Evaluating Physiological Markers of Emotional Trauma: A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Mind-Body Therapies
Condition: Hypermobility, Joint; Depression; Anxiety
MeSH terms: Joint Instability
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of the study is to determine if a physiological marker, joint rotation of the
      upper body, can be affected by the release of emotional trauma during a brief
      psychotherapeutic encounter, and whether acupressure is an active ingredient in EFT.
    

Detailed description: 
      The effect of emotional trauma on physiological functioning has been documented in a number
      of studies. The largest of these is the ACE study, (ACE=Adverse Childhood Experiences), which
      examined the health outcomes of over 17,000 patients at Kaiser Permanente Hospitals. It was
      performed by Kaiser in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, on a population
      with a median age of 56. The ACE study found that those patients with a high incidence of
      Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs had higher rates of bone fractures, cancer, heart
      disease, hypertension, depression, smoking, suicide, diabetes, and other physical and
      psychological ailments. The authors of the study compared the health care system's focus on
      treating disease in adults to a fire brigade directing their water at the smoke, rather than
      at the originating fire. They recommended that health care providers focus on the emotional
      trauma which they believe contributes to many illnesses.

      The current study seeks to determine if the treatment of emotional trauma has an effect on
      physiological function. As a marker of physiological function, the authors of this study have
      chosen the range of motion of the joints of the upper body. Shoulder joint stiffness and
      syndromes such as frozen shoulder typically take months or even years to heal, and rapid
      resolution is unusual, though most such injuries do indeed heal over time. Range of motion is
      a convenient marker of physiological change because it can be measured accurately in degrees
      using a goniometer, a protractor-like device routinely used in occupational therapy and
      physical therapy. Changes after treatment can be immediately noted.

      The emotional trauma treatment modalities being investigated are Emotional Freedom Techniques
      or EFT, and Diaphragmatic Breathing or DB, with the DB group receiving an identical protocol
      but with DB substituted for the acupressure component of EFT. They are being compared with a
      no treatment control group. Studies of EFT have shown this therapy to be effective in
      removing or reducing emotional traumas, such as phobias, in a single brief treatment session,
      as well as in reducing anxiety. The effects hold over time. Most prior studies using EFT as a
      treatment modality study the effects of only one session, and have found that EFT can be
      effective even with a very brief course of treatment. For the current study, one 30 minute
      EFT treatment is undertaken. The range of motion of the shoulder joint is recorded before and
      after treatment by a licensed occupational therapist using a goniometer. The Diaphragmatic
      Breathing protocol used by the second group has a verbal content identical to the EFT group,
      but substitutes DB for acupressure. A follow up assessment of subjects is done after 30 days.
      Range of motion usually does not relapse, but instead becomes greater, following conventional
      treatments, and this measure has the advantage of requiring a relatively short follow up
      period, rather than the longer period required for other physiological markers.

      The purpose of the study is to discover if a significant change in the range of motion occurs
      after treatment, and to dismantle the acupressure from the verbal component of EFT by
      substituting DB for this portion of the protocol.
    

Intervention name(s): Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT); Diaphragmatic Breathing (DB)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A half hour treatment with EFT following a standardized protocol. Both Range of Motion (ROM) physical issues are treated with EFT, as well as any possible emotional issues underlying limited ROM.; Diaphragmatic Breathing (DB) instead of EFT tapping, but with all the "Setup Statements" and components of the Experimental Group, with the exception of tapping. DB is substituted for tapping.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment