop in trait anger than the relaxation group. This was a small pilot study, so consider it an early signal rather than a final answer.
In this pilot RCT, EFT (n=15) and PMR (n=16) both improved Hwabyung symptoms, state anxiety, and depression; trait anger improved significantly more in the EFT group than PMR at post-treatment (between-group p=0.022), with EFT trait-anger score dropping about 13.4% (p=0.004).
Randomized trial Moderate rigor
TFT (related method)
Irgens, A. · 2018
This doctoral thesis pulls together a program of studies comparing Thought Field Therapy, a tapping-based approach, against both a waiting list and standard cognitive therapy for anxiety disorders including agoraphobia. TFT clearly beat waiting, and held its own against cognitive therapy on the specific measure of avoiding feared situations, though there was a slight, not statistically significant, edge for cognitive therapy overall. The author is upfront that the sample was too small to say for certain whether one treatment beats the other.
TFT showed better effect than a 10-week waitlist, with benefits continuing at 3 and 12 months; TFT and cognitive therapy showed no significant difference on the primary agoraphobic avoidance variable, though a nonsignificant trend favored CT overall.
Randomized trial Preliminary Critical finding
Jain, S., Rubino, A. · 2012
Forty college students tried one tapping session versus waiting or doing breathing exercises. None of the differences were large enough, in this small sample, to be confident they weren't due to chance.
One EFT session (n=11) vs waitlist (n=23, d=0.45, p=0.275) and diaphragmatic breathing (n=6, d=−0.73, 95% CI −2.42–0.96, p=0.396); neither comparison statistically significant.
Randomized trial Preliminary
König, N., Steber, S., Seebacher, J. et al. · 2019
This small Austrian study used EFT-based tapping following the standard Gary Craig method (not the German PEP variant), comparing it directly to progressive muscle relaxation in patients diagnosed with clinical anxiety. Both a single tapping session and a single relaxation session led to real reductions in how anxious people said they felt, and brain scans showed each method affected the brain a little differently depending on the type of emotional tone of voice being processed. With only 9 people in the tapping group, this is a small, single-session study best read as an early neuroscience signal rather than a definitive treatment comparison.
Both a single EFT-based tapping session and a single PMR session were followed by significant reductions in self-reported anxiety (tapping group p=.033; PMR group p=.013), with EEG evidence that tapping affected brain responses to angry emotional tones while PMR affected responses to fearful tones — a difference in mechanism rather than a clear winner in overall efficacy.
Randomized trial Preliminary Critical finding
Fox, S. · 2013
Ten college students did standard tapping and ten did a modified version, to see if the specific tapping points matter. The two groups ended up about the same, but the study was too small to draw firm conclusions either way.
One session, EFT (n=10) vs a modified EFT protocol (n=10); difference d=0.47 (95% CI −0.55–1.49, p=0.366), not statistically significant.
Randomized trial Preliminary
Jasubhai, S. · 2021
Fourteen young adults in India were randomly assigned to eight weekly sessions of EFT or CBT, while researchers tracked not just mood but memory and heart-based measures of calm. Both treatments eased stress, anxiety, and depression and improved short-term memory, but the EFT group showed a depression improvement as early as the third session. The sample is very small, so this needs replication before drawing firm conclusions about which treatment works faster.
Both EFT and CBT produced significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms with concurrent improvement in short-term memory and psychophysiological coherence; EFT showed marked improvement in depression after just 3 sessions.
Randomized trial Preliminary
Jasubhai, S., Mukundan, C. R. · 2018
Ten adults in India with both anxiety and depression were randomly assigned to eight weeks of EFT or CBT. Both treatments worked, but EFT showed a depression improvement earlier, after just three sessions, compared to CBT's eight-week timeline. With only ten participants, this needs a much larger trial to confirm the apparent speed advantage.
Both CBT and EFT produced significant reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms; the EFT group showed marked improvement in depression after just 3 sessions, while the CBT group showed significant improvement after 8 weeks.
Randomized trial Preliminary Critical finding
Chatwin, H., Stapleton, P., Porter, B. et al. · 2016
10 adults with depression, randomly split between tapping and CBT, were tracked on both depression and anxiety measures. Depression eased in both groups over time, with the tapping group's improvement showing up a few months later than the CBT group's. Anxiety, however, didn't show a real change in either group in this small pilot — a straightforward null result worth reporting honestly rather than leaving out.
Depression improved significantly in both groups (CBT at post-test p=.032; EFT at 3-month follow-up p=.003 and 6-month p=.021), but neither EFT nor CBT produced a statistically significant reduction in anxiety scores on the DASS-21 from pre- to post-treatment.
Controlled trial Moderate rigor
Cici, R., Özkan, M. · 2021
Over 160 patients about to undergo spinal disc surgery in Turkey were split into an EFT group, a music group, or standard care. Both EFT and music calmed patients' anxiety and vital signs more than standard care alone, and EFT edged out music specifically for anxiety and breathing rate. This is a well-sized three-arm trial in a real surgical setting.
EFT and music both significantly reduced state anxiety and subjective discomfort (P < .001) compared to control, with EFT more effective than music on state anxiety and respiratory rate.
Controlled trial Moderate rigor Indonesian
Safitri, W., Dhamayanti, I., Irdianti, M. et al. · 2021
A hundred forty-four older adults with high blood pressure in an Indonesian village were split into a tapping group and a usual-care group. The tapping group's anxiety fell by a clear, statistically real margin, and it was also meaningfully lower than the comparison group's afterward. This is one of the larger Indonesian tapping trials in this cluster, and it used a real comparison group rather than before/after data alone.
144 elderly hypertensive adults (72 EFT, 72 control) in this Indonesian trial showed significantly greater anxiety reduction in the EFT group (Wilcoxon p=0.000) with a significant between-group difference (Mann-Whitney p=0.042).
