EFT Shown to Help Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment

A recent study in Belgium found that the use of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) improved the quality of life of cancer survivors.

There were an estimated 16.9 million cancer survivors in the US in 2019, with many of them suffering from cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Also known as “chemobrain” and “chemofog,” CRCI is the long-term adverse effects of cancer treatment associated with compromised health-related quality of life, including autonomy, return to work, social relationships, and self-confidence.

EFT is an evidence-based method that combines manual stimulation of acupuncture points and mental activation of disturbing memories or triggers. During EFT, patients first make a statement referencing their traumatic event or related feelings combined with a self-acceptance statement, while simultaneously tapping an acupoint on the side of their hand. For the remainder of the treatment, the patient continues to tap acupoints on the head and torso while repeating a word or two from their original statement. This self-help technique was found to be safe and reduce distress related to the emotional or physical trigger in over 100 non-cancer-related studies involving the treatment of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other conditions.

The Belgian study involved 121 adults who had completed curative cancer treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, or targeted therapy and reported significant cognitive complaints. The patients were divided into two groups, with the first group starting EFT right away and the second group starting EFT after an eight-week delay. Once the groups began EFT, they were asked to apply EFT daily and record their activity. During EFT, both groups were supervised by an EFT instructor for the first eight weeks and then asked to continue EFT for an additional eight weeks on their own.

This is the first study to show that application of EFT is an effective strategy for cancer survivors suffering from CRCI. The study also showed that depressive symptoms improved and fatigue lessened in the patients. EFT is a low-cost and low-threshold treatment for CRCI, and other research has shown it requires fewer sessions and the effects last longer than other treatments.