Tapping (EFT) for Stress & Cortisol: evidence summary

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

31studies
10randomized trials
4meta-analyses/reviews
2,988participants

Selected strongest studies

StudyDesignJournalEffect
Stapleton, P., van Elst, A. (2026)
First NMA to pool Clinical EFT effects across psychological AND biological stress outcomes: large significant reduction in…
 Meta-analysis, N=1051 Explore (NY) SMD = -2.39
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
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
Morikawa, A., Fujimoto, M. et al. (2025)
Among 88 participants completing online TFT, significant reductions occurred in stress, irritability, fatigue, anxiety…
 Randomized trial, N=99 Explore
Church, D., et al. (2012)
One EFT session (n=28) vs waitlist (n=27) and supportive interview (n=28); EFT-vs-waitlist difference d=1.
 Randomized trial, N=83 — Cohen's d (EFT vs waitlist) = 1.34
Bougea, A.M., Spandideas, N. et al. (2013)
35 patients were randomized to EFT twice daily for two months (n=19) or standard care (n=16); the EFT group had significant…
 Randomized trial, N=35 Explore (NY)
Dwivedi, S., Sekhon, A. et al. (2021)
Post-intervention analysis indicated significant improvements in HR (-4.
 Randomized trial, N=14 International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Jasubhai, S. (2021)
Both EFT and CBT produced significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms with concurrent improvement in…
 Randomized trial, N=14 Journal of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health Care
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.