Alma Delia Yáñez González^1*, Jonathan Abdiel Calderon Nava² and Ricardo Javier Ponce Herrera³

¹Hekalogia Research Group, Food Engineer, National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico
²Faculty of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela
³Creator of Hekalogia and Emotional Liberation, Cancún, Mexico

*Corresponding Author: Alma Delia Yáñez González, Hekalogia Research Group, Food Engineer, National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico.

Received: July 14, 2026; Published: July 30, 2026

Background: Work constitutes a constant arena for identity formation, demands, and emotional learning. Although occupational health has assessed variables such as stress and engagement, there is less evidence on interventions focused on conscious emotional release in the workplace. Hekalogia proposes an approach based on pain management, emotional surrender, and mindful movement.

Objective: To evaluate the changes associated with a Hekalogia-based intervention on psychological well-being, meaning in work, engagement, and psychological flexibility/avoidance in working adults.

Materials and Methods: A single-group, pre-post longitudinal pilot study was conducted with 48 working adults (N = 48). Measurements were taken at T0 (pre-intervention), T1 (immediate post-intervention), and T2 (7-day follow-up). The DASS-21 and AAQ-II instruments were administered, and, exploratively (handwritten transcription), the WAMI, UWES-9, and WAAQ were also used. The analysis included descriptive statistics, paired tests (Wilcoxon signed-rank test), 95% confidence intervals, Cohen's d-z, and percentage change.

Results: The total DASS-21 score decreased significantly from pre-intervention to immediate post-intervention (29.54 ± 20.98 vs 24.83 ± 17.73; mean change -4.71; IC95% -8.50 a -0.92; p = 0.016; dz = -0.36), with the greatest effect on anxiety (9.79 ± 8.21 vs 7.17 ± 6.90; change cambio -2.63; p = 0.002; dz = -0.46; improvement 26.8%). At 7 days, the total DASS-21 score increased from baseline (38.58 ± 22.80; change +9.04; p = 0.012), with significant increases in depression and stress. The AAQ-II score increased at 7 days (10.21 ± 3.04 vs 14.83 ± 6.47; p < 0.001). WAMI showed a slight, non-significant upward trend, WAAQ a non-significant upward trend, and UWES-9 decreased significantly at 7 days.

Conclusions: The intervention was associated with an immediate reduction in psychological distress and anxiety, but the benefit was not sustained at 7 days, with a subsequent increase in distress and experiential avoidance. As this was an uncontrolled pilot study, the findings represent preliminary evidence. It is hypothesized that emotional release processes in the workplace may require subsequent integrative support, a claim that remains speculative and requires verification in future controlled trials.

Keywords: Hekalogia; Work; Stress; Anxiety; Depression; Meaning of Work

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Citation

Citation: Alma Delia Yáñez González. et al. “Changes Associated with a Hekalogia-Based Intervention in Working Adults' Emotional Experience, Meaning of Work, and Psychological Well-Being: A Pre-Post Longitudinal Pilot Study". Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 10.8 (2026): 97-106.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Alma Delia Yáñez González. et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.