The Tapping Evidence Base
Phobias

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for reducing specific phobias: a replication and extension study

Baker, A.H., Siegel, L.S. · Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment · 2010

Randomized trial⚖️ vs. supportive interview and no-treatment controlModerate rigor✓ Source-checked📍 United States
In plain English. This study repeated an earlier tapping-for-phobias experiment with a tighter design: one group tapped in a single 45-minute session, one group just talked supportively with a researcher, and one group did nothing. Only the tapping group showed a real, lasting improvement in their fear — and that held up even a year and a half later. We could not confirm the exact number of participants because this study was published in a specialty journal not indexed on PubMed.

What they found

Participants were assigned to EFT, a supportive interview, or a no-treatment control; only the EFT group showed statistically significant improvement, with gains still present at a long-term follow-up roughly a year and a half later.

How the study worked

Who took partadults with specific phobias of small animals or other discrete fears
What they didIn a randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive tapping or a comparison condition, then measured and compared.
Compared withsupportive interview and no-treatment control
Measured withbehavioral approach test, self-report fear ratings

💡 Where this could help

Picture someone whose fear of dogs, spiders, or another specific trigger has quietly shrunk their world for years, never bad enough to seek months of therapy but disruptive all the same. If a single 45-minute session can produce lasting relief as this study suggests, it points toward a rare thing in mental health care: a genuinely one-time, learn-it-and-keep-it fix for a narrowly defined fear, with no return visits required.

🔬 What to study next

With gains persisting roughly 18 months after a single 45-minute session, the compelling next step is objective confirmation — measuring physiological fear response (heart rate, skin conductance) during actual exposure to the phobic object, rather than relying only on self-report and behavioral approach tests. Testing this across a wider range of specific phobias would also show how general this striking one-session effect really is.

The full record

DesignRandomized trial
Populationadults with specific phobias of small animals or other discrete fears
Comparison groupsupportive interview and no-treatment control
Outcome measuresbehavioral approach test, self-report fear ratings
JournalEnergy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment
Year2010
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source
Verification note. No numeric correction (N was already null and still could not be confirmed from available sources — left null). Note: secondary sources consistently give the second author's initials as "Siegel, M.A.", not "Siegel, L.S." as listed in this record's authors field. Left the authors field unchanged per instructions but flagging the discrepancy for editorial review.

Catalogued from a peer-reviewed index or meta-analysis. See the citation below to locate the original.

Cite this study

APA

Baker, A.H., & Siegel, L.S. (2010). Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for reducing specific phobias: a replication and extension study. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment.

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/tapping. Explore more studies on Phobias

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Phobias ✓ Randomized trial WHAT THEY FOUND Participants were assigned to EFT, asupportive interview, or a no-treatmentcontrol; only the EFT group showed… Randomized trial Baker · 2010 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com