The Tapping Evidence Base
Anxiety

The Effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Technique on Improving Alexithymia and Negative Mood in Women with Trait-State Anxiety

Ghorbani, S., Solimanifar, S. · Journal of Research in Behavioural Sciences · 2022

Case series👥 3 participants⚖️ vs. control (no training)Preliminary✓ Source-checked📍 Iran
In plain English. Three women in Iran who struggled with both chronic anxiety and difficulty naming their own emotions (alexithymia) went through ten 90-minute EFT sessions. Afterward, both their emotional awareness and their negative mood improved significantly. With only three participants in a single-case experimental design, this is a very preliminary finding.

What they found

3
people took part

Ten sessions of EFT training significantly improved emotional malaise (alexithymia) and negative mood in women with trait anxiety (p<0.01).

How the study worked

Who took partwomen with trait anxiety at counseling centers in Isfahan (n=3)
What they didThis is a detailed report following a small number of individual cases through tapping.
Compared withcontrol (no training)
Measured withToronto Alexithymia Questionnaire, DASS-21, Mental Disorders Checklist (SCL90)

💡 Where this could help

If findings like these hold up in larger trials, the promise is simple: a low-cost, self-administered tool that could reach people struggling with anxiety who can't easily access traditional care — at home, between appointments, or where there aren't enough clinicians to go around.

🔬 What to study next

The natural next step: a larger sample to confirm the effect, and a randomized controlled design.

The full record

DesignCase series
Participants3 people
Populationwomen with trait anxiety at counseling centers in Isfahan
Comparison groupcontrol (no training)
Outcome measuresToronto Alexithymia Questionnaire, DASS-21, Mental Disorders Checklist (SCL90)
JournalJournal of Research in Behavioural Sciences
Year2022
CountryIran
LanguagePersian
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeCase report
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Ghorbani, S., & Solimanifar, S. (2022). The Effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Technique on Improving Alexithymia and Negative Mood in Women with Trait-State Anxiety. Journal of Research in Behavioural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.52547/rbs.20.3.447

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/tapping. Explore more studies on Anxiety

Share this study

A ready-made graphic — right-click or long-press to save the image.

Show shareable card
THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Anxiety 3 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Ten sessions of EFT training significantlyimproved emotional malaise (alexithymia) andnegative mood in women with… Case series · 3 participants Ghorbani · 2022 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com