Potential of emotional freedom techniques to improve mood and quality of life in older adults

Conventional talk therapies often require multiple individual face-to-face sessions, led by highly trained psychotherapists. Such interventions are relatively expensive compared with common pharmaceutical treatments, and many therapy services are struggling to cope with existing referrals. Funding increases are unlikely to keep pace with demand. Hence, it is timely to consider other, potentially more cost-effective, approaches.

Emotional freedom techniques (EFTs) comprise a novel intervention that combines elements of exposure, cognitive and other conventional therapeutic techniques with the somatic stimulation of acupressure points (Feinstein, 2018). They are similar to acupuncture, but replaces the invasive use of needles with tapping or gently rubbing a series of acupoints on the face and body. It can be used as a self-help tool or as a face-to-face (one-to-one or group) therapeutic tool applied by trained therapists.

EFT was first introduced in the mid-eighties, but, due to the lack of evidence and apparently exaggerated claims of benefit, as well as the unconventional appearance of the technique, it was largely dismissed and even ridiculed by psychologists and others. However, a steadily growing body of research corroborates the existence of energy channels and the impact of somatic stimulation of acupoints on brain chemistry. It also demonstrates the speed, ease of use and efficacy of EFT in treating a wide range of conditions, such that some proponents consider it to be triggering ‘a paradigm shift in biomedicine’ (Feinstein, 2018).