EFT- Tappin' For Relief!

Phobia Study - Peer Reviewed

Steve Wells, et al

The first peer reviewed research study on the effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Techniques has been published in the September issue of the prestigious Journal of Clinical Psychology . The complete study is now available.

Irrational fears of specific objects or situations such as insects, snakes, small animals, elevators, bridges, tunnels, or others, are among the most widespread fears reported according to surveys of the general population. Addressing this important category of fears, Steve Wells and his associates in Australia conducted a ground breaking study on the use of EFT for the treatment of specific phobias of small animals and insects which will be the first controlled study of a meridian–based intervention ever to be published in a leading peer reviewed journal.

-Abstract-

Evaluation of a Meridian-Based Intervention, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), for Reducing Specific Phobias of Small Animals. 

This study explored whether a meridian-based procedure, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), can reduce specific phobias of small animals under laboratory-controlled conditions. Randomly assigned participants were treated individually for 30 minutes with EFT (n = 18) or a comparison condition, Diaphragmatic Breathing (DB) (n = 17). ANOVAS revealed that EFT produced significantly greater improvement than did DB behaviorally and on three self-report measures, but not on pulse rate. The greater improvement for EFT was maintained, and possibly enhanced, at 6 - 9 months follow-up on the behavioral measure. These findings suggest that a single treatment session using EFT to reduce specific phobias can produce valid behavioral and subjective effects. Some limitations of the study are also noted and clarifying research suggested.

- Conclusions -

              The findings are largely consistent with the hypothesis that EFT can reduce phobias of small animals in a single treatment session.   However, due to methodological limitations in the present study, firm conclusions about the efficacy of EFT must wait for confirmation from future studies.   Further research is also needed to determine the clinical value of EFT when compared to existing techniques used for this purpose.

The full study is available at: http://www.eftdownunder.com/docs/EFTStudy.htm

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