The cost of healthcare in industrialized economies consumes a large portion of gross domestic product (GDP). Healthcare costs in the United States are 17% of GDP; those in Great Britain are 9% and rising rapidly. Among the most common ailments treated are depression, anxiety, pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

These conditions also add to medical costs; depression alone can double the per-patient cost of medical service utilization. A body of research on the efficacy of energy psychology (EP) for these 4 conditions has yielded data on the extent of typical symptom reductions.

Studies showing a level of statistical significance of p < .05 or greater have demonstrated clinically significant symptom reductions. The mean reduction in depressive symptoms in 7 EP studies is 59%. For 9 studies that included an assessment of anxiety, it is 47%. Pain levels in 3 studies showed a 45% change. PTSD symptoms declined by 60% in 7 studies.

A projection of these clinically and statistically significant results onto the U.S. economy suggests that the country would save at least $65 billion annually by adopting EP interventions in primary care.

The brevity of EP treatment required, ranging from 2 hr to 1 week, and the variety of media through which EP has been successfully delivered, from psychotherapy sessions to online courses to telephone coaching to group therapy, suggests that EP is a versatile intervention with the potential to lower healthcare costs by a large fraction.