The Tapping Evidence Base
Anxiety · Phobias

The Use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) in Women with Panic Disorder: A Pilot Study

Taylor, E., Kalla, M., Freedom, J., Crowley, K. · Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment · 2020

Outcome study👥 8 participantsPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 United Kingdom
In plain English. Eight women who lived with panic disorder tried tapping to see if it could ease their fear of having another attack, with researchers tracking their distress and panic-related symptoms before and after. Their scores moved in a positive direction, but with only eight participants the study wasn't able to show the change was more than chance — a small first-look study, not yet a confirmed effect.

What they found

8
people took part

A small pilot study of EFT in eight women with panic disorder found reductions in both SUD (Subjective Units of Distress) and Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) scores from pre- to post-intervention, though the published abstract reports the changes were not statistically significant, likely due to the small sample size.

How the study worked

Who took parteight women with a diagnosis of panic disorder and fear of future panic attacks (n=8)
What they didParticipants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Measured withSubjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale, Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS)

The full record

DesignOutcome study
Participants8 people
Populationeight women with a diagnosis of panic disorder and fear of future panic attacks
Outcome measuresSubjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale, Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS)
JournalEnergy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment
Year2020
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Taylor, E., Kalla, M., Freedom, J., & Crowley, K. (2020). The Use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) in Women with Panic Disorder: A Pilot Study. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment. https://doi.org/10.9769/EPJ.2020.12.2.ET

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 Anxiety · Phobias

Share this study

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

Show shareable card
THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Anxiety 8 participants WHAT THEY FOUND A small pilot study of EFT in eight womenwith panic disorder found reductions in bothSUD (Subjective Units of… Outcome study · 8 participants Taylor · 2020 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com