The Tapping Evidence Base
Anxiety

SEFT Therapy (Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique) for Anxiety in Dealing with Labor

Published in Indonesian ; the title shown is a translation, and the original-language title appears in the citation below . The plain-English summary was written for this directory from the original-language paper.

Sarimunadi, W., Carolin, B. T., Lubis, R. · JKM (Jurnal Kebidanan Malahayati) · 2021

Outcome study 👥 25 participants ⚖️ vs. none (single-arm pre/post) Preliminary ✓ Source-checked 📍 Indonesia
In plain English. This is the Indonesian SEFT variant, which combines tapping with Islamic prayer and spiritual surrender - not standard secular EFT. In this single-arm study, 25 pregnant women in their third trimester who were anxious about labor tried SEFT, and their average anxiety score dropped from a moderate level into the normal range afterward - a within-group pre/post change, with no comparison group.

What they found

25
This is the Indonesian SEFT variant, which combines tapping with Islamic prayer and spiritual surrender - not standard secular EFT.

Mean anxiety score dropped from 13.48 (moderate anxiety) before SEFT therapy to 7.88 (normal range) after (paired t-test p=0.000).

How the study worked

Who took part Third-trimester pregnant women facing labor, Indonesia (n=25)
What they did Participants received tapping and were measured before and after, without a separate comparison group.
Compared with none (single-arm pre/post)
Measured with DASS-42 (anxiety subscale)

💡 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

DesignOutcome study
Participants25 people
PopulationThird-trimester pregnant women facing labor, Indonesia
Comparison groupnone (single-arm pre/post)
Outcome measuresDASS-42 (anxiety subscale)
JournalJKM (Jurnal Kebidanan Malahayati)
Year2021
CountryIndonesia
LanguageIndonesian
MethodSEFT (related Tapping method)
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Sarimunadi, W., Carolin, B. T., & Lubis, R. (2021). SEFT Therapy (Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique) for Anxiety in Dealing with Labor. JKM (Jurnal Kebidanan Malahayati). https://doi.org/10.33024/jkm.v7i1.3146

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

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Anxiety 25 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Mean anxiety score dropped from 13.48(moderate anxiety) before SEFT therapy to7.88 (normal range) after (paired… Outcome study · 25 participants Sarimunadi · 2021 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com