EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Remediates PTSD and Psychological Symptoms in Veterans: A Randomized Controlled Replication Trial

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common condition among veterans and is often regarded as treatment-resistant. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) combines brief exposure therapy with acupressure and has demonstrated efficacy for PTSD in other trials and meta-analyses. This study recruited 58 veterans who scored 50 or greater on the military PTSD checklist (PCL-M), indicating clinical symptom levels. Participants were randomized into a Treatment As Usual (TAU) wait-list group (n = 26) and an experimental group (n = 32), which received six one-hour EFT sessions in addition to TAU. The mean pretreatment PCL-M score of participants was 66 ± 7.4, with no significant difference between groups. The EFT group demonstrated a significant reduction in PCL-M score from 65 ± 8.1 to 34 ± 10.3 (p < 0.001), while subjects in the TAU group showed no significant change. The TAU group was then treated with EFT and groups were combined for analysis using linear mixed effects modeling. In the combined EFT group, posttreatment PCL-M scores declined to a mean of 34 (-52%, p < 0.001). Participant gains were maintained at three and six-month follow-up, with mean six-month PCL-M scores of 34 (p < 0.001). Psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression also declined significantly, as did physiological markers of insomnia and pain. An effect size of Cohen's d = 3.44 indicates a large treatment effect. These results replicate those obtained in an earlier investigation, and indicate that EFT is an evidence-based practice that is highly effective at reducing symptom severity in veterans with PTSD.

Six Sessions of Emotional Freedom Techniques Remediate One Veteran's Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

“…6 Although at the end of 6 sessions, his PCL-M score of 40 was not as low as the mean scores of the combined EFT and control groups, which had declined to a mean of 34 (-52%; P < 0.001), his scores continued to drop as he continued to tap and move on with his life. The mean score of 34 was maintained at the 3-and 6-month follow-up points for the Veterans in the study, whereas his scores dropped to 22 at the 6-month follow-up date.…”

“…The replication study 6 used the same measures as in the first study, 4 which have been shown to be valid and reliable.…”

“…6 The EFT protocol used in the study followed the procedural components of Clinical EFT. 6 Participants identified key traumas that contributed to their symptoms. The participants were also asked for their thoughts, emotions, and beliefs about both the symptoms and the traumas.…”

“…1216 scored >50 on the PCL-M with a mean score of 34 (P < 0.001). 6 The current author was one of the coach/ researchers for the replication study and this case report describes the EFT 6-session process with RM is an example of the research process.…”

World Trade Center: A longitudinal case study for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with Emotional Freedom Technique and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

“…After six months 80% of veterans treated no longer met criteria for PTSD. Geronilla et al [19] replicated the 2013 Church study. 96% of the EFT treated group no longer met the criteria for PTSD and the symptom reduction maintained at 3 and 6-month follow-up.…”