Controlled trial Moderate rigor
SEFT (related method)
Yunita Sari, R., Muhith, A., Rohmawati, R. et al. · 2021
110 people with type 2 diabetes, worried about their heightened COVID-19 risk, were split into a SEFT group and an untreated group. The SEFT group's anxiety dropped from moderate to mild and their sense of well-being rose noticeably, while the untreated group barely changed. This is a reasonably sized controlled trial in a vulnerable population during a real public health crisis.
Mean anxiety in the intervention group fell from 21.89 (moderate) to 10.98 (mild) while psychological well-being rose from 147.49 to 170.91; the control group showed essentially no change (p = 0.00 for the SEFT effect).
Controlled trial Moderate rigor
Marzban, A., Akbari, M., Moradi, M. et al. · 2024
Ninety-one family members caring for a relative with heart failure — a role that's often exhausting and anxiety-inducing — either learned tapping over six sessions or received no training. The group that learned tapping reported feeling noticeably less anxious and less burdened by their caregiving role than the group that didn't. Participants weren't randomly assigned to groups, so it's a solid but not gold-standard trial design.
91 family caregivers of heart-failure patients were assigned to a 6-session EFT training group (n=46) or a no-training control group (n=45); the EFT group had significant reductions in both anxiety (p<0.001) and caregiver burden (p<0.001) compared to control.
Controlled trial Moderate rigor
Stapleton, P., Bannatyne, A., Chatwin, H. et al. · 2017
Eighty-three overweight or obese adults got eight weeks of either group EFT or group CBT, the standard talk-therapy approach, aimed at food cravings. On the side, EFT brought down both anxiety and depression and kept them down for a year, while CBT only moved the needle on depression, not anxiety. The two approaches weren't directly compared for statistical superiority on every measure, so read this as EFT holding its own against a gold-standard therapy rather than beating it outright.
Anxiety and depression scores significantly decreased from pre- to post-intervention for the EFT group and were maintained at 6- and 12-month follow-up, while the CBT group showed significant depression improvement but no significant change in anxiety.
Controlled trial Moderate rigor
SEFT (related method)
Indonesian
Kurnianingsih, M. F., Nahdatien, I., Zahroh, C. · 2021
This is the Indonesian SEFT variant of tapping, which adds Islamic prayer and spiritual surrender to the standard tapping steps — not the same as the secular EFT protocol used in most Western studies. 68 COVID-19 patients in a quarantine facility in Indonesia were split into a group that received five days of SEFT and a comparison group. The SEFT group reported both less anxiety and more motivation to recover than the comparison group. It's a single-site study during an unusual pandemic circumstance.
After five daily SEFT sessions, there was a significant difference in anxiety level (p=0.000) and recovery motivation (p=0.000) between the SEFT and comparison groups.
Controlled trial Moderate rigor Persian
Alamdar, B.A., Mohammadtehrani, H., Behboodi, M. et al. · 2021
Thirty men hospitalized with post-traumatic stress disorder in Iran were split into a tapping group and a comparison group. The tapping group's anxiety — both in-the-moment and as an ongoing trait — dropped by a real margin, and the improvement was still there two months later. It's a small, single-hospital sample, so it's best read as an encouraging early result in a severely affected inpatient population.
30 male psychiatric inpatients with PTSD (15 EFT, 15 control) showed significantly greater reductions in state anxiety (F=14.23, p=0.008) and trait anxiety (F=3.07, p=0.031) following EFT, with gains maintained at a 2-month follow-up.
Controlled trial Moderate rigor Indonesian
Hardiyan, D., Wahyiuni, F., Riyandini, F.R. · 2022
Twenty-four people in Indonesia waiting for a heart artery procedure were split into a tapping group and a control group just before the procedure. The tapping group's pre-procedure anxiety dropped by a statistically real margin compared to the control group. It's a small sample tied to a single stressful medical moment rather than an ongoing condition, but the effect is clearly reported.
24 patients (12 EFT, 12 control) awaiting a percutaneous coronary intervention in Indonesia showed a significant anxiety reduction with EFT versus control (mean difference 2.833, p=0.0001).
Controlled trial Moderate rigor
SEFT (related method)
Lina, L., Sabriyanti, H., Sartika, A. · 2019
Patients undergoing the demanding routine of hemodialysis tried either a spiritual form of EFT or a relaxation technique for their anxiety. Both approaches worked about equally well at easing anxiety, with tapping holding its own against an established relaxation method. This adds EFT to the toolkit of options for a patient group facing chronic, repetitive medical stress.
Both SEFT (p = 0.000) and autogenic relaxation (p = 0.000) significantly reduced anxiety in hemodialysis patients, with no significant difference between the two approaches (p = 0.184).
Controlled trial Preliminary
TFT (related method)
Andrade, J., Feinstein, D. · 2004
Across 11 clinics in Argentina and Uruguay, 5,000 anxiety patients over five and a half years were randomly given either standard cognitive behavioral therapy with medication, or acupoint tapping without medication, with raters blind to which treatment each patient got. Nine in ten tapping patients improved, versus about six in ten in the CBT group, and tapping patients also needed far fewer sessions on average (three versus fifteen) to get there. This is the largest sample size in the entire EFT literature, but the authors themselves are candid that it was an informal, in-house clinic tracking exercise never submitted for peer review, with looser record-keeping than a formal trial - so its size should be weighed against that limitation.
Improvement was found in 90% of the acupoint tapping group versus 63% of the CBT group, with complete symptom relief in 76% of the tapping group versus 51% of the CBT group; one-year follow-up projected 78% sustained benefit for tapping versus 69% for CBT.
