The Tapping Evidence Base
PTSD & Trauma

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and resiliency in veterans at risk for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial

Church, D., Sparks, T., Clond, M. · Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing · 2016

Randomized trial👥 21 participants⚖️ vs. treatment-as-usual (TAU) wait-list group vs 6 sessions of EFTModerate rigor✓ Source-checked📍 United States
In plain English. 21 veterans with early warning signs of PTSD (not yet full-blown) received six tapping sessions, and their risk-level symptom scores dropped by nearly two-thirds, holding steady for six months. This suggests tapping might help prevent full PTSD from developing in at-risk veterans, though the sample is small.

What they found

21
people took part

PCL-M scores declined from a mean of 39 to 25 (-64%, P<.0001) after 6 EFT sessions (combined post-wait groups); gains were maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-up (mean 27, P<.0001); reductions in TBI symptoms (P=.045) and insomnia (P=.004) also noted.

How the study worked

Who took part21 subclinical veterans (elevated but subclinical PTSD symptoms, at risk for later diagnosis) (n=21)
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) wait-list group vs 6 sessions of EFT
Measured withPCL-M (Posttraumatic Checklist-Military)

💡 Where this could help

If tapping can help at-risk veterans before subclinical symptoms progress into full PTSD, it could shift care from reactive treatment toward real prevention — reaching service members in that vulnerable window right after difficult deployments, before symptoms harden into a diagnosis. Because the technique is self-administered once taught, a veteran could keep using it through that entire fragile stretch without needing ongoing clinician contact to sustain the protective effect.

🔬 What to study next

The most exciting angle here is prevention: tracking cortisol, inflammatory markers, and heart-rate variability in veterans with subclinical symptoms before they escalate would show whether tapping can interrupt the biological trajectory toward full PTSD, not just delay the paperwork of a diagnosis. A larger trial following veterans through the full at-risk window after deployment, with longer-term follow-up than six months, would test whether early intervention like this actually prevents new PTSD diagnoses down the line.

The full record

DesignRandomized trial
Participants21 people
Population21 subclinical veterans (elevated but subclinical PTSD symptoms, at risk for later diagnosis)
Comparison grouptreatment-as-usual (TAU) wait-list group vs 6 sessions of EFT
Outcome measuresPCL-M (Posttraumatic Checklist-Military)
JournalExplore: The Journal of Science and Healing
Year2016
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Church, D., Sparks, T., & Clond, M. (2016). EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and resiliency in veterans at risk for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2016.06.012

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 PTSD & Trauma

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE PTSD & Trauma 21 participants WHAT THEY FOUND PCL-M scores declined from a mean of 39 to25 (-64%, P<.0001) after 6 EFT sessions(combined post-wait groups); gains… Randomized trial · 21 participants Church · 2016 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com