EFT Research Paper
Effectiveness of a single emotional freedom techniques session on facilitating forgiveness and mental health: a randomized clinical trial
Citation: Stapleton, P., Le Sech, K., Toussaint, L. L., & Hsieh, H. K. (2025). Effectiveness of a single emotional freedom techniques session on facilitating forgiveness and mental health: a randomized clinical trial. Cogent Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2025.2538740
Abstract: Interpersonal transgressions can cause emotional distress and harm victims’ mental and physical health. This pre-registered clinical trial investigated the effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) in promoting forgiveness and mental health. A sample of 98 adults (91% female, aged 28–72) from Australia and the U.S. self-selected and were randomly allocated to an online EFT intervention or control task. Pre- and post-intervention measures assessed forgiveness, empathy, rumination, mood, and anxiety. Results revealed moderate improvements in most outcomes for the EFT group, suggesting its potential role in fostering forgiveness and psychological recovery. Findings suggest EFT may aid emotional reintegration, reduce stress, and enhance mental wellbeing after interpersonal offenses.
Craig’s Notes:
How wonderful it is to see the first research paper and clinical trial on the use of EFT for the topic of interpersonal forgiveness which is a common challenge in interpersonal relationships and within communities that typically involves some level of offense and betrayal.
In this study, 100 participants in Australia and the US were instructed via recorded video modules how to use EFT in a single session regarding a recent experience for which forgiveness was desired. According to the authors; “This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a single brief EFT self-tapping intervention in facilitating the process of forgiveness in individuals who had experienced an interpersonal offense. It was hypothesized that, compared to participants in the control group, participants exposed to a brief EFT intervention would show improved indicators of forgiveness, empathy, and mood and reduced rumination, perceptions of injustice, and anxiety and depression symptoms.”
“Participants assigned to the EFT group watched a video split up into two clips. The first one was the information about EFT tapping lasting for 2.5 minutes followed by the second one with EFT instructions for practice lasting approximately 4.5 minutes. Participants were asked to practice along with the second video clip and self-practice with written instructions guiding them through each step. The intervention could be accessed in participants’ own time and on own device, and they were not observed during the process.”…”Participants assigned to the control group completed a spatial reasoning task with 58 questions.”
Clients responses to either EFT or was measured by: “Four measures—revenge, avoidance, benevolence, and empathy—were used to measure forgiveness. Four measures—mood, injustice perception, rumination, and anxiety and depression symptoms—were used to assess mental health.”
What were the results? The ultimate goal was to examine if EFT is a promising coping strategy that could provide effective mental relief to individuals suffering from emotional pain incurred by an interpersonal offence. It was hypothesized that compared to the control group, participants in the EFT group would have improved indicators of forgiveness, empathy, and mood, and reduce rumination, perceptions of injustice, and reduced anxiety and depression symptoms. This found to be supported, with all having a significant effect.
Personally I am pleased with the results, especially given that it was only a single session, performed alone and with only minimal video recorded instructions, imagine the results if the participants actually worked with a practitioner!