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

September 21, 2009 updated by: Soul Medicine Institute

Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique and Diaphragmatic Breathing on PTSD

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.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / 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.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

12

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • West Virginia
      • Charleston, West Virginia, United States
        • Marshall University Medical School
      • Huntington, West Virginia, United States, 25701
        • Marshall University, Joan Edwards School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in baseline cortisol and DHEA production
Time Frame: Six months
Six months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Changes in scores on Trauma Assessment Inventory and other instruments normed for trauma
Time Frame: Six months
Six months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Soul Medicine Institute

Investigators

  • Study Director: Dawson Church, PhD, Soul Medicine Institute

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • 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.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 8, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 9, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

August 10, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 22, 2009

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 21, 2009

Last Verified

September 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PTSD-ACEP-SMI-MU-1

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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