The Tapping Evidence Base
PTSD & Trauma · Trauma (other)

Energy Psychology Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress in Genocide Survivors in a Rwandan Orphanage: A Pilot Investigation

Stone, B., Leyden, L., Fellows, B. · Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, & Treatment · 2009

Outcome study👥 48 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 Rwanda
In plain English. Forty-eight orphans at a Rwandan residential school, all carrying diagnosable PTSD from the genocide, went through a short tapping-based program over three days. Most who completed follow-up testing improved, and roughly a fifth improved enough to fall out of the clinical PTSD range entirely. This was an uncontrolled pilot with real dropout between pre- and post-testing, so it's best read as a promising first look, not proof.

What they found

48
people took part

Across three days of Thought Field Therapy sessions, the 34 orphans who completed post-testing showed an average 18.8% symptom reduction (p < .001), with a subgroup dropping below the clinical PTSD cutoff showing 53.7% average reductions.

How the study worked

Who took partorphaned genocide survivors with clinical PTSD at a Rwandan residential orphanage (n=48)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Measured withChild Report of Posttraumatic Stress (CROPS)

💡 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 larger sample to confirm the effect.

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants48 people
Populationorphaned genocide survivors with clinical PTSD at a Rwandan residential orphanage
Outcome measuresChild Report of Posttraumatic Stress (CROPS)
JournalEnergy Psychology: Theory, Research, & Treatment
Year2009
CountryRwanda
LanguageEnglish
MethodThought Field Therapy (related tapping method)
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Stone, B., Leyden, L., & Fellows, B. (2009). Energy Psychology Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress in Genocide Survivors in a Rwandan Orphanage: A Pilot Investigation. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, & Treatment.

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 · Trauma (other)

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE PTSD & Trauma 48 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Across three days of Thought Field Therapysessions, the 34 orphans who completed post-testing showed an average… Outcome study · 48 participants Stone · 2009 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com