Published Articles and Research Contributions

Suzanne Connolly has contributed to several published studies on the effectiveness and profound impact of Thought Field Therapy using scientific methodology.

Connolly, S.M., Roe-Sepowitz, D., Sakai, C.E., & Edwards, J. (2013). Utilizing community resources to treat PTSD: A randomized controlled study using Thought Field Therapy. African Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3(1), 24-32.

Connolly, S.M., & Sakai, C.E. (2011). Brief trauma symptom intervention with Rwandan genocide survivors using Thought Field Therapy. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 13(3), 161-172.

Sakai, Caroline E., Connolly, Suzanne M. and Oas, Paul (2008). Treatment of PTSD in Rwandan Child Genocide Survivors Using Thought Field Therapy. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 12(1), 41-50.

Summary of Studies Conducted
and co-conducted by Suzanne Connolly

In 2006, 50 orphaned adolescents who had been suffering with symptoms of PTSD since the Rwandan genocide twelve years earlier were treated with TFT. After a single administration of the tapping protocols, PTSD checklists scores reflected improvements of <.001 on both Child Report Post­‐traumatic Symptoms (CROPS) and Parent Report Post­‐traumatic Symptoms (PROPS). When retested a year later, these improvements were still reported for both measures.

In 2008, a randomized waitlist control study examined the efficacy of TFT in reducing PTSD symptoms in survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Participants included 145 adult genocide survivors randomly assigned to an immediate TFT treatment group or a waitlist control group. Group differences adjusted for pretest scores and repeated measures anovas (analysis of variance) were statistically significant at p < .001 for 9 of 10 TSI trauma subscales and for both severity and frequency on the MPSS, with moderate to large effect sizes. Reduced trauma symptoms for the group receiving TFT were found for all scales. Reductions in trauma symptoms were sustained at a 2‐year follow‐up assessment.

In 2009, a third study replicated the 2008 study and was published in the June, 2013 African Journal of Traumatic Stress (AJTS), a peer reviewed journal published in Uganda, and supported by the Peter Alderman Foundation at Harvard University.

More TFT Studies and Reviews

Bray, R. L. (2006). Thought Field Therapy: Working through traumatic stress without the overwhelming responses. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, 12(1/2), 103-123.

Callahan, J. (2004). Using Thought Field Therapy® (TFT) to support and complement a medical treatment for cancer: A case history. The International Journal of Healing and Caring On-Line, 4(3).

Carbonell, J.L., & Figley, C. (1999). A systematic clinical demonstration of promising PTSD treatment approaches. Electronic
Journal of Traumatology, 5(1).

Cooper, J. (2001). Thought Field Therapy. Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery, 7(3), 162-165.

Darby, D. W. (2002). The efficacy of Thought Field Therapy as a treatment modality for individuals diagnosed with blood-injection-injury phobia. Dissertation Abstracts International, 64(03), 1485B. (UMI No. 3085152)

Folkes, C. (2002). Thought Field Therapy and trauma recovery. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 4(2), 99-104.

Irgens A, Dammen T, Nysaeter TE, Hoffart A. (2012). Thought Field Therapy (TFT) as a treatment for anxiety symptoms: A randomized controlled trial. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 8, 331-8. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2012.08.002.

Morikawa, A. I. H. (2005). Toward the clinical applications of Thought Field Therapy to the treatment of bulimia nervosa in Japan. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, California Coast University, Santa Ana.

Schoninger, B. (2004). Efficacy of Thought Field Therapy (TFT) as a treatment modality for persons with public speaking anxiety. Dissertation Abstracts International, 65 (10), 5455. (UMI No. AAT 3149748)

Yancey, V. (2002). The use of Thought Field Therapy in educational settings. Dissertation Abstracts International, 63(07), 2470A. (UMI No. 3059661)