Emotional freedom techniques (EFT) as a practice for supporting chronic disease healthcare: a practitioners’ perspective

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of the present study was to explore Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) practitioners’ experiences of using EFT to support chronic disease patients. This was part of a larger study exploring chronic disease patients’ and EFT practitioners’ experiences of using EFT to support chronic disease healthcare.

Methods: A qualitative approach was deemed suitable for this study. Eight practitioners were interviewed using semi-structured interviews via telephone or Zoom (an online video-conferencing platform). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology.

Results and conclusion: This article presents two super-ordinate themes which explore application of EFT for addressing emotional issues faced by chronic disease patients, and for management of physical symptoms, respectively. Chronic disease patients may benefit from a holistic biopsychosocial, patient-centered healthcare approach. EFT offers potential as a technique that may be used by health practitioners to support the psychosocial aspect of chronic disease healthcare.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Rehabilitation professionals should incorporate suitable psychological interventions (e.g., EFT) to improve coping and acceptance in physical chronic disease patients and alleviate their fears about the future.

• Rehabilitation professionals are also recommended to address in chronic disease patients, long-standing or unresolved emotional issues, including past traumas from early life, using EFT or another suitable intervention.

• Rehabilitation professionals should help improve patients’ emotional states using EFT to enhance physical symptom management.

Keywords:

• Emotional freedom techniques
• chronic disease
• interpretative phenomenological analysis
• emotions
• biopsychosocial model

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all participants of this study.

Disclosure statement

Authors report no conflicts of interest.