The Tapping Evidence Base
PTSD & Trauma · Other Physical Conditions

Clinical effectiveness of an integrative psychotherapy technique for the treatment of trauma: A phase I investigation of Heart Assisted Therapy

Diepold, J., Schwartz, G. · EXPLORE · 2022

Outcome study👥 43 participants⚖️ vs. exploratory (n=13) and confirmatory (n=30) sub-studiesPreliminary✓ Source-checked
In plain English. 43 patients used a therapy technique called Heart Assisted Therapy (related to energy psychology) to process specific upsetting memories, and their self-rated distress dropped from very high to essentially zero after just 3-4 sessions per incident. The dramatic effect size is striking, but this was an uncontrolled Phase I study, meaning there was no comparison group to rule out expectation or natural fading of distress with retelling.

What they found

43
people took part

Mean distress level dropped from 7.55 to 0.00 in the exploratory study (n=13, p<.0000001) and from 8.31 to 0.02 in the confirmatory study (n=30, p<.0000001), replicated across therapists, gender, and veteran status.

How the study worked

Who took part43 patients treated by 2 psychologists using Heart Assisted Therapy (HAT), covering 81 specific traumatic life events (n=43)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after.
Compared withexploratory (n=13) and confirmatory (n=30) sub-studies
Measured withstandardized distress rating scale

💡 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 PTSD & trauma 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 larger sample to confirm the effect, and a randomized controlled design.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants43 people
Population43 patients treated by 2 psychologists using Heart Assisted Therapy (HAT), covering 81 specific traumatic life events
Comparison groupexploratory (n=13) and confirmatory (n=30) sub-studies
Outcome measuresstandardized distress rating scale
JournalEXPLORE
Year2022
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Diepold, J., & Schwartz, G. (2022). Clinical effectiveness of an integrative psychotherapy technique for the treatment of trauma: A phase I investigation of Heart Assisted Therapy. EXPLORE. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2022.07.002

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 · Other Physical Conditions

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE PTSD & Trauma 43 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Mean distress level dropped from 7.55 to0.00 in the exploratory study (n=13,p<.0000001) and from 8.31 to 0.02 in… Outcome study · 43 participants Diepold · 2022 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com