A quick and simple non-drug treatment is highly effective for anxiety, according to a comprehensive study. The study was published in the oldest peer-reviewed psychiatry journal in North America, and examined 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of a behavioral method called EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques. Described by Examiner.com as: “one of the most successful psychology self-help techniques ever developed,” EFT combines cognitive psychology with acupressure.
The 14 studies included 658 participants drawn from a variety of demographic groups. These included college and high school students, overweight people, war veterans, hospital patients, gifted children, fibromyalgia patients, and people with phobias. The types of anxiety ranged from fear of public speaking, to test anxiety, to phobias of small animals such as rats and mice. Studies applied the method as described in The EFT Manual, along with other quality control criteria advocated by the American Psychological Association.