Research EFT

There are several exciting projects underway researching the use of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) for physical and emotional healing. The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare is the main nonprofit organization for EFT research, through its research program, the Foundation for Epigenetic Medicine. NIIH performs rigorous trials to the higest scientific standards. These studies are designed to give hospitals and clinics the evidence required to drive EFT into the medical mainstream. They show the effectiveness of EFT for psychological traumas— from combat stress to depression, and how EFT affects our biology— from our hormones to our DNA. To make a tax-deductible donation to support this important work, click the button below.

We need $175,000 to complete the next round of EFT research. To donate via Paypal (including Mastercard and Visa), click on this Donate button: To donate using a check, please make it out to The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare and mail to 3340 Fulton Rd, #442, Fulton, CA 95439. Thank you! You will receive a receipt for a Paypal donation in your email, and letter of thanks for your check. Also please consider making a bequest in your will to NIIH for EFT research.

To see the body of research papers already published on EFT, visit the EFT research pages. To get more information about specific research projects currenty in progress at The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare, click on the links below:

Study: Epigenetic Change after Remediation of PTSD Symptoms With 10 Sessions of EFT

Study: The Effects of Psychotherapy and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Stress Hormones (Cortisol)

Study: When the Emotions Heal, the Body Heals: EFT, Pain, and Joint Rotation

Clearinghouse: The Veterans Stress Project: Studying the Effects of EFT on Veterans with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Replications: The Wells Phobia Study and the Rowe Psychological Health Study

Study: EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and Depression

Study: DNA and EFT: The Effect of EFT on Stress Gene Expression

Study: Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Study: Athletic Performance Before and after EFT

Prize: The Epigenetic Medicine Prize

Prize: The Energy Psychology Prize

1. Gene Chip Study. Our genes are not static. Many genes, such as those that code for stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, are turned on or off by our stress levels. High levels of psychological stress, such as traumatic experiences, can trigger long-term genetic changes. This study is a randomized controlled trial of the gene expression of veterans with PTSD. Twenty to thirty veterans with clinical (high) levels of PTSD receive either usual care, or ten sessions of EFT plus usual care. Both their mental health and gene expression levels are examined to determine the effects of treatment. Status: In process. Expected completion 2013.
2. The effect of Psychotherapy and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Stress Hormones, Anxiety, and Depression. This ground-breaking, triple-blind study examined the levels of salivary cortisol of 83 subjects before and after either talk therapy, EFT, or rest, to determine whether key stress hormone levels were affected. This study was completed in 2011 and published in 2012.
3. When Emotions Heal, the Body Heals: The Range of Motion Study. This study examines the effect of the healing of emotional trauma on physical function. The physical measure is the range of motion of shoulder joints. The number of degrees of motion (eg 117 degrees) is measured before treatment. Each subject then recieves a 30 minute treatment with either EFT or a control therapy, after which they are re-measured. To dowload NIH PDF abstract, click here.
4. The Veterans Stress Project. The Veterans Stress project connects veterans suffering from PTSD with therapists and life coaches who offer EFT. It has also conduced several studies measuring the effect of EFT on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which affects tens of thousands of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Results of this research are shared at the web site of the Veterans Stress Project, where vets can also connect with practitioners.
5. Replicating Existing Research. The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare is in the process of publishing replications of several important research papers. To prove that a therapy is “efficacious,” the APA (American Psychological Association) requires two controlled trials, published in peer-reviewed journals, performed by different research teams. NIIH identified and funded the replication of a phobia study (Wells et al, 2003), a PTSD study (Geronilla et al. 2012), and a psychological health study (Rowe, 2005).
6. Effects of EFT on Depression. The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare completed a randomized controlled trial of the effects of EFT on depression in adolescent college students using a standard questionnaire (the Beck Depression Inventory or BDI), which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Depression Research & Treatment in 2012. In addition, NIIH conducted a single subject trial using the BDI and also plant growth, as a measure. To see photographs and results, click here.
7. DNA and EFT: The Effects of EFT on Stress Gene Expression. New gene chip technology makes it possible to determine which genes are turned on and off by a therapy. The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare is conducting an ambitious and ground-breaking study to measure how stress genes are affected by EFT treatment. This research will demonstrate, beyond reasonable doubt, that EFT affects the basic biological building blocks of human beings at the molecular level.
8. The MACE study: Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences. This study is designed as a follow-up study to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study at Kaiser Permanente. This ten-year study of over 17,000 adults found a strong correlation between childhood emotional trauma and adult disease, including diabetes, depression, hypertension, heart disease and cancer. The follow-up study proposed by The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare is called the MACE study: Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences. It tracks the correlation between the relief of adult stress (and associated childhood trauma) using Energy Psychology techniques, and disease symptoms in adults.
9. Athletic Performance Study. The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare conducted a study of athletic performance at Oregon State University. The men’s and women’s basketball teams participated in the study. Their performance at free throws and jump height was recorded before and after a 15 minute treatment with Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or a control condition. The EFT group performed 38% better at free throws than the control group. The lessons learned from this study are now available as a training for sports teams through EFT Power Training. A follow-up study, this time of confidence levels in women athletes, has been conducted.
10. The Energy Psychology Prize. The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare is inaugurating a new annual monetary prize for the individual or institution that has done the most to further the field of Energy Psychology in the previous year, especially those not directly involved in the field, such as researchers highlighting the genetic changes that occur during effective psychotherapy.
11. The Epigenetic Medicine Prize. The National Institute for Integrative Healthcare encourages the development of therapies that affect individuals epigenetically by awarding an annual monetary award to recognize practical applications of epigenetics. Such applications can be psychological (e.g. Energy Psychology interventions), social (e.g. childhood nurturing, which enhances the expression of the genes in the hippocampus that dampen stress), or biomedical. The inaugural recipient was Randy Jirtle, PhD, of Duke University Medical Center, for his pioneering work discovering the epigenetic effects of Agouti gene supression. We need $15,000 for the coming year’s prize.