Controlled trial Preliminary
Church, D., Vasudevan, A., De Foe, A. et al. · 2023
Fifty-four people did a two-day EFT workshop focused on money-related anxiety, either in person before COVID or virtually during the pandemic. The in-person group showed clearer statistically significant improvements in anxiety, PTSD, and pain, while the virtual group's mood improved significantly but some measures like anxiety and depression showed only non-significant trends. Both formats improved money-related attitudes. This is a retrospective comparison of two convenience samples rather than a randomized head-to-head trial.
The in-person group had significant reductions in anxiety (P=.023), PTSD (P=.013), and pain (P=.029) and improved happiness (P<.001) post-intervention; the virtual group had a significant increase in happiness (P<.001) with non-significant decreases in anxiety, depression, and pain; both groups showed significant improvements in money attitude subscales.
Controlled trial Preliminary
Wang, J., Yan, T. L., Zhaoyu, D. · 2024
Thirty people with vague physical and emotional 'sub-health' complaints - the kind of persistent fatigue and unease that doesn't fit a specific diagnosis - tried a four-week EFT program. Their fatigue, anxiety, and depression scores improved significantly compared with a no-intervention group, while sleep quality did not change significantly. This is a small pilot connecting EFT to traditional Chinese medicine's meridian theory, so it should be seen as exploratory.
After a 4-week EFT training regimen, fatigue, anxiety, and depression scores decreased with statistically significant changes compared with a no-intervention group; the sleep-quality change (PSQI) did not reach significance (p>0.05).
Controlled trial Preliminary Indonesian
Ningsih, S., Karim, D., Sabrian, F. · 2015
Thirty women with stage II or III breast cancer in Indonesia tried EFT to help with the anxiety that comes with a serious cancer diagnosis. Those who did EFT saw a significant drop in anxiety compared to a similar group that didn't. It's a modest-sized quasi-experimental study, so a fully randomized trial would strengthen the evidence.
The experimental group showed a significant reduction in anxiety (p = 0.005) compared to the non-equivalent control group.
Controlled trial Preliminary
SEFT (related method)
Emilia, E. · 2024
26 first-time pregnant women were split into a group getting Spiritual EFT sessions and an untreated group. The treated group's labor anxiety dropped noticeably while the untreated group's stayed exactly the same. It's a small quasi-experimental study, so larger and more rigorous replication would strengthen confidence.
Labor anxiety in the treatment group decreased from 29.83 (pretest) to 21.77 (posttest) after 3 SEFT sessions, while the control group's score remained unchanged (28.08 to 28.08).
Controlled trial Preliminary
Fitri, R., Suroso., Prastiti, N. T. · 2020
Twenty older adults facing degenerative illness, some with strong family support and some without, tried EFT for their anxiety. Anxiety dropped as EFT use went up, regardless of how much social support someone had. The sample is very small, so this is an early signal rather than a firm conclusion.
A significant correlation was found between EFT and reduced anxiety, but no significant difference in anxiety outcomes between those with high versus low social support.
Controlled trial Preliminary
Saleh, B., Tiscione, M., Freedom, J. · 2017
Eight dental patients with dental anxiety either did four minutes of EFT tapping or read a magazine while imagining being in the dentist's chair. The tapping group's anxiety dropped more than the magazine-reading group's, but with only eight people the difference between the groups did not reach statistical significance (it only approached it). Read as a small, suggestive pilot consistent with larger EFT anxiety studies.
The EFT group's mean anxiety dropped 35% (72->46) after a four-minute tapping intervention vs a 6% drop in the magazine-reading control; the within-subjects Time effect was significant (F=6.76, p=.04), but the Group x Time interaction only approached significance (F=4.42, p=.08) - so the between-group difference was not statistically significant in this n=8 pilot.
Controlled trial Preliminary Turkish
Eraydın, C., Çorbacı, B., Dini, Ü. et al. · 2023
A group of Turkish nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic tried four tapping sessions to see if it helped them cope with pandemic-related stress. Afterward, students reported better coping skills - like seeking support and feeling more optimistic - and improved anxiety scores compared with before. The study is small and its published report did not include the sample size or statistical detail.
After four EFT sessions, the experimental group showed higher post-test scores on adaptive coping strategies (seeking social support, optimism, self-confidence) and improved state anxiety compared with pre-test; the published report did not include sample size or test statistics.
Controlled trial Preliminary
Rostami, K., Tiznobaik, A., Maleki, L. et al. · 2020
Nurses during the coronavirus outbreak were taught EFT to help manage work stress, with a comparison group. Work stress scores in the EFT group changed significantly over time, while the abstract doesn't clearly report a direct post-intervention between-group comparison. The description is somewhat unclear about exact sample sizes and final between-group results.
Work stress scores did not differ significantly between groups before the intervention (p=0.14), but analysis of variance with repeated observations showed a significant difference in the EFT training group's stress scores over three time points (p < 0.001).
Outcome study Moderate rigor
Church, D., House, D. · 2018
Eighty-one people at EFT workshops used a group format called 'Borrowing Benefits,' where one person works directly with a facilitator while everyone else taps along on their own material. Across the board, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, pain, and cravings all dropped significantly, and the improvement in PTSD symptoms was a moderate-sized effect that held up six months later. Because this wasn't compared against a separate control group, some of the change could reflect simply attending an intensive workshop rather than the tapping itself.
Significant reductions were observed across all measures (P < .03), with a moderate Cohen's d of 0.54 for the PTSD treatment effect, and gains maintained at 6-month follow-up.
Outcome study Moderate rigor Indonesian
Tambunan, M.B., Suwarni, L., Setiawati, L. et al. · 2022
Twenty-two people isolating with confirmed COVID-19 in an Indonesian city took part in a tapping program. Their anxiety, depression, and insomnia scores all dropped by a statistically significant margin from before to after. This was a single-arm study with no comparison group, so treat it as suggestive rather than definitive.
