Groesbeck, G., Bach, D., Stapleton, P., Banton, S., Blickheuser, K., Church, D. · Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine · 2018
Significant reductions were found in cortisol (-29%, P < .0001), resting heart rate (-5%, P = .0281), and pain (-43%, P = .0022); anxiety and depression declined significantly (-26% and -32%, both P = .0159 or better), while the PTSD decline (-18%) did not reach statistical significance.
This study didn't just ask people how they felt — it drew saliva for cortisol and immune markers, put a cuff on their arm, and tracked heart rate and heart rate variability, all objective readouts of the body's stress machinery. Cortisol fell by nearly a third, resting heart rate dropped, and pain eased by more than 40%, all with statistically significant results, a rare case where multiple independent biological systems — hormonal, cardiovascular, immune — moved together in the same calming direction.
If a pattern like this — cortisol, heart rate, and pain all easing together — holds up in a controlled trial, it points to real potential for people juggling chronic stress and physical pain who can't easily access ongoing therapy or bodywork: a free, self-taught practice that appears to touch multiple stress-related systems in one sitting, usable anywhere without special equipment.
With cortisol, SigA, HRV, blood pressure, and resting heart rate all measured in the same people, the next step is to formally map the cascade — does the cortisol drop happen first and the HRV rise follow, or do they shift together? Adding a wearable to track HRV continuously across the weekend workshop, plus a 3-month follow-up sample large enough to actually analyze, would show whether this is a same-day physiological reset or the start of a lasting change, and whether the biomarkers stay linked to the anxiety, depression, and pain improvements over time.
| Design | Outcome study |
|---|---|
| Participants | 34 people |
| Population | adults attending a weekend meditation-based workshop combining elements related to EFT practice |
| Outcome measures | cortisol, salivary immunoglobulin A (SigA), heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, resting heart rate, anxiety, depression, PTSD, happiness, pain |
| Journal | Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine |
| Year | 2018 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Method | EFT / tapping |
| Publication type | Study / trial |
| Verification | ✓ Confirmed against the primary source |
Groesbeck, G., Bach, D., Stapleton, P., Banton, S., Blickheuser, K., & Church, D. (2018). The Interrelated Physiological and Psychological Effects of EcoMeditation: A Pilot Study. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515690X18759626
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 · Stress & Cortisol · How It Works (Biology)
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