Kwon, Y-J., Cho, S-H. · Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry · 2011
The review found acupuncture, CBT, and progressive muscular relaxation effective in the acute stage after trauma, while EMDR, EFT, and relaxation therapy were efficacious in chronic stages, proposing a staged model of Oriental Medicine for disaster mental health.
If this staged model is validated in prospective trials, imagine disaster-response planners with an actual timeline to work from, knowing which support to offer survivors in the first chaotic days after a flood or earthquake, and which techniques, potentially including a self-administered option like EFT that survivors can keep using long after outside responders leave, to bring in as symptoms become chronic. That kind of roadmap could help stretched relief systems allocate scarce trauma specialists more wisely.
Since this staged model proposes different treatments for acute versus chronic phases after trauma, a valuable next step is a prospective trial that actually tests the model directly, tracking cortisol and inflammatory markers across both phases in disaster survivors to see whether the biology of acute versus chronic traumatic stress really calls for different interventions as this framework suggests. Comparing outcomes for survivors who transition from acute-phase acupuncture or CBT into chronic-phase EFT, versus those who don't follow the staged sequence, would help validate or revise the model.
| Design | Systematic review |
|---|---|
| Population | PTSD populations exposed to assault, natural, and human-made disasters |
| Outcome measures | classification of interventions by treatment stage |
| Journal | Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry |
| Year | 2011 |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | English |
| Method | EFT / tapping |
| Publication type | Review or meta-analysis |
| Verification | ✓ Confirmed against the primary source |
Kwon, Y-J., & Cho, S-H. (2011). Oriental medical interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder: A model of Oriental Medicine for disaster mental health. Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry.
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
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