Energy Psychology Research

Overview

While energy psychology as a field is still relatively young, its evidence base continues to grow in both quantity and quality. 

As of August 2024, 99 randomized control trials, 95 pre-post outcome studies, 6 meta-analyses and 11 systematic 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,“….The review derives 6 premises about the method’s efficacy, speed, durability, and physiologic effects that have enough empirical support …. in delineating and making claims about the approach. These include that acupoint tapping protocols (a) are effective in treating a range of clinical conditions, (b) are rapid compared to conventional treatments, (c) lead to durable benefits, (d) produce changes in biologic markers that corroborate the subjective assessments of clients, (e) are a critical ingredient for the demonstrated clinical effects and (f) send signals that can increase or decrease arousal in specific areas of the brain." 

“Further consideration of the mechanisms that lead to the reported rapid, durable outcomes suggest that the approach has an unusual capacity for revising outdated mental models….” Published in Advances in Mind Body Medicine, Spring 2021,35(2). 

“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. 

Complete list of EP studies with abstracts 

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? 

Take a free master class on the Science of Energy Healing 

In this free 3-part master class that has been watched by over 38,000 people in 120 countries, ACEP's executive director Dr. Robert Schwarz takes you on journey into the science of energy healing so that you can feel more knowledgeable and confident as a practitioner. You'll learn how you can discuss the science with colleagues and referrals sources so that you can grow your practice.  

Go deeper

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Learn the science from leaders in the field in this online course.

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Bruce Lipton - Dean Radin - Gary Schwartz - Cassandra Vieten - Dan Siegel Rupert Sheldrake - Shamini Jain - David Feinstein - Dawson Church - William Bengston - Jim Oschman - Beverly Rubik 

Study at your own pace with videos, audio files, transcripts and summaries. 

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.

Watch the video

Download the slides

Requirements and recommendations for energy psychology research studies.

 (Download PDF)

Publishing guidelines for conducting tapping studies, by Peta Stapleton  Download PDF