The Tapping Evidence Base
Trauma (other) · Other Physical Conditions

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) For Traumatic Brain Injury

Craig, G., Bach, D., Groesbeck, G., Benor, D.J. · International Journal of Healing and Caring · 2009

Case series👥 1 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 United States
In plain English. A woman who'd needed a walking stick for six years after a severe brain injury did jumping jacks and hopped on one leg within minutes of a single EFT session, and the improvement was still holding a year and a half later. Brain-wave recordings taken during the session showed her anxiety-linked activity dropping in real time. This is a single case study, not a controlled trial, so it's a striking anecdote with physiological data attached rather than proof the effect generalizes.

What they found

1
people took part

A single EFT session eliminated vertigo and restored balance (the woman could walk unaided, do jumping jacks, and hop on one leg) in a woman with residual symptoms from a traumatic brain injury sustained six years earlier; EEG showed reduced beta-wave amplitude and greater hemispheric balance during the session, and gains were reportedly maintained at 17-month follow-up.

How the study worked

Who took part51-year-old woman with residual symptoms (vertigo, balance loss, overstimulation sensitivity) six years after a severe traumatic brain injury (n=1)
What they didThis is a detailed report following a small number of individual cases through tapping.
Measured withclinical observation of balance/vertigo symptoms, Mind Mirror EEG

⭐ Why this study matters

A woman who needed a walking stick for six years doing jumping jacks minutes after one session is a dramatic story on its own, but what makes it more than an anecdote is the EEG recording taken during the session, showing anxiety-linked brain activity dropping in real time as her balance returned, a physical trace, not just an observer's impression, attached to a remarkable recovery.

💡 Where this could help

If a connection like this between brain-wave shifts and physical symptom relief after brain injury is borne out in more people, it hints at a low-cost, self-administered technique that survivors of traumatic brain injury, who often face years of frustrating and expensive rehabilitation, could learn and use themselves alongside their usual care.

🔬 What to study next

Given that this is one case, the priority is testing whether this EEG pattern, reduced beta amplitude and better hemispheric balance, reliably shows up in a larger group of people with residual TBI symptoms, and whether the size of that brain-wave shift predicts who recovers balance and reduces vertigo. Pairing EEG with objective balance and gait measurements, like a force-plate or wearable motion sensor, during and after sessions would let researchers see whether brain and body are changing in step, or whether one leads the other.

The full record

DesignCase series
Participants1 people
Population51-year-old woman with residual symptoms (vertigo, balance loss, overstimulation sensitivity) six years after a severe traumatic brain injury
Outcome measuresclinical observation of balance/vertigo symptoms, Mind Mirror EEG
JournalInternational Journal of Healing and Caring
Year2009
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeCase report
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

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Cite this study

APA

Craig, G., Bach, D., Groesbeck, G., & Benor, D.J. (2009). Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) For Traumatic Brain Injury. International Journal of Healing and Caring.

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 Trauma (other) · Other Physical Conditions

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Trauma (other) 1 participants WHAT THEY FOUND A single EFT session eliminated vertigo andrestored balance (the woman could walkunaided, do jumping jacks, and hop… Case series · 1 participants Craig · 2009 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com