Effectiveness of Group and Individual Training in EFT for Patients in Remission From Melanoma

Effectiveness of Group and Individual Training in Emotional Freedom Techniques for Patients in Remission From Melanoma

Serious medical diagnosis frequently induce fear focused on specific anticipations or generalized anxiety, along with uncertainty, insecurity, and disorientation. Other emotions such as anger, depression, hopelessness, shame, or grief may also become involved following a serious diagnosis. The adverse impact of stress on health and immune function is well-established, as well as its link to depression and anxiety. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) has demonstrated efficacy in treating anxiety, depression, and PTSD. This study tests its effectiveness in reducing negative emotional symptoms in general, and fear of recurrence in particular, among individuals previously diagnosed with melanoma and currently in remission.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Melanoma (Skin)
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

Detailed Description

Serious medical diagnosis frequently induce fear focused on specific anticipations or generalized anxiety, along with uncertainty, insecurity, and disorientation. Other emotions such as anger, depression, hopelessness, shame, or grief may also become involved following a serious diagnosis. The adverse impact of stress on health and immune function is well-established, as well as its link to depression and anxiety. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) has demonstrated efficacy in treating anxiety, depression, and PTSD. This study tests its effectiveness in reducing negative emotional symptoms in general, and fear of recurrence in particular, among individuals previously diagnosed with melanoma and currently in remission.

Specifically, the study aims:

1. To assess the effect of instruction and practice of EFT on illness perception, fear of cancer recurrence, and wellbeing.
2. To assess whether the social support provided by EFT instruction in a group setting makes this efficient mode of implementation non-inferior or even beneficial in comparison to personal instruction.
3. To describe the emotions related to life events reported by patients in connection with the appearance and location of melanoma.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 56
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Israel
  • Tel Aviv, Israel, 69978
    • The School Of Social Work Tel Aviv University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Melanoma diagnosis over six months prior to the study; confirmed by clinical, dermoscopic examination and pathology results

Exclusion Criteria:

• In active treatment for melanoma
• schizophrenia
• epilepsy
• other malignant disease

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Sequential Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Individual EFT Therapy; Personal EFT instruction and practice group	Behavioral: Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT); EFT is an efficacious method demonstrated in over 100 clinical trials. It combines cognitive and exposure techniques with acupressure, in the form of fingertip percussion on acupuncture meridian points.
Experimental: Group EFT Therapy; Group EFT instruction and practice group	Behavioral: Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT); EFT is an efficacious method demonstrated in over 100 clinical trials. It combines cognitive and exposure techniques with acupressure, in the form of fingertip percussion on acupuncture meridian points.
No Intervention: Wait List; Wait list control group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Illness perception	Change in score on Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R)	Pre intervention, post 4 week intervention, and 3 month follow-up
Perception of recurrence	Change of perceived recurrence risk on a Likert scale	Pre intervention, post 4 week intervention, and 3 month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Other physical symptoms	Change in patient's self-report of somatization, pain, and other symptoms on a Likert scale	Pre intervention, post 4 week intervention, and 3 month follow-up
Depression	Change in depressive symptoms on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)	Pre intervention, post 4 week intervention, and 3 month follow-up
Anxiety	Change in anxiety symptoms on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)	Pre intervention, post 4 week intervention, and 3 month follow-up
Patient's self-report of quality of life	Change in quality of life scores on the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS)	Pre intervention, post 4 week intervention, and 3 month follow-up
Wellbeing	Change in score on The Well-being Numerical Rating Scales (WB-NRSs).	Pre intervention, post 4 week intervention, and 3 month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Soul Medicine Institute
• Collaborators: Tel Aviv University
• Investigators: Study Director: Yael Benyamini, PhD, Tel Aviv University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lazarov A, Church D, Shidlo N, Benyamini Y. The Effectiveness of Group and Individual Training in Emotional Freedom Techniques for Patients in Remission from Melanoma: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jun 13;13(12):1420. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13121420.

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 20, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 20, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): July 20, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 3, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 14, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): June 16, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 22, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Skin Diseases; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Nevi and Melanomas; Skin Neoplasms; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Melanoma
• Other Study ID Numbers: NIIH20220324

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: An anonymized data file will be made available to any other qualified investigator who requests it.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will be made available upon publication and for 5 years thereafter.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Email request from qualified investigator.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No