What Is EFT Tapping? Beginner's Guide to Emotional Freedom Technique
What is EFT Tapping?
Tapping is a set of techniques which utilize the body’s energy meridian points, like acupuncture and acupressure. You can stimulate these acupoints by tapping on them with your fingertips – literally tapping into your body’s own healing power.
Also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), Tapping is a powerful stress relief technique based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology.
While tapping on the points, you also maintain your mental focus on whatever is causing you distress (such as a strong emotion, worry, unresolved problem, or physical symptom).
This technique has been proven to reduce stress, lower cortisol, improve sleep, reduce anxiety, relieve pain, increase productivity, and so much more!
Tapping allows you to take your physical and emotional well-being into your own hands. It’s simple for anyone to master, it’s free, and it’s easy to include in your daily schedule – you can do it anywhere and anytime you need it!
How does EFT Tapping work?
Tapping draws on the principles of both traditional Chinese medicine and modern psychology.
In traditional Chinese medicine practices, it is believed that the body’s energy travels along certain pathways, which are known as meridians.
Stimulation at certain points on these meridian pathways (known as acupuncture or acupressure points) is thought to improve the flow of energy and bring balance back to the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, that is done by using needles or by applying physical pressure. In Tapping, we use our fingertips to gently tap on the points.
Tapping also draws on many different theories from modern psychology and neuroscience, including cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, neuro-linguistic programming, and others.
The process of Tapping is known to send calming signals to the amygdala in the brain, letting your brain know it's safe to relax.
This part of the brain is responsible for triggering the stress response in our bodies, releasing stress-related hormones into the bloodstream. Also popularly known as the fight-or-flight response, it is the body's natural reaction to a perceived threat.
The problem is, we tend to have our amygdala in charge way more often than we want. So, for example, when you receive bad news from your boss or you’re worried about a meeting you have coming up, it triggers the fight-or-flight response. While the amygdala's response is effective when you're faced with real-life danger, it’s damaging when you want to feel calm and confident during a high-stakes meeting.
Here’s where Tapping comes in.
Tapping on meridian points while you think about what is causing you distress helps your mind understand that you are not in any physical danger and it is safe to relax.
What makes Tapping particularly powerful is its recognition of the mind-body connection. Our thoughts and emotions can significantly impact our physical health, and vice versa. For example, when we experience stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions, our bodies often respond with physical symptoms like tension headaches, upset stomachs, or chronic pain. By addressing both emotional and physical aspects simultaneously, Tapping offers a holistic approach to healing that can get to the root of many issues – both physical and mental health concerns alike.
Studies have shown that the process of Tapping decreases cortisol (often called the stress hormone) in your body.
Because stress is linked to so many different modern issues like anxiety, weight gain, sleep problems, lack of motivation, chronic pain, stomach issues, and depression, techniques like Tapping that can help you effectively release stress are key to a healthier, happier life.
Tapping gives you the opportunity to bring your life back into balance and reduce stress around your relationships, finances, pain, fears, and so much more.
The Benefits of EFT Tapping
Tapping provides relief from a variety of different concerns, such as:
The benefits of Tapping also include an increase in well-being and a boost in your mental, emotional, and physical state.
Here are some benefits you might experience if you give Tapping a try:
- Increased energy
- Enhanced focus, productivity, and motivation
- Better sleep
- Improved mental health
- Boosted confidence and sense of self-worth
- Decrease in negative self-talk
- More self-acceptance and less self-judgment
- Greater sense of peace and ease in daily life
- Increased athletic performance
How to Do EFT Tapping
The Tapping technique involves a few basic steps:
- Identify an issue to work on. You focus on something that is bothering you, like a fear or anxiety, a physical ailment, a bad memory, or an unresolved problem.
- Rate the intensity of the issue on a scale from 0 to 10.
- Acknowledging whatever is bothering you and causing you distress, while accepting yourself fully. You create a setup statement to begin the process with, such as “Even though I have this [insert problem or emotion], I deeply and completely accept myself.”
- Follow the EFT Tapping sequence. You tap your fingertips on nine major Tapping points along the body’s meridians while maintaining your mental focus on the issue at hand. While you tap, you may say statements that help you to first focus on and acknowledge what you are feeling (often called a reminder phrase). You can then move towards letting go of the distress, resolving your difficult emotions, and turning towards the positive. As you tap, you might also do visualizations or bring to mind certain thoughts or memories.
- Rate the intensity of the issue again on a scale from 0 to 10. This allows you to assess if anything has changed for you
- Repeat as needed. If the intensity is still higher than you’d like, start again! You can keep Tapping through the points until you find some relief.
To learn all about how to do EFT Tapping, check out this
complete how-to guide to the Tapping technique and sequence.
Getting to Know the Tapping Points
Eyebrow Point (EB)
Where the eyebrows begin, closest to the bridge of the nose.
Side of Eye (SE)
On the bone directly along the outside of either eye.
Under Eye (UE)
On the bone directly under either eye.
Under Nose (UN)
The area directly beneath the nose and above the upper lip.
Chin Point (CP)
This is the area just below your bottom lip and above the chin, right in the crease.
Collarbone Point (CB)
Starting from where your collar bones meet in the center, go down an inch and out an inch on either side.
Under Arm (UA)
On your side, about four inches beneath the armpit.
Top of Head (TH)
Directly on the crown of your head.
The Science Behind EFT Tapping
While Tapping is a relatively new and cutting-edge practice in the field of health and wellness, the healing concepts that it’s based upon have been in practice in Eastern medicine for over 5,000 years.
In recent years, there's been a growing pool of undeniable research proving that Tapping produces real, lasting breakthroughs.
We’ve collected quite a few of these
research studies here if you want to dive deeper.
But in the meantime, here are a few noteworthy findings to point out:
Tapping regulates the nervous system and boosts the immune system by putting the body back into the parasympathetic (relaxation) nervous system response. This allows the immune system, digestive system, reproductive system, and endocrine system to function as it should.
Reducing stress also reduces cortisol levels in the body. This reduction aids your body's ability to fight inflammation and boost your immune system.
The most remarkable study regarding Tapping and stress hormones was a landmark study by Dr. Dawson Church published in 2012 in the prestigious Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. The study found that EFT Tapping lowered the stress hormone cortisol significantly more than traditional talk therapy or resting.
You can read more about that here and also check out the 2020 replicated study by Dr. Peta Stapleton.
In the 2020 study, when participants did just one hour of Tapping, their cortisol levels dropped by 43% – a significant decrease!
Research also suggests Tapping can help lower blood pressure and heart rate, impact brain activity, and even positively influence gene expression.
Read more about the science and research on Tapping here.
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