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

117studies
55randomized trials
10meta-analyses/reviews
10,947participants

Bottom line. Clond's 2016 meta-analysis reported a large within-group pre-post improvement on anxiety (1.23, 95% CI 0.82-1.64) — how much treated groups improved over time, not a comparison with a control group. In controlled head-to-head trials, Tapping also shows large between-group reductions versus usual care (Church 2013, d=1.52) and versus control (Gilomen 2015, g=0.66).

Selected strongest studies

StudyDesignJournalEffect
Gilomen, S.A., Lee, C.W. (2015)
Pooling 18 RCTs of acupoint stimulation techniques (including EFT) for psychological distress (921 participants: 12 studies vs…
 Meta-analysis, N=921 Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry Hedges' g = -0.66
Clond, M. (2016)
Across 14 RCTs and 658 participants, EFT produced a within-group pre-post effect size of 1.
 Meta-analysis, N=658 Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease pre-post effect size (within-group) = 1.23
Choi, S.H., Sung, S.-H. et al. (2025)
All six studies comparing EFT to no intervention reported significant reductions in anxiety symptoms favoring EFT; versus active…
 Systematic review, N=506 Healthcare (Basel)
Hasibuan, S.H., Said, F.M. et al. (2025)
A systematic literature review of PubMed and Google Scholar articles (2019-2024) found EFT and SEFT effective for reducing…
 Systematic review African Journal of Biomedical Research
Church, D., Stapleton, P. et al. (2018)
Drawing on more than 100 clinical trials, the paper concludes EFT's treatment effects for PTSD, anxiety, and depression exceed…
 Systematic review, 100 studies Healthcare
Lee, S.H., Jeong, B.E. et al. (2017)
Of 14 extracted clinical trials (8 RCTs, 2 non-randomized controlled trials, 4 before-after studies), EFT showed significant…
 Systematic review, 14 studies Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
Stapleton, P., Roil, C. (2026)
In a randomised controlled trial (n=588; 321 EFT, 267 waitlist), an 8-week online Clinical EFT program produced significant Time…
 Randomized trial, N=588 Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
Okyay, E., Ucar, T. (2023)
EFT and a music intervention, delivered separately to pregnant women with a prior prenatal loss, were both associated with…
 Randomized trial, N=159 Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
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 reported as each study gives them: randomized and controlled trials give tapping versus a comparison group, while meta-analyses give pooled estimates — between-group versus control, or within-group pre-post where the row is labelled that way. For standardized effects (d, g), ≥ 0.8 is considered large; a Mean Difference is on the symptom scale's own units, not standardized. 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.