The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) as a Spiritual Therapy for Reducing Anxiety Levels in Preoperative Patients
Keywords:
Anxiety, Complementary Therapy, Preoperative Patients, SEFT, Spiritual Therapy.Abstract
Preoperative anxiety can influence patients’ psychological and physiological conditions and may interfere with optimal preparation for surgical procedures. Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique (SEFT) is a non-pharmacological intervention integrating spiritual elements with tapping techniques to promote relaxation and emotional regulation. This study aimed to evaluate changes in anxiety levels following SEFT among preoperative patients at RSKB Columbia Asia Semarang. An empirical descriptive case-study design with a one-group pretest–posttest approach was conducted involving five preoperative patients who met the inclusion criteria. Anxiety was assessed using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) before and after one SEFT session lasting approximately 10–15 minutes through set-up, tune-in, and tapping stages. Descriptive analysis compared individual and aggregate anxiety scores before and after intervention. All five participants experienced reductions of 6–9 APAIS points. The total score decreased from 109 to 72, while the mean decreased from 21.8 to 14.4. Before intervention, three patients had severe anxiety, one had moderate anxiety, and one had panic anxiety; afterward, four had moderate anxiety and one had mild anxiety. These findings indicate that SEFT was associated with consistently reduced preoperative anxiety and may serve as a complementary nursing intervention for psychological preparation before surgery.
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References
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