In a single-arm pre/post study of 22 COVID-19-positive patients in Pontianak, Indonesia, EFT was associated with significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and insomnia scores (p<0.05) from before to after.
Outcome study Preliminary
Church, D., Brooks, A. · 2010
216 healthcare workers tried a single 2-hour tapping demonstration and self-practice session. Afterward, their reported pain, cravings, and emotional distress all dropped sharply, and just over half completed a 90-day follow-up where most gains had held. No comparison group was used, so we can't be sure how much of the improvement was specific to tapping.
Symptom severity dropped 45 percent and symptom breadth 40 percent (both p<.001) after a single 2-hour EFT self-application session among 216 healthcare-conference attendees; pain scores dropped 68%, intensity of traumatic memories 83%, and cravings 83% (all p<.001, per full-text tables).
Outcome study Preliminary
Bach, D., Groesbeck, G., Stapleton, P. et al. · 2019
Over 200 adults attending a multi-day tapping training had their anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms measured before and after, and a smaller group of 31 also had blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol, and immune markers tracked. Self-reported anxiety and depression dropped substantially, and several physical stress markers, including cortisol and resting heart rate, improved too. There was no comparison group, so we can't rule out that some of this reflects the general effect of attending an immersive workshop rather than tapping specifically.
Across the workshop sample, self-reported anxiety fell 40% (p<.000), depression 35% (p<.000), and PTSD symptoms 32% (p<.000); in a physiological subsample (n=31), cortisol fell 37% (p<.000), resting heart rate fell 8% (p=.001), and salivary immunoglobulin A rose 113% (p=.017); heart rate variability and heart coherence showed positive trends without a reported significance value.
Outcome study Preliminary
Church, D., Stapleton, P., Gosatti, D. et al. · 2022
One hundred fifty-one people attended a one-day virtual workshop combining EFT with heart-coherence training and mindfulness (EcoMeditation), and showed large drops in anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, and pain, plus increases in happiness and flow states that mostly held up three months later. There's no control group, so improvement can't be separated from the general experience of an intensive group workshop, but the follow-up data adds some durability evidence.
Post-workshop (N=111), significant reductions occurred in anxiety (-42.3%, p<0.001), depression (-37.5%, p<0.001), PTSD (-13.0%, p<0.001), and pain (-63.2%, p<0.001), with significant increases in happiness (+111.1%), flow states (+17.4%), and transcendent experiences (+18.5%); gains persisted at 3-month follow-up for a smaller subsample (N=72).
Outcome study Preliminary
Lambert, M. · 2020
A researcher taught tapping to 138 primary schoolers across a school year, and the kids who started out most anxious got the biggest boost in mood and the biggest drop in anxiety scores. Teachers and students also reported the skill carried over into daily life, like an easier time paying attention in class. This was a doctoral dissertation with a single group and no untreated comparison classroom, so the size of the anxiety drop should be read as a real but preliminary classroom-level signal rather than a controlled trial result.
Across a 30-week, mixed-methods classroom program teaching 138 primary school students to tap, anxiety (RCMAS-2) decreased and wellbeing (SUWS) improved significantly over the two intervention stages, with the largest gains among students who started out most anxious or reporting they felt 'not great.'
Outcome study Preliminary
Jameela, S., Thapa, K. S. · 2024
A hundred wives of men with alcohol use disorder learned EFT to deal with the anxiety of living with an alcoholic spouse. Before tapping, 30% had at least mild anxiety; afterward, only 15% did, and almost nobody was left with moderate anxiety. There was no comparison group, so some of the change could reflect simply retaking the questionnaire, but the shift is large.
The proportion of women with no anxiety rose from 70% pretest to 85% post-test, while moderate anxiety fell from 18% to 2%, after an EFT intervention.
Outcome study Preliminary
Balha, S. M., Abo-Baker, O., Mahmoud, S. · 2020
Ninety patients being treated for substance use disorders in an Egyptian psychiatric hospital learned EFT as part of their care. Afterward, their cravings dropped and so did their overall psychological distress across every symptom category measured. There was no control group, so it's not clear how much of the improvement came from tapping specifically versus the rest of their treatment.
A psycho-educational EFT program significantly reduced craving levels and all nine SCL-90 symptom dimensions after the sessions (p < 0.005).
Outcome study Preliminary
Vural, P., Korpe, G., Inangil, D. · 2019
Eighty Turkish nursing students did three short EFT sessions to help with exam anxiety before a big test. Their anxiety on multiple validated measures dropped significantly, and over half reported meaningful relief in how they felt about the exam. There was no comparison group, so it can't rule out that some students would have calmed down anyway as the exam approached.
State and trait anxiety, as well as exam anxiety, statistically significantly decreased after three EFT sessions, with more than half of students showing success in subjective exam anxiety reduction.
Outcome study Preliminary
Church, D., Clond, M. · 2019
Thirty-seven people took an in-person 6-day workshop and another 37 took a 12-week online course, both teaching a set of stress-reduction and relationship skills including Clinical EFT. Both formats improved depression and relationship satisfaction over a year, but only the in-person group showed a significant reduction in anxiety, and improvements were generally sharper in-person. Since this compares two active delivery formats rather than either against no treatment, and other skills (mindfulness, breathwork, qigong) were bundled with EFT, it can't isolate EFT's specific contribution.
Anxiety reduced significantly in the in-person but not the online group; both groups showed significant improvements in depression (p<0.001) and relationship satisfaction (29% improvement, p<0.003), with sharper symptom declines in the in-person group; gains were maintained at 1-year follow-up in both groups.
Outcome study Preliminary
Ali, S. A-e-Z., Loona, M. · 2019
Seventy female university students in Pakistan tried tapping therapy for their anxiety. Both their in-the-moment anxiety and their more persistent anxious tendencies dropped significantly by the end. There was no comparison group, so the design can't rule out other explanations for the change, but it adds to evidence from a country underrepresented in EFT research.
