Telephone Delivery of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Remediates PTSD Symptoms in Veterans

Hartung, John; Stein, Phyllis K.

doi:10.9769/epj.2012.4.1.jh

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A series of six telephone treatment sessions alleviated clinical PTSD symptoms in ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY IN THE TREATMENT OF PTSD 67% of participants. 76 In another study, 26 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia who participated in an internetbased EFT treatment program had significant improvement in measures of pain, anxiety, depression, vitality, social function, activity level, and performance problems. 48 Case histories submitted by EFT practitioners to an EFT website { point to increasing utilization of audio and video conferencing services, such as Google Hangouts, Webex, Zoom, and Skype.…”

Section: Eft Can Be Delivered Via Electronic Communication Mediamentioning

confidence: 98%

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

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Section: Eft Can Be Delivered Via Electronic Communication Mediamentioning

confidence: 98%

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

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Data from were analyzed to determine if telephone sessions produced the same symptom reductions as office visits (Hartung & Stein, 2012). While 67% of veterans were subclinical after phone sessions, a significantly larger percentage of the sample recovered after office sessions.…”

Section: Psychological Health Outcome Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical EFT as an Evidence-Based Practice for the Treatment of Psychological and Physiological Conditions

Church¹

2013

PSYCH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…In several of the above settings, practitioners were life coaches or volunteers, and a randomized controlled trial comparing their efforts found that they were effective though not quite as effective as professionals. 21 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Borrowing Benefits: Group Treatment With Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques Is Associated With Simultaneous Reductions in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms

Church¹,

House²

2018

J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is an evidence-based treatment for depression and anxiety. The current study sought to elucidate the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety in a nonclinical population. The sample (N = 81) comprised participants at five 2-day EFT workshops. All groups used an EFT protocol called Borrowing Benefits, in which the group facilitator works with a single client while other participants self-apply EFT. Participants were assessed on 9 specific conditions as well as on the breadth (Positive Symptom Total [PST]) and depth (General Symptom Index [GSI]) of psychological distress. Physical pain and addictive cravings were also assessed. Significant reductions were observed in all measures (P < .03). Associations between PST, GSI, and PTSD were significant (P < .026). Participants maintained all gains at 6-month follow-up (P < .02) with the exception of the Hostility subscale, while Cohen’s d = 0.54 indicated a moderate treatment effect for PTSD. The relationship between psychological and physiological conditions identified in this study is consistent with that found in other studies. Group treatment is cost-effective and efficient, and the efficacy of EFT in groups indicates the utility of the Borrowing Benefits technique.

show abstract

Telephone Delivery of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Remediates PTSD Symptoms in Veterans

Cited by 18 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

Clinical EFT as an Evidence-Based Practice for the Treatment of Psychological and Physiological Conditions

Borrowing Benefits: Group Treatment With Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques Is Associated With Simultaneous Reductions in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About