The Tapping Evidence Base
Other Physical Conditions

Making sense of chronic disease using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT): An existential view of illness

Kalla, M., Simmons, M., Robinson, A., Stapleton, P. · Explore · 2020

Review👥 8 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked
In plain English. Researchers interviewed 8 chronic disease patients who had used EFT about how they made sense of their illness. Patients described their disease as tied to unresolved emotions, as a forced pause, or as a way of setting boundaries with others. This is a small qualitative study exploring meaning-making, not a test of whether EFT reduces symptoms.

What they found

8
people took part

Qualitative analysis of interviews identified three themes describing patients' symbolic meaning-making around illness: illness as embodiment of unresolved emotional issues, illness as the body's call for time-out and attention, and illness as a boundary from other people, suggesting EFT can help patients make existential sense of chronic disease.

How the study worked

Who took part8 chronic disease patients who had received EFT (n=8)
What they didThis is a review or commentary synthesizing existing work rather than reporting a new trial.
Measured withsemi-structured interviews (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis)

The full record

DesignReview
Participants8 people
Population8 chronic disease patients who had received EFT
Outcome measuressemi-structured interviews (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis)
JournalExplore
Year2020
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeReview or meta-analysis
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Kalla, M., Simmons, M., Robinson, A., & Stapleton, P. (2020). Making sense of chronic disease using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT): An existential view of illness. Explore. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2020.03.006

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 Other Physical Conditions

Share this study

A ready-made graphic — right-click or long-press to save the image.

Show shareable card
THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Other Physical Conditions 8 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Qualitative analysis of interviewsidentified three themes describing patients'symbolic meaning-making around… Review · 8 participants Kalla · 2020 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com