The Tapping Evidence Base
Anxiety · PTSD & Trauma

Psychological trauma symptom improvement in veterans using Emotional Freedom Techniques: a randomized controlled trial

Church, D., Hawk, C., Brooks, A.J., Toukolehto, O., Wren, M., Dinter, I. et al. · 2013

Randomized trial👥 54 participants⚖️ vs. treatment as usual (TAU)📈 Cohen's 1.52 (large)Higher rigor✓ Source-checked📍 United States
In plain English. In this trial, 54 veterans with PTSD got either six hour-long tapping sessions or their usual care. The tapping group's anxiety dropped substantially more than the usual-care group's, a large and statistically real effect.

What they found

Cohen's = 1.52
a large effect · 95% CI 0.81–2.23 · on anxiety symptoms
smallmoderatelarge
00.50.82.5

Six EFT sessions (n=29) vs TAU (n=25); anxiety difference d=1.52 (95% CI 0.81–2.23, p<0.001). The same trial's PTSD-specific outcome is reported separately under Sebastian & Nelms 2017 (d=1.93) and Stapleton 2023 (g=1.80).

How the study worked

Who took partveterans with PTSD (PCL-M clinical cutoff) (n=54)
What they didIn a randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive tapping or a comparison condition, then measured and compared.
Compared withtreatment as usual (TAU)
Measured withPCL-M, SA-45

💡 Where this could help

If six sessions of tapping keep producing this scale of anxiety relief compared to usual care, it could mean veterans stuck on long waitlists for specialized PTSD treatment get meaningful relief in weeks rather than months, using a technique that requires no medication and minimal training to deliver. Because those six sessions leave the veteran able to self-administer the technique afterward, the relief wouldn't be tied to continuing appointments they may still be waiting on.

🔬 What to study next

With an effect size this large on anxiety versus usual care, the next step is anchoring it in biology — does a course of EFT sessions shift cortisol rhythm, HRV, or startle-response reactivity, a classic physiological marker in PTSD and anxiety, in a way that matches the self-reported drop? A larger, multi-site replication with these biomarkers and longer follow-up would show whether this dramatic effect size reflects genuine physiological change or a smaller study's noise.

The full record

DesignRandomized trial
Participants54 people
Populationveterans with PTSD (PCL-M clinical cutoff)
Comparison grouptreatment as usual (TAU)
Effect sizeCohen's d (EFT vs TAU) = 1.52 (95% CI 0.81–2.23) — on anxiety symptoms
Outcome measuresPCL-M, SA-45
JournalOriginal publication venue not confirmed (indexed via Clond 2016 Table 1/2)
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., Hawk, C., Brooks, A.J., Toukolehto, O., Wren, M., Dinter, I., & Stein, P. (2013). Psychological trauma symptom improvement in veterans using Emotional Freedom Techniques: a randomized controlled trial. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827f6351

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 Anxiety · PTSD & Trauma

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Anxiety Cohen's 1.52 large effect WHAT THEY FOUND Six EFT sessions (n=29) vs TAU (n=25);anxiety difference d=1.52 (95% CI 0.81–2.23,p<0.001). The same trial's… Randomized trial · 54 participants Church · 2013 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com