Paired sample t-tests indicated significant pre- and post-test differences in both state and trait anxiety levels in female university students (p<.001).
Outcome study Preliminary
Thomas, B. M., Cole, L. · 2026
An ICU taught 64 of its nurses to tap; three months later stress was down about a third. No comparison group, so this is supportive real-world evidence rather than proof.
Single-group quality-improvement project (n=64): after an EFT workshop, critical care nurses' self-reported stress fell 35%, anxiety 18%, and burnout 3% over 3 months (all reported p<0.05). Within-group pre-post only, no control group, so no effect size recorded.
Outcome study Preliminary
Warrier, A. · 2018
Forty-six adults across a wide age range in Delhi did three tapping sessions over two weeks to address anxiety. Both their anxiety and their overall quality-of-life scores improved significantly. There was no control group and the sample was limited, so the authors themselves note that larger controlled studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions.
Anxiety and quality of life both showed statistically and emotionally significant improvement after a two-week, three-session tapping intervention (all p < 0.001); mean anxiety scores improved from 8.325 (high) to 6.975 (average).
Outcome study Preliminary
Bustamante-Paster, A. · 2022
Forty-five Filipino college students struggling with severe pandemic-era depression, anxiety, or stress went through 16 tapping sessions. Across all three groups, average scores moved from the severe range down to normal or mild by the end. There was no control group, so some of the improvement over 16 sessions could reflect time passing rather than EFT alone.
After 16 sessions of EFT, the anxiety group's mean DASS score fell from 16.69 (severe) to 4.84 (normal), the depression group's from 22.77 (severe) to 10.38 (mild), and the stress group's from 25.50 (severe) to 8.70 (normal).
Outcome study Preliminary
Boath, E., Good, R., Tsaroucha, A. et al. · 2017
Forty-five social work students, a group known for high placement-related anxiety, tried EFT after a stress-inducing mock lecture. They reported significantly less distress and anxiety afterward, and interviews found students experienced tapping as calming and useful beyond the classroom. This is a pilot study without a control group, so it establishes feasibility more than definitive efficacy.
Quantitative findings indicated participants reported significantly less subjective distress and anxiety after using EFT, following a 15-minute anxiety-inducing lecture.
Outcome study Preliminary
Tambunan, M., Suwarni, N., Selviana, S. · 2023
Forty-two people isolating with confirmed COVID-19 in Indonesia tried EFT to help with the anxiety, low mood, and sleeplessness that came with the diagnosis. All three measures improved significantly. This was a quasi-experimental study in a government isolation facility, so real-world conditions may have limited the rigor of the design.
EFT therapy was effective in reducing anxiety, depression, and insomnia scores among people confirmed positive for COVID-19 (p-value < 0.05).
Outcome study Preliminary
Barndad, L. · 2021
Forty-one students took an eight-week EFT course and were tracked with a one-year follow-up survey. Their in-the-moment (state) anxiety eased right after the course, though a longer-running (trait) anxiety measure actually ticked up - a mixed result the researcher reported honestly rather than smoothing over. At the one-year mark, most students still said their anxiety was lower than before they started.
State anxiety appeared reduced after the eight-week course, though trait anxiety increased; a majority of participants reported decreased anxiety at one-year follow-up.
Outcome study Preliminary
Baker, B., Hoffman, C. · 2015
Women struggling with the mood and physical side effects of hormone therapy for breast cancer did a 3-week EFT course, then kept practicing on their own. Their mood, anxiety, depression, and fatigue scores all improved, holding up through 12 weeks. This was a service evaluation without a control group, so some of the improvement could reflect other factors like time or extra clinical attention.
Statistically significant improvements in Total Mood Disturbance (p=0.005/0.008), anxiety (p=0.003/0.028), depression (p=0.006/0.020), and fatigue (p=0.008/0.033) occurred at both 6 and 12 weeks compared to baseline; hot flush frequency also decreased.
Outcome study Preliminary
Church, D., David, I. · 2019
39 business executives attended a one-day seminar using a group tapping method called Borrowing Benefits, where everyone taps along while watching a certified practitioner work with one person. Afterward, their stress-related symptoms, pain, and cravings all dropped substantially. There was no control group and no follow-up, so this shows an immediate effect in a workplace-like setting rather than lasting change.
After a daylong seminar combining psychoeducation with group-format Clinical EFT (Borrowing Benefits protocol), severity of anxiety/depression symptoms declined 34% (p<0.0008), pain declined 41%, and cravings for problem food and drink declined 50% (both p<0.0001).
Outcome study Preliminary
Church, D., Brooks, A.J. · 2013
Adults struggling with addiction spent a weekend doing EFT in a group workshop, and their overall psychological distress dropped by more than a third by the end, a large and statistically real change. Three months later, the drop in anxiety and obsessive thinking was still holding. There was no comparison group, so this shows a real before-and-after change in a workshop setting rather than proof tapping beats other addiction treatments.
After a weekend EFT workshop, 39 adults with self-identified addiction issues showed a 38% reduction in overall psychological distress (SA-45 positive symptom total, p<.000), with improvements on symptom intensity/breadth and the anxiety and obsessive-compulsive subscales maintained at 90-day follow-up (p<.001).
Outcome study Preliminary
Stewart, A., Boath, E., Carryer, A. et al. · 2013
In a real UK National Health Service clinic, 39 clients started and 31 completed a course of EFT for a range of emotional issues including anxiety, depression, and anger. Their overall psychological distress dropped from a moderately severe level down into the normal range, and nearly every single client improved. This is valuable because it's real-world NHS service data, not a lab study, though there was no control group and higher-quality larger studies are still needed.
CORE-10 scores improved from a mean of 20.16 (moderate-severe) at start to 8.71 (normal) at end (p<0.001), with statistically and clinically significant improvements across all measures except one client.
