The Tapping Evidence Base
Anxiety · Depression · PTSD & Trauma · Pain

Effect of virtual group EcoMeditation on psychological conditions and flow states

Church, D., Stapleton, P., Gosatti, D., O'Keefe, T. · Frontiers in Psychology · 2022

Outcome study👥 151 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 United States
In plain English. One hundred fifty-one people attended a one-day virtual workshop combining EFT with heart-coherence training and mindfulness (EcoMeditation), and showed large drops in anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, and pain, plus increases in happiness and flow states that mostly held up three months later. There's no control group, so improvement can't be separated from the general experience of an intensive group workshop, but the follow-up data adds some durability evidence.

What they found

151
people took part

Post-workshop (N=111), significant reductions occurred in anxiety (-42.3%, p<0.001), depression (-37.5%, p<0.001), PTSD (-13.0%, p<0.001), and pain (-63.2%, p<0.001), with significant increases in happiness (+111.1%), flow states (+17.4%), and transcendent experiences (+18.5%); gains persisted at 3-month follow-up for a smaller subsample (N=72).

How the study worked

Who took partconvenience sample attending a one-day virtual EcoMeditation workshop (130 female, 21 male, aged 26-71) (n=151)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Measured withanxiety, depression, PTSD, pain, happiness scales, flow states measure, transcendent experiences measure

💡 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 anxiety 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 randomized controlled design.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants151 people
Populationconvenience sample attending a one-day virtual EcoMeditation workshop (130 female, 21 male, aged 26-71)
Outcome measuresanxiety, depression, PTSD, pain, happiness scales, flow states measure, transcendent experiences measure
JournalFrontiers in Psychology
Year2022
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Church, D., Stapleton, P., Gosatti, D., & O'Keefe, T. (2022). Effect of virtual group EcoMeditation on psychological conditions and flow states. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.907846

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 · Depression · PTSD & Trauma · Pain

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Anxiety 151 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Post-workshop (N=111), significantreductions occurred in anxiety (-42.3%,p<0.001), depression (-37.5%, p<0.001)… Outcome study · 151 participants Church · 2022 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com