From Anxiety to Peace: How Tapping Transformed One Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s

When I read Barbara’s message below, I was deeply moved. In just a few sentences, she captured something so profound — how even in life’s most challenging moments, we can find our way from overwhelming anxiety to genuine peace.

Here’s what Barbara shared:

“In the very beginning of Covid my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. My anxiety was overwhelming. I had to make decisions about medication, to enter an Alzheimer’s study or not. One day out of the blue The Tapping Solution App came across my FB feed. I gave it a shot. It changed my life. It’s 5 years later, my husband is progressing slowly, as a result of the 40 trial drug infusions. My anxiety is under control most of the time. I find myself tapping on things like happiness, gratitude and peace instead of anxiety. Life changing experience.”

Can you imagine? Receiving a life-altering diagnosis for your spouse during a global pandemic?

It’s hard to think of a more perfect storm for anxiety. The world outside already felt dangerous and uncertain, and then suddenly, the foundation of Barbara’s personal world was shaken too. Not only was she facing the emotional weight of her husband’s diagnosis, but she was also thrust into making critical medical decisions that would affect both their futures.

This is the kind of moment where anxiety doesn’t just knock on your door — it breaks it down.

When Anxiety Takes Over

Anxiety like what Barbara described isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s overwhelming. It floods your system with stress hormones. It narrows your focus to potential threats. It makes rational decision-making nearly impossible.

This kind of anxiety is your brain’s negativity bias in overdrive.

In my books, I talk about the story of Grog and Thor. Grog is the cautious caveman who survived because he was alert to danger, while peace-loving Thor got eaten by a tiger. Well, when faced with a crisis like an Alzheimer’s diagnosis during a pandemic, our inner Grog goes into hyperdrive. Our primitive brain perceives extreme danger and responds accordingly.

For Barbara, this meant facing overwhelming anxiety precisely when she needed clear thinking to make important decisions about medications and clinical trials.

This is where so many caregivers get stuck. The anxiety becomes another burden to carry alongside the practical responsibilities of caregiving. And unlike the practical tasks, anxiety doesn’t accomplish anything useful — it just drains your energy and clouds your judgment.

The Turning Point

But then something happened that changed everything. As Barbara put it: “One day out of the blue The Tapping Solution App came across my FB feed. I gave it a shot. It changed my life.”

I love the simplicity of how she describes this moment. No dramatic epiphany. No desperate search for solutions. Just an openness to try something new when it appeared in her life.

That willingness to try — especially when overwhelmed — is actually quite remarkable. It speaks to the resilience that often lies beneath anxiety, that part of us that continues to reach for better even when things are at their worst.

From Anxiety to Peace; Fear to Gratitude

What happened next is what I find most beautiful about Barbara’s story. She didn’t just use Tapping to manage her anxiety in crisis moments. Over time, she transformed her entire relationship with her emotions.

“I find myself Tapping on things like happiness, gratitude and peace instead of anxiety,” she writes.

This evolution represents something profound about the healing journey. We often begin seeking relief from what hurts — the anxiety, the fear, the overwhelm. But as we clear those darker emotions, we create space for something else to grow.

Barbara’s journey reflects what researchers have found about the neuroscience of Tapping. Studies show that EFT Tapping not only reduces the stress hormone cortisol, but it also helps rewire neural pathways. This means we’re not just temporarily feeling better — we’re actually changing how our brains process emotions.

When Barbara first started Tapping, her primitive brain was likely stuck in high alert. Every new challenge with her husband’s condition might have triggered that same overwhelming anxiety response. But through consistent Tapping, she began teaching her nervous system a new pattern. She was essentially telling her brain: “We can handle this. We’re safe enough to feel peace, even in difficult circumstances.”

The Power of Authentic Positivity

There’s something else remarkable about Barbara’s story that I want to highlight. The shift from tapping on anxiety to tapping on “happiness, gratitude and peace” represents authentic positivity, not toxic positivity.

Toxic positivity would say: “Don’t feel anxious! Just be grateful! Focus on the positive!” It denies the reality of difficult emotions and circumstances.

What Barbara describes is completely different. She didn’t skip over her anxiety or pretend it wasn’t there. She acknowledged it, tapped on it, and gradually released it. Only then could she authentically connect with positive emotions like happiness and gratitude.

This is the true power of Tapping — it doesn’t force positive emotions or deny negative ones. It creates space for all emotions to be felt, processed, and, when ready, released.

The Caregiver’s Journey

Barbara’s story touches me deeply because caregivers often put themselves last. They focus on their loved one’s needs while neglecting their own emotional wellbeing. They push down their anxiety, fear, and grief because they feel they don’t have time to process these emotions.

But as Barbara’s experience shows, taking time to address your own emotional health isn’t selfish — it’s essential. By managing her anxiety through Tapping, she’s been able to be more present and effective in supporting her husband through his Alzheimer’s journey.

Five years later, Barbara’s husband is “progressing slowly” with his condition, which she attributes partly to his participation in the clinical trial. Making that decision from a place of clarity rather than panic may have made all the difference.

Your Invitation to Peace

If you’re facing a situation like Barbara’s — whether you’re caring for someone with a chronic illness, dealing with a difficult diagnosis, or simply feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges — her story offers a powerful invitation.

What if, like Barbara, you could move from a place where anxiety dominates to a place where gratitude and peace are more accessible?

What if, instead of being driven by that primitive “Grog” brain that sees threats everywhere, you could access your greatest self — the part of you that can make clear decisions, feel authentic joy even in difficult circumstances, and find meaning in your journey?

Tapping offers a path to that place. It’s not about denying the reality of your situation. It’s about creating enough emotional space that you can face your challenges without being overwhelmed by them.

If you’re new to Tapping, here’s a simple sequence to begin releasing anxiety:

Barbara’s journey from overwhelming anxiety to gratitude and peace didn’t happen overnight. It was a process that unfolded over time, tap by tap, day by day. But it did happen. And it can happen for you too.

Your greatest self isn’t something you need to find or create — it’s already within you, waiting to emerge when you release the stress and anxiety that’s been clouding your vision. Tapping is simply the tool that helps clear the path.

As Barbara so beautifully put it: “Life changing experience.” Indeed it is.

Looking for more support?

• The Tapping Solution App – Features specific meditations for anxiety, overwhelm, and even caregiving. Here are some specific sessions I’d recommend for people wanting to move from Anxiety to Peace, especially caregivers:
  • Caregiver Support – This category was created with the insights and knowledge of Linda Abbitt, author and Caregiving expert. These sessions are designed to help caregivers feel understood and to acknowledge and release overwhelm, recover from burnout, navigate unknowns, and more so you can navigate the journey with more ease.
  • 5 Day Release Anxiety Series is a great starting point to explore how tapping can help address anxiety in your body, heart, and mind so you can authentically connect with greater peace and ease.
  • From Fear and Worry to Peace – This is a well loved session that can help you honor any fear and worry and open up to greater peace and ease.
  • 6 Day Inner Peace and Power Challenge – This Challenge is led by Iyanla Vanzant, where we use the power of “I am” statements to reclaim the essence of who we truly are.
  • Anxiety Soother Card Deck – This is a fabulous way to tap on anxiety. You can pick a card at random to reveal your soothing message for the moment, and then play the related 2 minutes Quick Tap to do some tapping on that theme.

Note: You can access these meditations by clicking the links above using your mobile device, or type the name of the meditation into The Tapping Solution App’s search function.

Have you used Tapping to help manage anxiety as a caregiver or during a difficult life transition? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

Until next time… Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner