Efficacy of Two Evidence-Based Therapies, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for the Treatment of Gender Violence in the Congo: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Nemiro, Ashley; Papworth, Sarah

doi:10.9769/epj.2015.11.01.an

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…The two modalities were equally efficacious. 28 A study comparing EFT to EMDR was performed in a hospital in the United Kingdom's National Health Service. The researchers found that both therapies remediated PTSD in an average of four sessions.…”

Section: Eft With Veterans and Active Militarymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Manual Stimulation of Acupuncture Points in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques

Church¹,

Feinstein

2017

Medical Acupuncture

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The manual stimulation of acupuncture points has been combined with components of cognitive and exposure therapies into a clinical and self-help approach known as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). More than 40 clinical trials and four meta-analytic reviews of EFT treatments have demonstrated large effect sizes with a range of conditions, including pain, PTSD (in both civilian and military veteran populations), phobias, anxiety, and depression. This review describes the approach, with a focus on PTSD in veterans and service members, provides an overview of how EFT is most commonly applied, and outlines obstacles and cautions related to its implementation. Peer-reviewed clinical trials and meta-analyses of EFT in the treatment of PTSD are assessed to identify the characteristics of the approach that render it suitable for the treatment of PTSD. The literature demonstrates that remediation of PTSD and comorbid conditions is typically accomplished within brief time frames, ranging from one session for phobias to between four and ten sessions for PTSD. Clinical EFT has been shown to regulate stress hormones and limbic function and to improve various neurologic markers of general health. The epigenetic effects of EFT include upregulation of immunity genes and downregulation of inflammation genes. Six dismantling studies have indicated that the acupressure component of EFT is an active ingredient and not placebo. Seven empirically supported strengths of the approach were identified that make it especially suitable for use with veterans and active military: (1) the depth and breadth of treatment effects; (2) the relatively brief timeframes required for successful treatment; (3) the low risk of adverse events; (4) the minimal training time required for the approach to be applied effectively; (5) the simultaneous reduction of physical and psychologic symptoms; (6) the utility and cost-effectiveness of clinical EFT in a large group format; and (7) the method's adaptability to online and telemedicine applications.

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Section: Eft With Veterans and Active Militarymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Manual Stimulation of Acupuncture Points in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques

Church¹,

Feinstein

2017

Medical Acupuncture

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“…The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), as well as trauma-focused CBT, in their clinical guideline for PTSD (NICE, 2005). In recent years, several studies have examined the application of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), a brief exposure therapy combining cognitive and somatic elements (Bullough, 2012;Church, 2013;Feinstein, 2012), as a treatment for PTSD (Church, 2010;Church, Piña, Reategui, & Brooks, 2012;Church, 2014;Church, Yount, Rachlin, Fox, & Nelms, 2016;Gurret, Caufour, Palmer-Hoffman, & Church, 2012;Sebastian & Nelms, 2016;Karatzias, et al, 2011;Nemiro & Papworth, 2015;Al-Hadethe, Hunt, Al-Qaysi, & Thomas, 2015) and also in disaster relief (Feinstein, 2008;Church, 2013, pp. 303-328).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Geronilla¹,

Minewiser²,

Mollon³

et al. 2016

EPJ

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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.

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“…The PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) [13] was used to assess symptoms in relation to generic "stressful experiences". It is suitable for any population, and simplifies assessment based on multiple traumas because symptom endorsements are not attributed to a specific event [14]. It is a 17-item self-report measure that assesses the 17 diagnostic symptoms of PTSD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder) and uses a 0-4 rating scale for each symptom.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, a comparison of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and EFT for 50 internally displaced female refugees who had been victims of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) in the Democratic Republic of Congo found after two 2.5-hour treatment sessions per week for four consecutive weeks (eight sessions in total), all women indicated significant post-test improvement in both groups on measures of trauma, PTSD symptoms and general mental health [14]. The women also maintained their gains whether treated with EFT or CBT, and overall demonstrated the effectiveness and non-inferiority of EFT to a gold standard intervention.…”

Section: Eft For Trauma Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating a 3-Week Model for Reducing Symptoms of Stress in Traumatised Youth Using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) for Self-help: A Pilot Trial

Stapleton¹,

Sandström²,

Hamne³

2018

obm icm

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Background: This pilot trial investigated whether a 3-week self-help model for stress reduction using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) would impact traumatized youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on post-traumatic stress symptoms and general happiness. It also focussed on the acceptability of the program to recipients and implementation in a community with complex trauma and conflict. Methods: The study involved 77 youth who received a TTT 3-week model of intervention (self-applied). Post traumatic stress symptoms and general happiness were assessed pre and post the intervention and at 6-month follow-up. Results: TTT was associated with a significantly greater improvement in happiness (12.12% increase, p<0.05) and a significant reduction in trauma symptomology from pre-to immediately post-test (6% decrease, p<0.05). The 6-month results were nonsignificant (p=0.056) however from pre to follow-up, participants indicated an 11.4% reduction in their trauma symptoms. The qualitative investigation of staff and participants revealed the intervention had a positive effect on trauma stress symptoms and happiness outcomes findings.

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Efficacy of Two Evidence-Based Therapies, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for the Treatment of Gender Violence in the Congo: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

The Manual Stimulation of Acupuncture Points in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques

The Manual Stimulation of Acupuncture Points in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques

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

Evaluating a 3-Week Model for Reducing Symptoms of Stress in Traumatised Youth Using the Trauma Tapping Technique (TTT) for Self-help: A Pilot Trial

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