Tapping away the fear: EFT tested in rare bile duct cancer
NCT ID NCT00737399
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-phase study looks at whether Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) — a practice that combines tapping on acupressure points with counseling — can reduce anxiety, depression, pain, and insomnia in people with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive bile duct cancer. Fourteen participants learn EFT through phone and online group coaching sessions over eight weeks. Their symptoms are tracked before, during, and up to a year after the coaching.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) coaching
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a low-risk way to improve emotional well-being and quality of life for people with advanced cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase study with only 14 participants and no control group, so results may not be reliable or apply to others. The intervention is behavioral, not a medical treatment.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
-
About 14 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Start date
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Sep 2008
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 89 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma * Ability to complete forms and attend phone coaching sessions Exclusion Criteria: * None
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Soul Medicine Institute
Santa Rosa, California, 95403, United States
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