The Tapping Evidence Base
Anxiety · Other Physical Conditions

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

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

Controlled trial👥 25 participants⚖️ vs. control group (quasi-experimental with control group design)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. 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. It's a small study, and it's unclear whether the reported 25 participants includes both the SEFT and comparison groups or just one arm.

What they found

25
people took part

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 partThird-trimester pregnant women facing labor, Indonesia (n=25)
What they didIn a controlled trial, a tapping group was compared against a separate comparison group.
Compared withcontrol group (quasi-experimental with control group design)
Measured withDASS-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.

The full record

DesignControlled trial
Participants25 people
PopulationThird-trimester pregnant women facing labor, Indonesia
Comparison groupcontrol group (quasi-experimental with control group design)
Outcome measuresDASS-42 (anxiety subscale)
JournalJKM (Jurnal Kebidanan Malahayati)
Year2021
CountryIndonesia
LanguageIndonesian
MethodEFT / tapping
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 · Other Physical Conditions

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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… Controlled trial · 25 participants Sarimunadi · 2021 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com