The Tapping Evidence Base
Anxiety · Depression · Sleep & Insomnia

The Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) on Psychosomatic Health: A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Pilot Study

Wang, J., Yan, T. L., Zhaoyu, D. · Journal of CAM Research Progress · 2024

Controlled trial 👥 30 participants ⚖️ vs. no intervention 📈 Cohen's -2.71 (large) Preliminary ✓ Source-checked 📍 China
In plain English. Thirty people with vague physical and emotional 'sub-health' complaints - the kind of persistent fatigue and unease that doesn't fit a specific diagnosis - tried a four-week EFT program. Their fatigue, anxiety, and depression scores improved significantly compared with a no-intervention group, while sleep quality did not change significantly. This is a small pilot connecting EFT to traditional Chinese medicine's meridian theory, so it should be seen as exploratory.

What they found

Cohen's = -2.71
a large effect · on anxiety (SAS), EFT vs no-intervention control (between-group), post-intervention
small moderate large
0 0.5 0.8 2.5
Thirty people with vague physical and emotional 'sub-health' complaints - the kind of persistent fatigue and unease that doesn't fit a specific diagnosis -…

After a 4-week EFT training regimen, fatigue, anxiety, and depression scores decreased with statistically significant changes compared with a no-intervention group; the sleep-quality change (PSQI) did not reach significance (p>0.05).

How the study worked

Who took part adults with psychosomatic sub-health states and psychosomatic diseases (n=30)
What they did In a controlled trial, a tapping group was compared against a separate comparison group.
Compared with no intervention
Measured with Fatigue Assessment Inventory, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale

💡 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 anxiety 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 larger sample to confirm the effect.

The full record

DesignControlled trial
Participants30 people
Populationadults with psychosomatic sub-health states and psychosomatic diseases
Comparison groupno intervention
Effect sizeCohen's d = -2.71 — on anxiety (SAS), EFT vs no-intervention control (between-group), post-intervention (4 weeks); computed from Table 3 (EFT 35.61±8.1 n=20 vs control 57.94±8.55 n=10). Small pilot with unequal 2:1 allocation, so the confidence interval around this large point estimate is wide
Outcome measuresFatigue Assessment Inventory, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale
JournalJournal of CAM Research Progress
Year2024
CountryChina
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / Tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Wang, J., Yan, T. L., & Zhaoyu, D. (2024). The Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) on Psychosomatic Health: A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Pilot Study. Journal of CAM Research Progress. https://doi.org/10.33790/jcrp1100116

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 · Depression · Sleep & Insomnia

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Anxiety Cohen's -2.71 large effect WHAT THEY FOUND After a 4-week EFT training regimen,fatigue, anxiety, and depression scoresdecreased with statistically significant… Controlled trial · 30 participants Wang · 2024 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com