The Tapping Evidence Base
Depression

The effect of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) on postpartum depression: A randomized controlled trial

Güdücü, N., Özcan, N. K. · Explore · 2023

Randomized trial⚖️ vs. control groupPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 Turkey
In plain English. A group of new mothers in Turkey experiencing postpartum depression tried tapping, compared with a group that didn't. The study's authors reported that tapping helped reduce depression symptoms, but the specific numbers behind that finding weren't accessible during this research pass, so consider this a promising but not yet fully verified lead.

What they found

EFT was associated with reduced postpartum depression symptoms compared to a control group, per the paper's title and abstract framing; exact sample size and numeric results were not available in the sources checked this session.

How the study worked

Who took partPostpartum women with depressive symptoms in Turkey
What they didIn a randomized controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive tapping or a comparison condition, then measured and compared.
Compared withcontrol group

💡 Where this could help

Picture a new mother navigating postpartum depression, often too exhausted or stigmatized to seek formal mental health treatment during those first difficult months. If this reported benefit holds up once the full study details are available, tapping could become something obstetric or postpartum care teams teach new mothers during routine follow-up visits, then leave the mother to practice on her own at home whenever she needs it, with no further appointment required.

🔬 What to study next

Once the full study details are available, the more interesting version of this trial would pair postpartum depression scales with hormonal markers already implicated in postpartum mood — cortisol or oxytocin — to see whether the reported symptom relief tracks a biological shift. Testing delivery through routine postpartum home visits or telehealth check-ins would also show whether this could reach new mothers who never make it into a mental-health referral.

The full record

DesignRandomized trial
PopulationPostpartum women with depressive symptoms in Turkey
Comparison groupcontrol group
JournalExplore
Year2023
CountryTurkey
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Güdücü, N., & Özcan, N. K. (2023). The effect of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) on postpartum depression: A randomized controlled trial. Explore. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2023.04.012

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 Depression

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Depression Randomized trial WHAT THEY FOUND EFT was associated with reduced postpartumdepression symptoms compared to a controlgroup, per the paper's title and… Randomized trial Güdücü · 2023 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com