What do ancient Chinese medicine practices and modern stress-relief techniques have in common? The answer lies in meridian points – a network of energy centers that could hold the key to balanced health and emotional wellbeing.
Meridian points have guided practitioners for thousands of years, and today, they’re at the heart of popular wellness techniques like acupuncture and EFT Tapping.
Ready to explore the hidden highways of healing running through your body?
In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about meridian points.
What are meridian points?
Meridian points, or acupoints, are specific locations on the body that serve as gateways to the body’s vital energy (often referred to as “qi”).
The theory of meridians and meridian points originated in ancient China over 2,000 years ago. According to traditional Chinese medicine practices, these specific sites on the body are access points to an intricate network of energy pathways – called meridians – through which life force energy flows.
You can think of meridian points like the body’s energy hotspots.
Mapped out over thousands of years by Chinese medicine practitioners, meridians are believed to be connected to various organs and bodily functions. When the acupoints along these channels are stimulated – whether through acupuncture needles, finger pressure, or Tapping – it can help balance the body’s energy flow, alleviate physical discomfort or emotional distress, and promote healing.
This knowledge around meridians and acupoints has been passed down through generations and forms the basis for many energy healing modalities still used today – making it one of the oldest and most enduring systems of medicine and healing in human history.
Whether you’re interested in traditional Chinese medicine, energy healing, or simply looking for new ways to support your health and wellbeing, understanding meridian points can be incredibly valuable.
Why are meridian points important?
Meridian points play a crucial role in many holistic health practices and offer several key benefits:
- Gateway to energy healing: Meridian points serve as the foundation for numerous healing modalities, including acupuncture, acupressure, and EFT Tapping. They provide practitioners with precise locations to focus their efforts for maximum impact, and offer an integrative approach to caring for the whole person.
- Stress reduction: Techniques like EFT Tapping that utilize meridian points have been shown to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and activate the body’s relaxation response, making them powerful tools for stress management.[1]
- Pain relief: Many people find that stimulating certain meridian points can help alleviate various types of physical discomfort, from headaches to chronic pain conditions.
- Emotional regulation: Working with meridian points, especially through practices like EFT Tapping, can help process and release difficult emotions, leading to greater emotional stability and resilience.
For those of us who practice EFT tapping, meridian points are particularly significant. The Tapping sequence utilizes specific meridian endpoints that, when stimulated, help to regulate the brain and body, effectively relieving both physical and emotional distress.
How many meridians are there?
There are 12 principal meridians recognized in traditional Chinese medicine. Each is associated with a specific organ system:
- Lung Meridian
- Large Intestine Meridian
- Stomach Meridian
- Spleen Meridian
- Heart Meridian
- Small Intestine Meridian
- Bladder Meridian
- Kidney Meridian
- Pericardium Meridian
- Triple Warmer (San Jiao) Meridian
- Gallbladder Meridian
- Liver Meridian
In addition, there are two other major meridians that aren’t linked to specific organs:
- Central Meridian (or Conception Vessel)
- Governing Vessel
All of these meridians exist in symmetrical pairs, with channels running along each side of the body.
Each of the meridians also has a varying number of acupoints along its path, where the meridian can be “accessed” through practices like acupuncture, acupressure, or EFT Tapping.
The meridian system is kind of like an intricate network of energy highways running through the body.
Interestingly, although the theory of meridians is based in ancient practice, recently researchers have discovered that the meridians are linked to specific physical structures in the body called fascia.[2]
Other researchers believe the meridians correspond to the nervous system.[3,4]
Key meridian point locations
This article will cover a few of the common points to help you get started, but there are hundreds of acupoints found across the body along the various meridians.
Even working with a few key points, as we do in EFT Tapping, can lead to significant positive changes in your life.
Here are some of the most commonly used points in practices like EFT Tapping:
- Side of the hand – Small Intestine
- Eyebrow – Bladder
- Side of the Eye – Gallbladder
- Under the Eye – Stomach
- Under the Nose – Governing Vessel
- Chin – Conception Vessel
- Collarbone – Kidney
- Under the Arm – Spleen
- Top of the Head – A meeting point of many meridians, like the Governing Vessel and Bladder
These points are the nine acupoints used in the traditional EFT Tapping sequence, and they were chosen for their effectiveness in addressing a wide range of emotional and physical concerns.
When you tap on these points while focusing on a specific problem, you’re sending calming signals to the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing emotions. This can help you let go of stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions, allowing you to approach challenges with greater ease and clarity.
You can learn more about each of these points and why we use them in this EFT Tapping Point guide. And for a more comprehensive understanding of meridian point locations, it’s best to consult detailed acupuncture charts or work with a trained practitioner.
Want to learn more about how to use meridian points to improve your own health and wellbeing? Explore our Tapping resources or try a guided Tapping meditation in The Tapping Solution App today!
Until next time… Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner
References
- Stapleton P, Crighton G, Sabot D, O’Neill HM. Reexamining the effect of emotional freedom techniques on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial. Psychol Trauma. 2020;12(8):869-877.
- Maurer N, Nissel H, Egerbacher M, Gornik E, Schuller P, Traxler H. Anatomical Evidence of Acupuncture Meridians in the Human Extracellular Matrix: Results from a Macroscopic and Microscopic Interdisciplinary Multicentre Study on Human Corpses. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019;2019:6976892.
- Eigenschink M, Dearing L, Dablander TE, Maier J, Sitte HH. A critical examination of the main premises of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2020;132(9-10):260-273.
Longhurst JC. Defining meridians: a modern basis of understanding. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2010;3(2):67-74.
Connect With Us on Social Media