Influence of Spiritual Therapy Emotional Freedom Technique (Seft) on Cortisol Levels and Immunoglobulin E (Study of Anxiety in Pregnant Women in Independent Practice Midwives Semarang)

Pregnant women primigravida experience fear, anxiety, and fear before delivery. Worries and anxieties of pregnant women if not handled properly will have an impact and influence on the physical and psychic, both the mother and fetus. In this study, we proposed a method named SEFT (Spiritual Therapy Emotional Freedom Technique) to reduce the stress and depress among the primigravida in giving birth. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group. Fifteen trimester primigravida with a gestational age of 28 to 35 weeks in three private midwifery practice Mandiri (BPM) in the Banyumanik and Tembalang district were involved by consecutive sampling technique both in experimental and control group. SEFT therapy, a knock technique on the nine meridian points including a point at the top of the head, was provided to the respondents in the experimental group for 14 days (two weeks) every night. From the data, we highlight a significant increasing level of cortisol levels among the primigravida who enter the last stage of pregrnancy from 269.29 ± 14.75 nmol/L to 334.39 ± 19.81 nmol/L. The stress and anxiety before delivery elevate the IgE levels from 206.17 ± 55.4 IU/mL to 220.33 ± 56.23 IU/mL. By the result we revealed a significant contribution of SEFT therapy to reduce the levels of cortisol (p value < 0.001) and IgE (p value < 0.01). The data indicated the primigravida who obtained SEFT are more relaxed to face the delivery. The results recommend SEFT as the alternative solution for the primigravida who stress and depress facing delivery.