Japanese Association for TFT and Dr. Ayame Morikawa is pleased to announce a new TFT study has been accepted for publication by Explore.
Here is the link for the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2025.103117
Thought Field Therapy intervention to improve mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a significant rise in mental health issues, including a 70% increase in Japan’s suicide rate. Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is an innovative treatment approach that combines elements of psychotherapy and Eastern medicine, based on the premise that psychological problems are encoded in the body’s energy system and can be addressed by tapping on meridian acupoints while focusing on the mental issue. Prior research suggests that TFT can rapidly alleviate psychological distress.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of online TFT as a rapid intervention for psychological issues. Ninety-nine participants were randomly assigned to either the TFT intervention group or the WL group. Subjects’ emotional distress related to different issues (irritability, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints) was assessed using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, before and after the intervention. Follow-up questionnaires were completed by all participants after two additional weeks following the final intervention. Subjective Unit of Distress Scale (SUDS) scores were also collected pre and post.
SUDS scores for 248 issues, including trauma and anxiety, showed a significant decrease from an average of 7 to 1.5 (on a 0 – 10 scale) following a single online TFT intervention (p < .01) with a large effect size. Among the 88 participants who completed the TFT intervention, significant reductions were observed in all negative emotions measured, including irritability, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints (p < .01).
The authors conclude: “This study demonstrates that a brief online TFT intervention, administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively reduced subjective distress and improved general physical and mental stress responses. TFT also significantly alleviated negative psychological symptoms, including irritability, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints. Importantly, these benefits were sustained over a follow-up period of two to six weeks, indicating the durability of TFT’s effects…. Given TFT’s simplicity, low cost, and minimal time requirements, it holds promise as a practical mental health intervention, particularly in contexts where traditional face-to-face therapy is challenging.”
Ayame Morikawa, Masaki Fujimoto, Yuriko Kawagishi, Tomiyo Fukagawa. (2025). Thought Field Therapy intervention to improve mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial. EXPLORE.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2025.103117
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830725000084
Japanese Association for TFT
TFT Center of Japan