Unlexi: Developing a Prototype of a Digital Emotion-Focused Therapy Tool for Alexithymia.

BACKGROUND

Alexithymia-difficulty identifying and expressing emotions-is positively correlated with multiple psychiatric disorders and complicates psychotherapy, yet remains under-addressed.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a prototype for a clinician-linked digital Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) called Unlexi, a homework-style model.

METHODS

We developed the prototype with eligibility excluding acute states and requiring TAS-20 ≥ 51 with Readiness for Therapy Questionnaire screening. In the prototype, 12 weekly EFT modules are delivered with brief felt-sense pauses and a safety "Pause" triggering. NLP analyzes free text/voice to generate immediate sentiment feedback for users and clinicians.

RESULTS

The prototype comprises 129 screens (23 for clinicians, 110 for patients).

CONCLUSIONS

Validated by the originator of EFT for clinical fidelity, Unlexi is now moving toward app development and subsequent feasibility testing.