Summary: This study examined the effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) in treating psychological symptoms and pain in individuals with "frozen shoulder" by comparing it to a control group and a group receiving diaphragmatic breathing (DB) instead of acupoint tapping. Both EFT and DB groups showed significant improvements in psychological symptoms and pain after treatment, but only the EFT group maintained gains for psychological symptoms at 30-day follow-up. The study suggests that acupoint tapping is an active ingredient in EFT's therapeutic effects, consistent with five earlier dismantling studies. The results support EFT as an evidence-based treatment for pain and psychological conditions, with large treatment effects found for anxiety, pain, and depression.
Citation and Link: Church, D., & Nelms, J. (2016). Pain, range of motion, and psychological symptoms in a population with frozen shoulder: A randomized controlled dismantling study of Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). Archives of Scientific Psychology, 4(1), 38-48. doi:10.1037/arc0000028 Full study available at APA.org