The Tapping Evidence Base
PTSD & Trauma

A Review of Trauma Specific Treatments (TSTs) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Lee, E., Faber, J., Bowles, K. · Clinical Social Work Journal · 2022

Systematic review📚 34 studies reviewedPreliminary✓ Source-checked
In plain English. This social work review catalogs the many available treatments for PTSD, both standard talk-therapy approaches and alternative ones like tapping, yoga, and acupuncture, to help clinicians choose. EFT is one of many treatments discussed rather than the focus, so this offers only broad context rather than a deep dive into tapping specifically.

What they found

34
studies reviewed

Found 34 empirically supported studies, including 19 conventional (e.g., CBT, EMDR) and 7 non-conventional treatments including emotion freedom technique, yoga, acupuncture, and mind-body therapy, summarized to guide clinical decision-making.

How the study worked

Who took partrapid systematic review of empirically supported PTSD treatments, both conventional and non-conventional
What they didThis systematic review gathered and appraised the body of published studies against a defined method.
Measured withtreatment content, population, type of trauma, outcomes

💡 Where this could help

For a clinician sitting with a client who tried standard PTSD treatments without relief, having tapping validated as one credible option among several 'trauma specific treatments' could mean an additional door to offer, especially for people who found trauma-focused CBT or EMDR too intense, too costly, or inaccessible given long clinician wait lists. Because a client can learn tapping in a session or two and then continue it alone, broader recognition in clinical guidance like this could help it earn a routine place on referral lists as an option people aren't dependent on ongoing appointments to use.

🔬 What to study next

Because this review sits EFT alongside yoga, acupuncture, and mind-body therapy as one of several non-conventional options, a useful next step is head-to-head trials pairing EFT directly against those other body-based approaches, with objective PTSD markers — heart-rate variability, cortisol awakening response, or amygdala reactivity on fMRI — rather than relying only on treatment-content comparisons. That would clarify which non-conventional options are doing the most for which patients, and whether combining tapping with a conventional treatment like CBT outperforms either alone.

The full record

DesignSystematic review
Participants34 studies pooled
Populationrapid systematic review of empirically supported PTSD treatments, both conventional and non-conventional
Outcome measurestreatment content, population, type of trauma, outcomes
JournalClinical Social Work Journal
Year2022
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeReview or meta-analysis
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Lee, E., Faber, J., & Bowles, K. (2022). A Review of Trauma Specific Treatments (TSTs) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Clinical Social Work Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-021-00816-w

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

Share this study

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

Show shareable card
THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE PTSD & Trauma 34 studies pooled WHAT THEY FOUND Found 34 empirically supported studies,including 19 conventional (e.g., CBT, EMDR)and 7 non-conventional treatments… Systematic review · 34 studies Lee · 2022 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com