EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a member of a new category of treatments known as Energy Medicine, Energy Therapy or Energy Psychology. While still considered experimental, these techniques are being used by many different specialists in the medical field as well as lay people worldwide.
In utilizing EFT on a patient one must understand the research of practitioners in the medical field. Dr. Steve Wells, an Australian psychologist, with associates in the United States (Patricia Carrington, PhD) and Australia, conducted research on patients with phobias, including those with fear of small animals and insects. The results of this study can be reviewed in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Information, culled from the results of patients who had been trained to utilize the EFT technique were impressive. In a comparison of the methodologies of deep breathing exercise as compared to EFT, patients keeping their own journals reported a significant improvement in their approach to small animals and insects.
This improvement was still apparent when questioning the participants again after a period of 6 and 9 months, after the patients initially learned the EFT technique. This suggests that these results show a long lasting effect using EFT methodology.
While the control group, using deep breathing exercises, also showed improvements the results were statistically significantly lower.
Wells,S., Polglase,K., Andrews, H.B., Carrington, P., & Baker, A.H. (2003). Evaluation of a Meridian Based Intervention, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), for Reducing Specific Phobias of Small Animals. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 59(9), 943-966
Contact: Steve Wells: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
An additional study, with a team led by Dr. Paul Swingle, also showed positive results. This study treated auto accident victims using the EFT method. These individuals reported many of the symptoms of PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
These people indicated that they suffered panic attacks and many other significant signs of PTSD, like unexplainable fear, nightmares and flashbacks. The subjects learned EFT in only 2 sessions. Dr. Swingle and his team found impressive positive changes upon the victims' EEG readings.
In addition, the participants in this self reporting study showed significant changes in their symptoms of stress.
Swingle, P., Pulos, L. & Swingle, M. (May 2000). Effects of a meridian- based therapy, EFT, on symptoms of PTSD in auto accident victims. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Comprehensive Psychology, Las Vegas, NV.
Contact: Dr. Paul Swingle phone: 1- 604- 608-0444
Additionally Dr. Swingle and others followed the progress of young children who were clinically diagnosed with epilepsy. With the parents trained to recognize pre-seizure behavior, and who were taught to utilize EFT, Dr. Swingle and his team noted impressive results upon EEG readings following two weeks of parental application of EFT.
Swingle, P. (May, 2000). Effects of the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) method on seizure frequency in children diagnosed with epilepsy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology, Las Vegas, NV.
Other important studies are being conducted by noted psychologists at Queens College in New York City. Dr. Harvey Baker's and Dr. Linda Seigel's attempts mirrored those of the Wells et al. study on the use of EFT for fears of small animals and insects. However, they used a form of counselling with the comparison group, noted, "Supportive Interview", as well as utilizing an additional control group, receiving no treatment whatsoever.
The group using EFT self treatment showed significant and strikingly similar results with the research study completed by Wells. These results, although preliminary, show great advances in the field of EFT.
These are several future research studies planned regarding EFT:
- A controlled study is planned to assist patients released from mental hospitals and now being outpatients at Stairways Behavioral Health, an outpatient clinic in Erie, Pennsylvania. This planned research, although without using a control group, will ensure that all discharged patients will be instructed and using the EFT method.
- Research is planned on the effects of EFT on subjects with math anxiety. Drs. Lois and Ronald Worthington and Dr. Harvey Baker of Princeton, NJ, will compare the original EFT method and a fake variant of EFT, where no true acupoints are being tapped.
Since research and clinical studies require funding, there are some studies that have been planned to be overseen by Dr. Harvey Baker. All of these additional research programs wait funding or grants.
To find out more about this planned research, please visit Dr. Patricia Carrington's website: www.eftdownunder.com