TITLE:
Clinical EFT as an Evidence-Based Practice for the Treatment of Psychological and Physiological Conditions
AUTHORS:
Dawson Church
KEYWORDS:
Research; Evidence-Based; Emotional Freedom Techniques; EFT; Exposure; Cognitive Therapy; Acupressure; Placebo
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.4 No.8,
August
12,
2013
ABSTRACT: Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) has
moved in the past two decades from a fringe therapy to widespread professional
acceptance. This paper defines Clinical EFT, the method validated in many
research studies, and shows it to be an “evidence-based” practice. It describes
standards by which therapies may be evaluated, such as those of the American
Psychological Association (APA) Division 12 Task Force, and reviews the studies
showing that Clinical EFT meets these criteria. Several research domains are
discussed, summarizing studies of: 1) psychological conditions such as anxiety,
depression, phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 2) physiological
problems such as pain and autoimmune conditions; 3) professional and sports
performance; and 4) the physiological mechanisms of action of Clinical EFT. The
paper lists the conclusions that may be drawn from this body of evidence, which
includes 23 randomized controlled trials and 17 within-subjects studies. The
three essential ingredients of Clinical EFT are described: exposure, cognitive
shift, and acupressure. The latter is shown to be an essential ingredient in
EFT’s efficacy, and not merely a placebo. New evidence from emerging fields
such as epigenetics, neural plasticity, psychoneuroimmunology, and evolutionary
biology confirms the central link between emotion and physiology, and points to
somatic stimulation as the element common to emerging psychotherapeutic
methods. The paper outlines the next steps in EFT research, such as
smartphone-based data gathering, large-scale group therapy, and the use of
biomarkers. It concludes that Clinical EFT is a stable and mature method with
an extensive evidence base. These characteristics have led to growing acceptance
in primary care settings as a safe, rapid, reliable, and effective treatment
for both psychological and medical diagnoses.