Church, D. · Paper presented at 10th annual ACEP conference · 2008
Both DB and EFT groups improved in psychological symptoms and ROM; pain results were better in the EFT group and further improved at 30-day post-test; study found that an N of 40-60 per group would be needed for full statistical significance.
This study measured something most tapping trials don't: an objective physical outcome, range of motion in an impaired shoulder joint, rather than only how participants said they felt. Finding a physical, measurable gain alongside the usual psychological improvement is a meaningful step beyond self-report, and the authors' own honest calculation of the larger sample size needed for full statistical confidence is exactly the kind of rigor that should encourage a well-powered follow-up rather than dismissal.
If EFT's edge on pain here holds up in a properly powered trial, picture someone with a long-standing shoulder injury learning to self-administer tapping in a single 30-minute session and getting more relief from it than from a comparable breathing exercise, a small time investment for meaningfully less pain a month later with no further sessions needed. That kind of quick, low-cost option could matter for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain who've run out of easy options.
With range of motion already showing an objective physical gain alongside the psychological improvements, a valuable next step is the properly powered trial the authors themselves called for, roughly 40 to 60 per group, adding cortisol and inflammatory markers to see whether the pain relief here reflects a genuine biological cascade, tension easing, inflammation settling, joint motion improving, rather than three separate effects. Following patients well past the 30-day mark would also clarify how long a single 30-minute session's benefit for chronic shoulder impairment can last before another session is needed.
| Design | Randomized trial |
|---|---|
| Participants | 47 people |
| Population | subjects with clinically verified shoulder joint impairments |
| Comparison group | diaphragmatic breathing group (n=18) and no-treatment baseline control (n=13) vs EFT (n=16) |
| Outcome measures | Range of Motion (ROM), SA-45, pain Likert scale |
| Journal | Paper presented at 10th annual ACEP conference |
| Year | 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Method | EFT / tapping |
| Publication type | Study / trial |
| Verification | ✓ Confirmed against the primary source |
Church, D. (2008). Measuring physiological markers of emotional trauma: A randomized controlled trial of mind-body therapies. Paper presented at 10th annual ACEP conference.
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 Other Physical Conditions · Depression
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