Outcome study Preliminary
Lee, S. H., Han, S. Y., Lee, S. J. et al. · 2022
Thirty-six first-year Korean medical students did a six-session after-school EFT program to manage the notorious stress of medical training. Test anxiety, negative mood, and trait anxiety all eased significantly, with some gains still visible two weeks later. There was no comparison group, so it can't rule out that some improvement came simply from time passing.
Significant reductions occurred at post-EFT and two-week follow-up on test anxiety, negative perspective stress, and negative affect subscales; trait anxiety was significantly reduced post-EFT and state anxiety at follow-up.
Outcome study Preliminary
Groesbeck, G., Bach, D., Stapleton, P. et al. · 2018
Thirty-four people at a weekend meditation-based workshop had their stress hormones, blood pressure, and mood tracked before and after. Their stress hormone cortisol dropped by almost a third, pain eased by more than 40%, and anxiety and depression both fell significantly - though the drop in PTSD symptoms didn't quite reach statistical significance in this small sample. A 3-month follow-up sample was too small to draw conclusions from, so the durability of these effects remains an open question.
Significant reductions were found in cortisol (-29%, P < .0001), resting heart rate (-5%, P = .0281), and pain (-43%, P = .0022); anxiety and depression declined significantly (-26% and -32%, both P = .0159 or better), while the PTSD decline (-18%) did not reach statistical significance.
Outcome study Preliminary
Bera, S., Mukkiri, S. · 2025
Family members caring for a loved one with serious mental illness learned tapping from a nurse and practised on their own for two weeks - and their stress and anxiety dropped measurably, with no one left in the high-stress range.
A 15-day nurse-taught, self-practised EFT programme significantly reduced perceived stress (PSS 17.68 to 13.77, p < 0.001) and anxiety (HAM-A 14.84 to 12.10, p < 0.001) in 31 caregivers of psychiatric patients; high-stress caregivers dropped from 9.7% to 0%.
Outcome study Preliminary
Choi, Y., Kim, Y., Kwon, D.H. et al. · 2024
30 adults with diagnosed PTSD, mostly survivors of physical or sexual violence, went through a course of tapping with no comparison group. Their PTSD symptoms dropped substantially, and their anxiety and depression scores improved too. As a feasibility pilot without a control group, this shows tapping is workable and worth testing further, not that it beats another treatment.
PCL-5 scores fell from a mean of 50.7 to 36.9 (p<.0001, d=1.06); secondary measures also improved, including PHQ-9 depression (d=0.91) and GAD-7 anxiety (d=0.51).
Outcome study Preliminary
Temple, G., Mollon, P. · 2011
Thirty anxious dental patients tried a brief, 10-minute EFT intervention right before their treatment. Their self-rated anxiety fell by roughly two-thirds on average, a highly significant drop. There was no control group, but the size of the effect lines up with other published EFT anxiety findings, and the authors call for a controlled follow-up with independent observer ratings.
Mean anxiety dropped from a pretreatment score of 8.03 to a posttreatment score of 3.03 (p < .001) after a 10-minute EFT intervention.
Outcome study Preliminary
SEFT (related method)
Indonesian
Sarimunadi, W., Carolin, B. T., Lubis, R. · 2021
This is the Indonesian SEFT variant, which combines tapping with Islamic prayer and spiritual surrender - not standard secular EFT. In this single-arm study, 25 pregnant women in their third trimester who were anxious about labor tried SEFT, and their average anxiety score dropped from a moderate level into the normal range afterward - a within-group pre/post change, with no comparison group.
Mean anxiety score dropped from 13.48 (moderate anxiety) before SEFT therapy to 7.88 (normal range) after (paired t-test p=0.000).
Outcome study Preliminary
Stapleton, P., Oliver, B., O'Keefe, T. et al. · 2022
Twenty-four adults with chronic pain did a six-week online group EFT program and had their brain activity scanned via fMRI before and after. Along with meaningful improvements in pain, mood, and quality of life, their brain scans showed reduced connectivity between pain-processing brain regions in a pattern consistent with less pain catastrophizing. There's no control group, so we can't rule out that some of the change reflects general effects of participating in a structured program, but the brain-imaging data adds an interesting objective dimension.
A repeated measures MANOVA indicated significant differences in pain severity (-21%), pain interference (-26%), quality of life (+7%), somatic symptoms (-28%), depression (-13.5%), anxiety (-37.1%), happiness (+17%), and satisfaction with life (+8.8%); fMRI showed decreased connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and areas related to pain modulation and catastrophizing.
Outcome study Preliminary
Stewart, A., Boath, E., Carryer, A. et al. · 2013
Twenty-four clients in a UK public health clinic tried Matrix Reimprinting, an EFT-based technique, for various emotional conditions over an average of eight sessions. Every client showed clinical improvement, with distress dropping by roughly half and self-esteem rising by nearly as much. This is genuine NHS pilot data without a control group, so larger studies are the natural next step the authors themselves call for.
Statistically and clinically significant improvements were found for CORE-10 (52% change, p<.001), Rosenberg Self-Esteem (46% change, p<.001), HADS Anxiety (35% change, p=.007), and HADS total score (34% change, p=.011).
Outcome study Preliminary
SEFT (related method)
Rachman, W. O. N. N., Rahmadhania, W. O., Indriani, C. et al. · 2023
This is the Indonesian SEFT variant, which folds Islamic prayer into the tapping process — different from the secular EFT taught in most Western programs. 22 patients with hypertensive heart disease in an Indonesian intensive care unit tried SEFT and reported feeling less anxious afterward. There was no comparison group, so it's not possible to know how much of that improvement was simply from resting, attention, or time passing rather than the technique itself.
Anxiety levels before and after SEFT therapy decreased significantly (p=0.000) in this single-group pre-post study of 22 patients.
