How to Calm Your Fears with EFT Tapping

“We suffer more from imagination than from reality.” – Seneca

What is it that you’re afraid of? Is it something “real” or is it just imaginary? Interesting question, right?

Fear is an emotion without which we as humans couldn’t have made it through evolution. In its base form, fear simply alerts us of danger so that we can quickly remove ourselves from the threat. In other words, it’s a survival instinct, one that can be observed in just about every living thing.

So then, how do those other fears, like a dental visit, public speaking, or even going on a first date play into things? These, and many others, are referred to as “learned fears,” or fears that have been conditioned into our minds and imagination, usually by a past negative experience.

These kinds of fears aren’t founded in our present reality and usually have no actual danger related to them, but they can limit us from living a fulfilling life all the same.

“Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.”
– Karl Augustus Menninger

One of the core ways in which Tapping can help with relieving these learned fears is by “re-educating” our nervous system to properly differentiate what is a real threat from what is imagined. And by calming the programmed emotional reaction, we are able to be more present, aware, and calm.

What Does the Research Behind Tapping Say?

Tapping has been used in numerous studies on acute fears and phobias with proven positive results.

From the fear of water, to needles, to test-taking anxiety, and even childbirth, Tapping has consistently helped people overcome their fears with sustained results over time!

Just check out our page on the Science and Research behind Tapping, then download and explore this Science, Data & Research Kit, our free PDF which outlines over 40 research studies proving the effectiveness of Tapping.

And these don’t even include the countless case studies and personal testimonials of people overcoming their fears of flying, driving, heights, and so many others!

While it’s been scientifically proven that Tapping can help with phobias, this technique is also profoundly useful at shifting internal beliefs that are fear-based, like the fear of failure, the fear of loss, and the fear of not being good enough.

These are not actual tangible fears, like the fear of water or snakes, but because Tapping helps to soothe the nervous system and to rewire the brain (and therefore, the associations we have) it encourages a sense of safety and trust in every aspect of our lives using the same mechanisms that dissolve phobias.

Can Tapping Help Me With My Fear?

So often I hear, “But my case is different. Can Tapping help ME with [fill in the blank].” Lol! I know it seems rather scripted to simply reply, “Of course!” without even knowing the exact issue. But that’s because the foundational pillars behind any fear or phobia are essentially all the same, and so is the way Tapping is used for releasing those fears.

Certainly, situations are different and everyone has their own personal story behind why they may be afraid of something, and I don’t wish to make light of that, because some of these fears can indeed be crippling or debilitating.

However, I can say for sure that Tapping works. 🙂

Our “Releasing Fear” tapping meditation in The Tapping Solution App has been played over 52,000 times (as of this writing) with a self-reported reduction in emotional intensity by an average of 41%. That means people feel 41% better and less fearful in less than 9 minutes of Tapping!

And if numbers don’t speak to you, listen to what some of our users have shared after tapping with this meditation:

“This really helped me see that the fear is only making things worse. thank you!!!!”

“Excellent meditation! Helped me discover a repressed traumatic memory that was causing me fear! Now I can heal and release the fear! Thank you so much!”

“Some of the language Jessica used was dead-on to the feelings fear leaves me with. It is very comforting to be understood. So far, this is a favorite. Ty!”

“I have carried Fear around for 70+ years, clueless. In one tapping session, I have recognized a great deal of it and let it go. Amazing. thank you all for the support and the tools. I’ll continue this journey with a smile. Thank you!!”

Here’s a Round of Tapping to Get You Started

Let’s do a few minutes of tapping to get an idea of how to work with releasing fears. If you’re new to Tapping, you can read more about it here.

Side of Hand: Even though I have this fear, I accept myself and how I feel

Side of Hand: Even though I feel this fear in my body, I accept how I feel and I allow my body to relax

Side of Hand: Even though I’ve been carrying this feeling of fear, I accept myself and I am open to seeing things in a new way

Then begin tapping through the meridian points…

Eyebrow: This fear

Side of Eye: I feel it in my body

Under Eye: It leaves me feeling frozen

Under Nose: I’m scared of something going wrong

Under Mouth: So I just try to avoid it

Collarbone: I recognize all this fear

Under Arm: And how it shows up in my life

Top of Head: I recognize the part of me that holds onto fear

And continue through the points.

The important thing to remember is to be gentle with yourself through the process.

How Tapping Is Different From Other Techniques

Tapping is not another form of exposure therapy, where you’re thrown face to face with your fear until you get over it. Tapping is rather a gradual “step-and-release” technique.

Yes, you acknowledge the fear. That is the first step. But then you mentally take a step closer to it, and as the anxiety increases, you tap it down. Then another step, then tap that down, and so on.

While a fear or phobia may seem like one giant ball of anxiety all wrapped together, it’s really a series of invisible barriers or layers. You can tap through one layer at a time, beginning with the easiest ones to face on the surface level, and then addressing all of the different facets of the fear as you progress.

Eventually, the fear just collapses like a house of cards because you’ve simply released all of the emotional charges that were supporting it.

For more Tapping on fears and phobias, I invite you to download our Tapping Solution App, where we have full meditations and even whole series for eliminating specific fears and phobias.