How to Make School Less Stressful for Students and Teachers
Amy Gaesser of New York College at Brockport compiled a collection of studies that focused on using the Emotional Freedom Technique to benefit students and staff in a school setting. Here is a bird’s eye view of the results of these various studies:
Emotional Freedom Technique significantly reduced cortisol levels in participants. Cortisol is a biochemical marker in the body that indicates one’s stress level. Less stress being experienced leads to less cortisol in the body - Church, Yount and Brooks (2012)
Emotional Freedom Technique was correlated with a reduction in the intensity and frequency of tension headaches along with lowering the perceived levels of stress - Bougea et al (2013)
Emotional Freedom Technique significantly reduced anxiety for students in Grades 6 to 12 in fewer sessions than traditional interventions such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing - Gaesser and Karan (2017)
Emotional Freedom Technique significantly reduced overall test anxiety in adolescents - Sezgin & Ozcan (2009)
Emotional Freedom Technique significantly reduced the fear of failure in adolescents - Stapleton et al (2017)
Emotional Freedom Technique improved self-esteem and compassion in adolescents - Stapleton et al (2016)
A pilot study done on elementary school students found that daily use of EFT in class was associated with improved reading scores - Hammon & Boltman (2009)
Additional Insights
A study currently underway by Gaesser herself focuses on teachers and school counselors from kindergarten to Grade 12. The preliminary results are showing that when the staff is trained in EFT to use on themselves it has led to reports of feeling less stressed about school related tasks, increased focus and productivity, and improved sleep.
Among the students, researchers are observing improvements in the ability to concentrate and settle down, greater ease with transitions, decreased tearful reactions and meltdown episodes and improved kindness towards themselves and others. In addition, students have been demonstrating a reduction in negative physical symptoms (headaches and stomachaches), greater ease at falling asleep, decreased anxiety, increased enjoyment of school activities and increased positive attitudes.
Conclusion
Based on the multitude of studies performed and in progress, EFT has been shown to be widely beneficial for both students in any grade along with teachers and staff. These results also imply that using EFT by homeschooling parents would also improve the process for both the parents and children.
If you are a teacher, school counselor, homeschooling parent or student looking to make the education process less stressful and more engaging, feel free to take advantage of the FREE EFT guide that I offer below that walks you through the fundamentals of how EFT works and how to use it on yourself or your students.
Disclaimer: The above research clearly states that it is highly recommended to receive formal training in EFT prior to implementing the technique in a formal classroom setting on students.