The effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy on anxiety caused by romantic breakup: Single case

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) on anxiety caused by romantic breaking up in young girls.

In this study conducted in 2021 in Isfahan, Iran, three female participants with the experience of breaking up a romantic relationship were selected by the convenient sampling method. They underwent individual compassion-focused therapy during eight 90-minute sessions. Participants fulfilled Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Love Trauma Inventory (LTI) and the Minnesota Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MMPI 2-RF). The data were analyzed by baseline change index, visual mapping, and recovery percentage formula. 

In the post-treatment and follow-up stages, the improvement rate in the anxiety variable was 53% and 58% in the first, 63% and 75% in the second, and 36% and 18% in the third participants, respectively. Thus, the overall recovery rate for all three participants was 50%, indicating treatment success.

It can be concluded that compassion-focused therapy enhances the relief system, which is associated with feelings of calm, satisfaction, and security, and helps people relax in time and humiliate their inner conversation. Hostility changes into warmth and friendliness, and all of these factors reduce people's anxiety.