Tapping (EFT) for Anxiety: evidence summary

A one-page overview of the peer-reviewed research, prepared for discussion with a healthcare provider. The Tapping Evidence Base · July 2026

109studies
55randomized trials
12meta-analyses/reviews
9,794participants

Bottom line. A meta-analysis (Clond 2016) reported a pooled pre-post effect size (within-group) of 1.23 (95% CI 0.82-1.64) for tapping on EFT anxiety scores, within-group pre-post change, not in the anxiety literature.

Selected strongest studies

StudyDesignJournalEffect
Gilomen, S.A., Lee, C.W. (2015) Meta-analysis, N=921 Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry Hedges' g = -0.66
Clond, M. (2016) Meta-analysis, N=658 Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease pre-post effect size (within-group) = 1.23
Wong, K.W., Wu, X. et al. (2024) Meta-analysis, 17 studies International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
Choi, S.H., Sung, S.-H. et al. (2025) Systematic review, N=506 Healthcare (Basel)
Hasibuan, S.H., Said, F.M. et al. (2025) Systematic review African Journal of Biomedical Research
Kwon, C. Y., Lee, B. (2025) Systematic review, 9 studies Medicine
López-Del-Hoyo, Y., Fernández-Martínez, S. et al. (2023) Systematic review, 22 studies Journal of Clinical Nursing
Doherty, A., Benedetto, V. et al. (2021) Systematic review, 22 studies BMC Psychiatry
What tapping (EFT) is. A brief self-administered technique combining exposure and cognitive elements with fingertip stimulation of acupressure points. It is used as a self-help and adjunctive practice for stress and emotional regulation. Effect sizes above are tapping vs. a comparison group; d ≥ 0.8 is considered large. Limitations across this literature include variable use of active vs. waitlist controls and reliance on self-report measures. This summary is informational and not a substitute for clinical judgment.