Outcome study Preliminary
You, Y. L., Ramoo, V., Yahaya, N. et al. · 2025
For people with rheumatoid arthritis who are afraid to move because of pain, a month of guided tapping proved safe and easy to stick with - and their fear of movement, pain, and anxiety all eased.
An adapted 4-week EFT protocol was feasible, safe (no adverse events), and acceptable (80% adherence, 75-85% satisfaction) in RA patients with kinesiophobia; TSK-17 scores fell 6.5 points (12.7%; Hedges' g = 1.36, within-group), with moderate-to-large within-group improvements in pain and anxiety.
Outcome study Preliminary
Chong, E. · 2024
Fifteen university students with anxiety tried a four-week EFT program as part of a clinical scholarly project. Their anxiety scores on a standard screening tool dropped by 4.5 points, a meaningful shift on that scale. With no comparison group and a small sample, this is best treated as a preliminary finding.
GAD-7 scores decreased by 4.5 points following four weeks of EFT intervention.
Outcome study Preliminary
SEFT (related method)
Indonesian
Hasal, D. M., Muriyati, Alfira, N. · 2021
Fifteen cancer patients at an Indonesian clinic tried a spiritually-oriented form of EFT for their anxiety about the disease. Afterward, the share reporting only mild anxiety jumped to over 93%, a statistically significant shift. It's a very small, uncontrolled single-group study, so it should be read as an early signal.
The proportion of respondents with average anxiety fell and lightweight/mild anxiety rose to 93.3% after SEFT therapy, with a Wilcoxon test showing a significant effect (p = 0.002).
Outcome study Preliminary
Robbins, N., Harvey, K., Moller, M. · 2023
Eleven new mothers who screened positive for postpartum depression and anxiety, while visiting a lactation clinic, took part in eight weeks of group tapping sessions. A month later, their depression, anxiety, and stress scores had all dropped significantly. It's a small, uncontrolled pilot in a group that badly needs more treatment options, so larger follow-up studies are the natural next step.
One month after eight weekly 1-hour group EFT sessions, there were statistically significant decreases in depression (p = .003), anxiety (p < .001), and perceived stress (p < .001).
Outcome study Preliminary Korean
Unknown, et al. · 2011
Ten older Korean women, average age in their mid-70s, struggling with insomnia tried a four-week group tapping program designed specifically for elderly sleep problems. By the end, their sleep, mood, anxiety, and life satisfaction all showed a real improvement — unlikely to be chance — and the sleep gains held up a month later. With only ten participants and no comparison group, this is best read as an early, promising pilot rather than proof.
Ten elderly women completed a 4-week EFT-I (EFT for insomnia) group program; all four outcome measures (sleep, depression, state anxiety, life satisfaction) showed statistically significant improvement (p<0.01), and improvement in insomnia continued at 4-week follow-up.
Outcome study Preliminary
Taylor, E., Kalla, M., Freedom, J. et al. · 2020
Eight women who lived with panic disorder tried tapping to see if it could ease their fear of having another attack, with researchers tracking their distress and panic-related symptoms before and after. Their scores moved in a positive direction, but with only eight participants the study wasn't able to show the change was more than chance — a small first-look study, not yet a confirmed effect.
A small pilot study of EFT in eight women with panic disorder found reductions in both SUD (Subjective Units of Distress) and Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) scores from pre- to post-intervention, though the published abstract reports the changes were not statistically significant, likely due to the small sample size.
Outcome study Preliminary
Church, D., Geronilla, L., Dinter, I. · 2009
Seven veterans dealing with PTSD symptoms did six tapping sessions, with no comparison group. Their reported anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms all dropped by roughly half, and the improvement was still there three months later. This is a very small pilot with no control group, so it's an early signal rather than proof.
Across seven veterans, overall symptom severity fell 40% (p<.001), anxiety 46% (p<.001), depression 49% (p<.001), and PTSD symptoms 50% (p<.016) after six EFT sessions, with gains maintained at 90-day follow-up.
Case series Preliminary Persian
Yavari Kermani, M., Razavi, S., Shabani, M. · 2020
Six women grieving a miscarriage went through individual EFT sessions to address both their anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Across the group, anxiety and trauma symptoms improved substantially and the gains held at follow-up. With just six participants and a single-case design, this is an early signal for a population, pregnancy loss, that badly needs more attention in the tapping literature.
Trait anxiety improved 38.75% in the treatment phase and 43.06% at follow-up; state anxiety improved 47.14% and 47.91% (as reported); PTSD symptoms improved 49.92% in treatment and 50.29% at follow-up.
Case series Preliminary Persian
Ghorbani, S., Solimanifar, S. · 2022
Three women in Iran who struggled with both chronic anxiety and difficulty naming their own emotions (alexithymia) went through ten 90-minute EFT sessions. Afterward, both their emotional awareness and their negative mood improved significantly. With only three participants in a single-case experimental design, this is a very preliminary finding.
Ten sessions of EFT training significantly improved emotional malaise (alexithymia) and negative mood in women with trait anxiety (p<0.01).
Case series Preliminary Korean
Lee, S.-W., Lee, Y.-J., Yoo, S.-W. et al. · 2014
Three people with panic disorder who were struggling with physical symptoms too intense for talk-therapy-based approaches were treated with a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and tapping. Their physical symptoms improved notably during treatment. With just three patients and no control group, this is a clinical case report, not a test that can rule out other explanations for the improvement.
In 3 panic disorder patients for whom early cognitive therapy was difficult due to prominent physical symptoms, adding EFT alongside acupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion was associated with significant improvement in physical symptoms.
Case series Preliminary
Friedman, P. · 2023
This case report tracks two therapy clients' weekly progress through an integrative therapy approach that includes tapping among other techniques. As an n=2 case study using a multi-component therapy model, it cannot isolate what specifically drove any improvement seen.
