There are 49 different studies that I am aware of demonstrating the effectiveness of Active Release Techniques specifically - some focus on specific conditions, others compare it to other manual therapy techniques, some are case studies documenting its use in a specific individual for a specific situation.  I encourage you to search on Google Scholar using the term "active release technique" if you would like to see some examples.  They really are too numerous to list here but please contact me if you're having any difficulty finding a high quality study.

Available evidence for the effect of elastic tape on muscle pain is very mixed - it has been studied under multiple names (e.g. KT, kinesio taping, kinesiology tape) so it is difficult to do a completely thorough systematic review which would provide the most trustworthy answer.  Current studies trend towards it being a valuble tool in the modern pain specialist's toolbox, effective when used as an adjunct with other treatments (1).  Researchers have used ultrasound imaging to show that it increases the space between fascial layers under the skin it is applied to (2).   At least one study has documented a difference in the pattern of brain activity that happens while doing a physical task (3).

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1) "Kinesio taping in musculoskeletal pain and disability that lasts for more than 4 weeks..."

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2) "Effects of kinesiologic taping on epidermal-dermal distance..."

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3) "Effects of patellar taping on brain activity..."

I use mindfulness as a tool to help clients become more aware of their body and exert some autonomy over their emotional responses to physical sensations.  I am not a psychologist or counselor so I don't treat medical conditions like major depressive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder but it would be silly to pretend that feelings of depression and anxiety have nothing to do with pain - especially chronic or complicated pain.  These studies involve a formal meditation practice as opposed to the informal and situational way I apply mindfulness during treatment but are good arguments for spending some time and effort training your ability to direct your attention.

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1) "Meditation-based therapies for chronic neuropathy..."

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2) "Effects of mindfulness exercises as a stand-alone intervention on symptoms of anxiety and depression"

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This is more of a concept than a treatment intervention.  The Wikipedia page you find when you use "sensory motor coupling" as your search term is actually a pretty good starting point if you want to learn more about how humans learn to move.