Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique and Diaphragmatic Breathing on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

NCT ID: NCT00514956

Last Updated: 2009-09-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1
• Total Enrollment: 12 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2007-09-30
• Study Completion Date: 2009-01-31

Brief Summary

A great many soldiers are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Clinical experience with many people has shown the effectiveness of the techniques of Energy Psychology for rapidly alleviating PTSD symptoms. The study proposes to determine whether a very brief course of treatment (3 sessions) with a common form of Energy Psychology called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) has an effect on the stress biochemistry of subjects, by measuring their levels of stress hormones (cortisol, DHEA) before and after treatment.

Detailed Description

The Purpose of the Research: The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) versus Diaphragmatic Breathing in Reducing Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.

The Scientific or Scholarly Rationale: Clinical experience and anecdotal reports have demonstrated EFT to be effective for a wide range of behavioral disorders, including PTSD. However with the exception of several studies demonstrating the efficacy of EFT for the treatment of simple phobias, there have been no formal research studies in this area. It is the intention of this study to extend the phobia studies to the area of PTSD, and to determine what other conditions EFT might be effective in treating. Another intention of this study is to see whether, and to what degree, changes in psychological functioning (as measure by the PAI and TSI) are reflected in physiological markers such as HRV (Heart Rate Variability) and levels of cortisol and DHEA.

The Procedures to be Performed: Approximately 8 to 10 subjects would be randomly designated to either the experimental or Diaphragmatic Breathing control groups. There will be 4-5 subjects in the EFT experimental group and 4-5 subjects in the control Diaphragmatic Breathing group.

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Interventions

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• PTSD
• Recent Service in Afghanistan or Iraq
• Good Health History

Exclusion Criteria

• Illegal Drug Use
• Recent Physical Trauma
• Head injuries, concussions, amputees
• Mental health issues prior to entering military service

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 70 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Soul Medicine Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Soul Medicine Institute

Principal Investigators

Dawson Church, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Soul Medicine Institute

Locations

Marshall University Medical School

Charleston, West Virginia, United States

Marshall University, Joan Edwards School of Medicine

Huntington, West Virginia, United States

Countries

United States

References

Church, D., Geronilla, L., & Dinter, I. (2009) Psychological symptom change in veterans after six sessions of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). International Journal of Healing and Caring, January, 9:1.

Reference Type: RESULT

Related Links

http://www.StressProject.org

Web site to connect veterans to assistance using study protocol, and enrollment option for larger followup study.

Other Identifiers

PTSD-ACEP-SMI-MU-1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id