The Tapping Evidence Base
Phobias · Other Physical Conditions

Neuropsychological correlates of an energy psychology intervention on flight phobia: A MEG single-case study

Di Rienzo, F., Saruco, E., Church, D., Daligault, S., Delpuech, C., Gurret, J.M. et al. · PsyArXiv · 2019

Case series👥 1 participants⚖️ vs. emotionally neutral control stimuliPreliminary✓ Source-checked
In plain English. One person with a severe fear of flying had her brain activity measured with a specialized scanner (MEG) before and after EFT treatment; her fear ratings dropped and her brain activity changed in ways similar to patterns seen in other successful anxiety treatments. As a single-subject pilot, it's meant to demonstrate a research method for future larger studies, not to prove effectiveness on its own.

What they found

1
people took part

Posttest SUD and FAS scores were reduced compared to pretest, with gains maintained at 4-week follow-up for SUD only; MEG revealed event-related beta desynchronization and a fronto-occipital network predicting SUD scores.

How the study worked

Who took partsingle subject with severe fear of flying (n=1)
What they didThis is a detailed report following a small number of individual cases through tapping.
Compared withemotionally neutral control stimuli
Measured withSubjective Units of Distress (SUD), Flight-Anxiety Situations questionnaire (FAS), magnetoencephalography (MEG)

💡 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 phobias 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

DesignCase series
Participants1 people
Populationsingle subject with severe fear of flying
Comparison groupemotionally neutral control stimuli
Outcome measuresSubjective Units of Distress (SUD), Flight-Anxiety Situations questionnaire (FAS), magnetoencephalography (MEG)
JournalPsyArXiv
Year2019
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeCase report
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source
Verification note. DOI resolves live and all authors match. No peer-reviewed journal version found beyond the preprint — consistent with the record's own 'journal: PsyArXiv' field, so no discrepancy to correct.

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Di Rienzo, F., Saruco, E., Church, D., Daligault, S., Delpuech, C., Gurret, J.M., & Guillot, A. (2019). Neuropsychological correlates of an energy psychology intervention on flight phobia: A MEG single-case study. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/s3hce

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 Phobias · Other Physical Conditions

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Phobias 1 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Posttest SUD and FAS scores were reducedcompared to pretest, with gains maintainedat 4-week follow-up for SUD only… Case series · 1 participants Di Rienzo · 2019 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com