Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015:2015:203612.
doi: 10.1155/2015/203612. Epub 2015 Oct 11.

Anxiety and Anger Symptoms in Hwabyung Patients Improved More following 4 Weeks of the Emotional Freedom Technique Program Compared to the Progressive Muscle Relaxation Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Jin Woo Suh  1 , Sun Yong Chung  2 , Sang Young Kim  2 , Jung Hwan Lee  3 , Jong Woo Kim  2
Affiliations

Anxiety and Anger Symptoms in Hwabyung Patients Improved More following 4 Weeks of the Emotional Freedom Technique Program Compared to the Progressive Muscle Relaxation Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Jin Woo Suh et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015.

Erratum in

Abstract

Background. The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a meridian-based psychological therapy. The present clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of EFT as a new treatment option for Hwabyung (HB) patients experiencing anger and compares the efficacy to the Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), the conventional meditation technique. Methods. The EFT and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) methods were performed on 27 HB patients, and their capacities to alleviate anxiety, anger, and emotional status were compared. After a 4-week program, a survey was conducted; patients then completed a self-training program for 4 weeks, followed by a second survey. Results. During the initial 4 weeks, the EFT group experienced a significant decrease in the HB symptom scale, anger state, and paranoia ideation (p < 0.05). Over the entire 9-week interval, there were significant decreases in the HB symptom scale, anxiety state, anger state, anger trait, somatization, anxiety, hostility, and so on in EFT group (p < 0.05). Conclusion. The EFT group showed improved psychological symptoms and physical symptoms greater than those observed in the PMR group. EFT more effectively alleviated HB symptoms compared to PMR. EFT group showed better maintenance during self-training, suggesting good model of self-control treatment in HB patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of the entire EFT and PMR program protocol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The Hwabyung symptom scale compared between the EFT and PMR groups over time. ∗ = p < 0.05 (EFT group); § = p < 0.05 (PMR group); symptom: baseline survey; symptom 5; 5th week survey; symptom 9: 9th week survey.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The STAI anxiety state scale compared between the EFT and PMR groups over time. ∗ = p < 0.05 (EFT group); § = p < 0.05 (PMR group); STAIs: baseline survey; STAIs5: 5th week survey; STAIs9: 9th week survey. The STAI anxiety state scale was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The STAXI anger state scale compared between the EFT and PMR groups over time. ∗ = p < 0.05 (EFT group); STAXIs: baseline survey; STAXIs5: 5th week survey; STAXIs9: 9th week survey.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The STAXI anger trait scale compared between the EFT and PMR groups over time. ∗ = p < 0.05 (EFT group); § = p < 0.05 (PMR group); §§ = 0.05 < p < 0.1 (PMR group); STAXIt: baseline survey; STAXIt5: 5th week survey; STAXIt9: 9th week survey.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The SCL-90-R scales compared between the EFT and PMR groups over time. ∗ = p < 0.05 (EFT group); § = p < 0.05 (PMR group); §§ = 0.05 < p < 0.1 (PMR group); SOM: somatization baseline survey; SOM5: somatization 5th week survey; SOM9: somatization 9th week survey; HOS: hostility baseline scale; HOS5: hostility 5th week scale; HOS9: hostility 9th week scale; ANX: anxiety baseline scale; ANX5: anxiety 5th week scale; ANX9: anxiety 9th week scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th. American Psychiatric Association; 1995.
    1. Min S. K., Suh S.-Y., Song K.-J. Symptoms to use for diagnostic criteria of Hwa-Byung, an anger syndrome. Psychiatry Investigation. 2009;6(1):7–12. doi: 10.4306/pi.2009.6.1.7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Min S. K., Namkoong K., Lee H. Y. An epidemiological study of hwabyung. Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association. 1990;29:867–874.
    1. Bernstein D. A., Borkovec T. D. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: A Manual for the Helping Professions. Champaign, Ill, USA: Research Press; 1973.
    1. Carlson C. R., Hoyle R. H. Efficacy of abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation training: a quantitative review of behavioral medicine research. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1993;61(6):1059–1067. doi: 10.1037/0022-006x.61.6.1059. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources