Thought Field Therapy (TFT) as a treatment for anxiety symptoms: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether thought field therapy (TFT) has an impact on anxiety symptoms in patients with a variety of anxiety disorders.

Design: Forty-five patients were randomized to either TFT (n = 23) or a waiting list (n = 22) condition. The wait-list group was reassessed and compared with the TFT group two and a half months after the initial evaluation. After the reassessment, the wait-list patients received treatment with TFT. All 45 patients were followed up one to two weeks after TFT treatment, as well as at three and 12 months after treatment.

Subjects: Patients with an anxiety disorder, mostly outpatients.

Intervention: TFT aims to influence the body's bioenergy field by tapping on specific points along energy meridians, thereby relieving anxiety and other symptoms.

Outcome measures: Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Sheehan Disability Scale.

Results: Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare the TFT and the wait-list group. The TFT group had a significantly better outcome on two measures of anxiety and one measure of function. Follow-up data for all patients taken together showed a significant decrease in all symptoms during the one to two weeks between the pretreatment and the post-treatment assessments. The significant improvement seen after treatment was maintained at the three- and 12-month assessments.

Conclusions: The results suggest that TFT may have an enduring anxiety-reducing effect.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00202709.