Summary: This study compared Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to diaphragmatic breathing (DB) in reducing specific phobias of small animals in a laboratory setting. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either EFT (n=18) or DB (n=17) for 30 minutes. Results showed that EFT produced significantly greater improvement in behavioral and self-report measures, which was maintained at 6-9 months follow-up.
This study is considered a 'parallel-group Randomized Controlled Trial'. The key characteristics that suggest this are:
- Random assignment of participants to different treatment groups (EFT or DB)
- Use of a comparison condition (DB) to evaluate the effectiveness of EFT
- Measurement of outcomes using multiple measures (behavioral, self-report, and physiological)
- Follow-up assessment to evaluate the maintenance of treatment effects.
Citation and Link: Wells, S., Polglase, K., Andrews, H. B., Carrington, P. & Baker, A. H. (2003). Evaluation of a meridian-based intervention, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), for reducing specific phobias of small animals. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(9), 943-966. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10189