Energy Psychology Research
2026 Research Symposium
May 28, 2026 | Hyatt Regency | Reston, VA
Right before the 28th International Energy Psychology Conference
Call for Presentations
The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology will be hosting its 15th Annual Research Symposium next year. We are accepting research studies and papers in the fields of energy psychology and energy medicine.
We are seeking original empirical research, randomized controlled studies, case studies and theoretical papers. New researchers, professors and graduate students are especially encouraged to present.
Submission Deadline: November 20, 2025
Overview
Updated October 2025
While energy psychology as a field is still relatively young, its evidence base continues to grow in both quantity and quality.
As of March 2025...
- 100+ randomized control trials,
- 87 pre-post clinical outcome studies,
- 13 meta-analyses,
- 18 systematic reviews and
- 28 comparative reviews
have been published on energy psychology methods in English-speaking, peer-reviewed journals.
In addition, over 100 research studies have been published in non-English journals. These modalities have been researched by more than 200 investigators in over 12 countries.
The results of these studies have been published in more than 15 different peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease and the APA journals Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training and Review of General Psychology. While questions about mechanism remain - specifically how these techniques work - a robust and growing body of research continues to document their effectiveness.
Energy psychology is a mind-body approach. The next frontier of EP research involves exploring the mechanisms of action of these modalities and investigating concurrent physiological changes using such tools as qEEG and fMRI and PET scans, and documenting changes in cortisol levels, gene expression and immunological function (to date, research has shown these changes to be positive).
A recent article by David Feinstein reported,“….As research increasingly demonstrates the efficacy and rapid impact of the approach in treating mental health conditions, understanding the mechanisms at play becomes a question of wider interest. This paper synthesizes current literature to present seven empirically supported premises that explain how tapping on acupoints influences psychological outcomes. Key findings indicate that acupoint tapping generates electrical signals which are transmitted via the nervous system and connective tissue to relevant brain regions. These signals can up-regulate or down-regulate brain activity, promoting emotional regulation and facilitating clinical improvements. Additionally, the process by which internal schemas are updated is examined and shown to be consistent with the way acupoint tapping leads to durable cognitive and behavioral shifts. Further research is encouraged to deepen understanding of these mechanisms, but a plausible physiological explanation of how acupoint tapping brings about the demonstrated positive mental health outcomes already exists in the field’s literature…”
Feinstein, D. (2025). Physiological mechanisms of energy psychology: An updated synthesis. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 17. https://doi.org/10.9769/EP.2025.17.1.DF
Science of Energy Psychology Quick Facts
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Get an easy-to-use summary. Share it with colleagues and clients.
Review of the research
Read David Feinstein's published reviews of energy psychology research.
“Six Empirically-Supported Premises About Energy Psychology: Mounting Evidence for a Controversial Therapy,” published Spring 2021 in the journal Advances.
“Energy psychology: Efficacy, speed, mechanisms,” published in 2019 in the journal Explore
Feinstein's original review article was published in November, 2012 in The Review of General Psychology, a peer-reviewed APA journal, and is still worth a read.
How the research section is organized
We’ve done our best to organize our research section to meet diverse needs. Many articles are listed in several sections. If you know of a study that you don’t see listed, please email John Freedom.
Organized by scientific rigor
Research studies are categorized in order of increasing scientific rigor (or the hierarchy of evidence). They range from case studies to randomized controlled studies to meta-analyses.
Organized by specific condition/category
These studies look at the effectiveness of energy psychology in treating different conditions such as trauma, addictions, stress, depression, anxiety, athletic performance, and more. Abstracts are included.
Clinical case studies
Studies of one individual in a clinical setting. They are formal reports using established pre and post intervention assessments.
Complete list of EP studies - citations only
Includes all energy psychology studies from 1990-2024, organized in reverse chronological order.
EP Research in Non-English Language Journals
Over 50 clinical trials of energy psychology have been published in foreign language journals. These studies report encouraging outcomes on a wide range of issues. They have not been translated into English.
Need some help making sense of all the research?
Want to learn how it all ties together and how you can tell others about it?
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Study at your own pace with videos, audio files, transcripts and summaries.
Energy healing research bibliography
Energy healing is closely related to energy psychology.
Want to support energy psychology research? Here's 3 ways.
1. Conduct a clinical case study
We need more research studies on the effectiveness of energy psychology, and you can help.
We are seeking energy psychology practitioners to conduct clinical case studies. Clinical case studies are a form of research that clinicians can conduct in the natural laboratory of their own offices. ACEP and Dr. Peta Stapleton have set up a web portal where practitioners and participants can log in, fill out informed consents, and complete assessments (pre, post and 3 month follow up) as they progress through the process of therapy. This simplifies data collection and analysis, as the website does all the work for you.
Visit ep-research.com
2. Conduct an outcome study or randomized control trial
In this 45 minute video, TFT trainer and researcher Suzanne Connolly discusses seven steps to creating quality studies, as well as pitfalls to avoid. This video is a “must watch” for anyone creating a research study for the first time. This talk, titled "Research Matters Seven Steps to Creating High-Quality Studies," was the keynote in our 2022 Research Symposium.
Requirements and recommendations for energy psychology research studies.
Publishing guidelines for conducting tapping studies, by Peta Stapleton Download PDF
3. Donate funds to support more energy psychology research
The research has come a long way in 20+ years, and we're proud of that. But there's so much more research needed. Like research on...
- Using energy psychology to treat ACEs
- Using energy psychology for PTSD in veterans
- The impact of energy psychology on gene expression, hormones, the brain and more
- Research on the other EP methods, including those based on the chakras. Most EP research has been conducted on tapping methods.
Since 2003, ACEP has provided over $70,000 for 13 different energy psychology research projects. Please help us support more research.
Questions or suggestions about our research section?
Please contact John Freedom, Chair, ACEP Research Committee
