The Tapping Evidence Base
PTSD & Trauma

Touch: An integrative review of a somatosensory approach to the treatment of adults with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

McGreevy, S., Boland, P. · European Journal of Integrative Medicine · 2022

Systematic review📚 39 studies reviewedModerate rigor✓ Source-checked
In plain English. This review looked across 39 studies of touch-based therapies for PTSD (like tapping, massage, and other body-contact approaches) and found EFT stood out as a particularly well-represented technique. Because the studies reviewed varied a lot in quality and design, the authors caution that findings should be interpreted carefully.

What they found

39
studies reviewed

39 articles describing eleven different touch-based interventions were included; among these, Emotional Freedom Technique prevailed as a notable intervention with a growing evidence base for reducing PTSD symptoms.

How the study worked

Who took partreview of touch-based interventions for PTSD in adults
What they didThis systematic review gathered and appraised the body of published studies against a defined method.
Measured withthematic analysis using Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and CASP

💡 Where this could help

Think of a trauma survivor who has tried talk therapy and found it retraumatizing, or someone who simply can't get into words what happened to them. If tapping's standing among touch-based approaches here continues to grow, it could offer a body-based route into healing that people can practice privately and on their own terms, for people who need something other than sitting and narrating their trauma to another person.

🔬 What to study next

This review's thematic read of 39 studies is a good map, but the next step is converting it into a proper quantitative comparison — a dedicated meta-analysis isolating EFT specifically from the other ten touch-based approaches, with a shared set of outcome measures. Pairing PTSD symptom scales with an objective marker like heart-rate variability or cortisol would also help answer whether it's the touch/somatic element specifically, rather than the cognitive engagement shared with talk therapies, that's doing the work.

The full record

DesignSystematic review
Participants39 studies pooled
Populationreview of touch-based interventions for PTSD in adults
Outcome measuresthematic analysis using Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and CASP
JournalEuropean Journal of Integrative Medicine
Year2022
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeReview or meta-analysis
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

McGreevy, S., & Boland, P. (2022). Touch: An integrative review of a somatosensory approach to the treatment of adults with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2022.102168

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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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE PTSD & Trauma 39 studies pooled WHAT THEY FOUND 39 articles describing eleven differenttouch-based interventions were included;among these, Emotional Freedom… Systematic review · 39 studies McGreevy · 2022 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com