Citation (APA style): Kalla, M., Simmons, M., Robinson, A., & Stapleton, P. (2017). Emotional freedom techniques (EFT) as a practice for supporting chronic disease healthcare: A practitioners’ perspective. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1—9. doi:10.1080/09638288.2017.1306125
Purpose: The objective of the present study was to explore Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) practitioners’ experiences of using EFT to support chronic disease patients. This was part of a larger study exploring chronic disease patients’ and EFT practitioners’ experiences of using EFT to support chronic disease healthcare.
Methods: A qualitative approach was deemed suitable for this study. Eight practitioners were interviewed using semi-structured interviews via telephone or Zoom (an online videoconferencing platform). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology.
Results and Conclusion: This article presents two super-ordinate themes that explore application of EFT for addressing emotional issues faced by chronic disease patients, and for management of physical symptoms, respectively. Chronic disease patients may benefit from a holistic biopsychosocial, patient-centered healthcare approach. EFT offers potential as a technique that may be used by health practitioners to support the psychosocial aspect of chronic disease healthcare.
Keywords: emotional freedom techniques, EFT, biopsychosocial model, chronic disease, emotions, interpretative phenomenological analysis
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