Substantial changes occurred on many measures including anxiety, cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance, valuing, life balance, and self-forgiveness; clients differed on depression, negative affect, working alliance, and spiritual awakening measures.
Case series Preliminary
Friedman, P. · 2022
This case report tracked two therapy clients week-by-week using digital assessments as they went through severe COVID-19 infections, using a broad integrative therapy model that includes tapping among other techniques. As an n=2 case report with an integrative multi-technique approach, it can't isolate what specifically drove the recovery.
Two clients tracked weekly through severe COVID-19 illness showed significant changes on some psychotherapy outcome measures during and after infection, with a typical healing process of about nine weeks to return to pre-COVID scores.
Case series Preliminary
TFT (related method)
Pasahow, R. · 2009
Two people bothered by tinnitus (ringing in the ears) tried Thought Field Therapy, a tapping-based technique, and reported less depression and anxiety about their symptoms. With just two cases, this is only a preliminary, illustrative report.
Two case studies demonstrated that Thought Field Therapy reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety in decompensated tinnitus patients.
Case series Preliminary
Pujol, A. · 2024
A young woman terrified of blushing in public, to the point that she dreaded her own wedding, worked through a series of tapping-based sessions and watched her anxiety rating drop from a 9 to a 3 out of 10, with blushing episodes going from five times a week to zero. She made it through her wedding day without the fear taking over. This is one person's case report with no comparison group, so treat it as an illustrative clinical account rather than generalizable evidence.
Combining Clinical EFT with Energetic Memory Reconsolidation Therapy across a course of sessions, a client's self-rated anxiety fell from 9/10 to 3/10 and weekly blushing-related problem situations fell from 5 to 0; she went on to attend her wedding without blushing-related distress.
Case series Preliminary
Pandey, N. · 2020
One person carrying serious anxiety about authority figures and performing under pressure, traced back to a specific hurtful memory, worked through it with a tapping therapist and watched their self-rated distress fall session by session. It's a single case study with no comparison group, so it illustrates how tapping can be used therapeutically rather than proving the approach works broadly.
In a single-case EFT treatment, a client's high anxiety — linked to a specific traumatic memory involving anger, performance anxiety, and fear of authority — reduced across sessions as tracked on the SUD scale, with the case used to illustrate how tapping on a root traumatic event can generalize to broader anxious patterns.
Case series Preliminary
SEFT (related method)
Setiyowati, E., Rahman, A. · 2020
A nurse used SEFT (a spiritual variant of EFT tapping) with one tuberculosis patient experiencing anxiety, once a day for three days. The patient's anxiety gradually decreased. This is a single case report, so it only illustrates a possible approach rather than proving effectiveness broadly.
SEFT therapy applied once daily for 3 days to one tuberculosis patient with anxiety was followed by a gradual decrease in the patient's anxiety in this single case report.
Case series Preliminary
Zhang, H., Fu, Z., Zeng, Z. et al. · 2022
This paper describes using tapping in school counseling with Chinese children whose parents have moved away for work, leaving them in the care of relatives. Counselors reported fast relief from anxiety, fear, and low mood in case examples. It's a discussion paper built on clinical cases rather than a controlled study, so the findings are illustrative rather than statistically tested.
Through case examples, EFT was reported to quickly relieve anxiety, depression, fear, and psychological trauma in left-behind children within minutes to tens of minutes.
Review Preliminary
Hart, J. · 2022
This is an explanatory/educational article describing what EFT tapping is and its general therapeutic uses; it doesn't present original research data.
This descriptive article explains the EFT tapping protocol and its recognized applications for anxiety, weight loss issues, pain, and stress.
Review Preliminary
Church, D. · 2013
This review makes the case that a single EFT session can meaningfully help with phobias and certain anxiety disorders, and points to trial evidence that even one session lowers the stress hormone cortisol and normalizes stress-related brainwave patterns. It also cautions that more complex, co-occurring conditions like complicated PTSD need longer courses of treatment, not just one session. As a review and case discussion rather than a new trial, it doesn't carry its own participant count or effect size.
The chapter reports that randomized controlled trials show EFT effectively treats phobias and certain anxiety disorders in a single session, with a single session also producing a significant drop in cortisol and normalization of stress-associated EEG frequencies.
Review Preliminary
Church, D. · 2010
This narrative review summarizes general epigenetics research (including twin studies on stress and telomere length) and argues EFT and related methods may work faster than previously thought to influence stress-related gene expression. It's a review and argument piece, not a study reporting new EFT-specific data.
This review discusses evidence that behaviors and emotional states regulate gene activity and telomere length, and argues that energy psychology methods like EFT may rapidly remediate psychological/emotional stressors that affect epigenetic markers of aging and inflammation.
Review Preliminary
Feinstein, David, Church, Dawson · 2010
This theoretical paper proposes that adding physical techniques like acupoint tapping to psychotherapy might more precisely shift the gene-expression changes underlying successful treatment, compared to talk therapy alone. It presents testable propositions for future research rather than new experimental data.
The paper identifies five areas of biological change dependent on gene expression shifts in successful psychotherapy (limbic responses, learning/memory, autonomic balance, cortisol, immune function) and proposes that somatic interventions like acupoint stimulation may produce more precise and powerful shifts than conventional therapy alone.
Review Preliminary
TFT (related method)
Mollon, P. · 2007
This review traces tapping's lineage back to its origins in Applied Kinesiology and Roger Callahan's early protocols for phobias and anxiety, through to its later use for trauma, and mentions a large South American study among the supporting evidence. As a historical overview, it doesn't present its own new outcome data.
The review traces Thought Field Therapy's development from Applied Kinesiology through Roger Callahan's protocols for anxieties and phobias to its later application to trauma, noting a variety of supporting evidence including a large South American study.