BLOOPERS 1

Chinese philosophy of chi, which is thought to be the 'life force' that flows throughout the body."
The existence of this life force is "not empirically supported."[4]
EFT has no benefit as a therapy beyond (1) the placebo effect or (2) any known effective
psychological techniques that may be provided in addition to the purported "energy" technique.
[5]
It is generally characterized as pseudoscience, and it has not garnered significant support in
clinical psychology.[6][7][8]

Proponents of EFT and other similar treatments believe that tapping/stimulating acupuncture
points provide the basis for significant improvement in psychological problems.[10] However, the
theory and mechanisms underlying the supposed effectiveness of EFT have "no evidentiary
support" "in the entire history of the sciences of biology, anatomy, physiology, neurology,
physics, or psychology." Researchers have described the theoretical model for EFT as "frankly
bizarre" and "pseudoscientific."[5] One review noted that one of the highest quality studies found
no evidence that the location of tapping points made any difference, and attributed effects to
well-known psychological mechanisms, including distraction and breathing therapy.[5][11]
An article in the Skeptical Inquirer argued that there is no plausible mechanism to explain how
the specifics of EFT could add to its effectiveness, and they have been described
as unfalsifiable and therefore pseudoscientific.[4]Evidence has not been found for the existence
of meridians.[12]

Research quality
EFT has no useful effect as a therapy beyond the placebo effect or any known-effective
psychological techniques that may be used with the purported "energy" technique, but
proponents of EFT have published material claiming otherwise. Their work, however, is flawed
and hence unreliable: high-quality research has never confirmed that EFT is effective. [5]
A 2009 review found "methodological flaws" in research studies that had reported "small
successes" for EFT and the related Tapas Acupressure Technique. The review concluded that
positive results may be "attributable to well-known cognitive and behavioral techniques that are
included with the energy manipulation. Psychologists and researchers should be wary of using
such techniques, and make efforts to inform the public about the ill effects of therapies that
advertise miraculous claims."[13]
A 2016 systematic review found that EFT was effective in reducing anxiety compared to controls,
but also called for more research to establish the relative efficacy to that of established
treatments.[14]