The Tapping Evidence Base
PTSD & Trauma · Other Physical Conditions

Evaluating a 3-Week Model for Reducing Symptoms of Stress in Traumatised Youth Using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) for Self-help: A Pilot Trial

Stapleton, P., Sandstrom, U., Hamne, G. · OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine · 2018

Outcome study👥 77 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 Democratic Republic of the Congo
In plain English. 77 traumatized young people in the Congo used a self-help tapping technique for three weeks, and their happiness and trauma symptoms improved right after, though the improvement wasn't quite statistically significant six months later. This pilot trial had no comparison group, so results should be seen as a promising early signal from a hard-to-study population.

What they found

77
people took part

TTT was associated with a significantly greater improvement in happiness (12.12% increase, p<0.05) and reduction in trauma symptomology (6% decrease, p<0.05) from pre- to immediately post-test; 6-month results were nonsignificant (p=0.056).

How the study worked

Who took parttraumatized youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (n=77)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Measured withpost-traumatic stress symptoms, general happiness

💡 Where this could help

If findings like these hold up in larger trials, the promise is simple: a low-cost, self-administered tool that could reach people struggling with PTSD & trauma who can't easily access traditional care — at home, between appointments, or where there aren't enough clinicians to go around.

🔬 What to study next

The natural next step: a head-to-head trial against an established treatment like CBT, and a randomized controlled design.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants77 people
Populationtraumatized youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Outcome measurespost-traumatic stress symptoms, general happiness
JournalOBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine
Year2018
CountryDemocratic Republic of the Congo
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Stapleton, P., Sandstrom, U., & Hamne, G. (2018). Evaluating a 3-Week Model for Reducing Symptoms of Stress in Traumatised Youth Using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) for Self-help: A Pilot Trial. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine. https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.icm.1804036

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 · Other Physical Conditions

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE PTSD & Trauma 77 participants WHAT THEY FOUND TTT was associated with a significantlygreater improvement in happiness (12.12%increase, p<0.05) and reduction in… Outcome study · 77 participants Stapleton · 2018 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com