The Tapping Evidence Base
Weight & Food Cravings · Anxiety

The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Psychological Symptoms in Addiction Treatment: A Pilot Study

Church, D., Brooks, A.J. · Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · 2013

Outcome study👥 39 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 United States
In plain English. Adults struggling with addiction spent a weekend doing EFT in a group workshop, and their overall psychological distress dropped by more than a third by the end, a large and statistically real change. Three months later, the drop in anxiety and obsessive thinking was still holding. There was no comparison group, so this shows a real before-and-after change in a workshop setting rather than proof tapping beats other addiction treatments.

What they found

39
people took part

After a weekend EFT workshop, 39 adults with self-identified addiction issues showed a 38% reduction in overall psychological distress (SA-45 positive symptom total, p<.000), with improvements on symptom intensity/breadth and the anxiety and obsessive-compulsive subscales maintained at 90-day follow-up (p<.001).

How the study worked

Who took part39 adults self-identified with addiction issues attending a weekend EFT workshop targeting addiction (n=39)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Measured withSA-45 (Symptom Assessment-45)

💡 Where this could help

If findings like these hold up in larger trials, the promise is simple: a low-cost, self-administered tool that could reach people struggling with weight & food cravings who can't easily access traditional care — at home, between appointments, or where there aren't enough clinicians to go around.

🔬 What to study next

The natural next step: a head-to-head trial against an established treatment like CBT, and a larger sample to confirm the effect.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants39 people
Population39 adults self-identified with addiction issues attending a weekend EFT workshop targeting addiction
Outcome measuresSA-45 (Symptom Assessment-45)
JournalJournal of Scientific Research and Reports
Year2013
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Church, D., & Brooks, A.J. (2013). The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Psychological Symptoms in Addiction Treatment: A Pilot Study. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports. https://doi.org/10.9734/JSRR/2013/3500

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 Weight & Food Cravings · Anxiety

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Weight & Food Cravings 39 participants WHAT THEY FOUND After a weekend EFT workshop, 39 adults withself-identified addiction issues showed a38% reduction in overall… Outcome study · 39 participants Church · 2013 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com