What is EFT Tapping?

EFT Tapping, also known as simply “tapping,” is a therapeutic technique that blends principles of acupressure and psychology. It involves lightly tapping on specific meridian points (used in traditional Chinese medicine) while focusing on emotional stressors, negative experiences, or limiting beliefs. EFT Tapping aims to release emotional blockages, promote relaxation, and facilitate emotional healing and well-being.

How Can EFT Tapping Help You?

EFT Tapping offers support in several areas of emotional health:

• Stress and Anxiety Relief: EFT Tapping can be used to calm anxieties, reduce stress levels, and promote a greater sense of peace.
• Emotional Processing: EFT Tapping provides a tool to address underlying emotions related to past experiences, phobias, or limiting beliefs.
• Negative Emotion Management: EFT Tapping can help individuals better manage anger, sadness, frustration, or other challenging emotions.
• Physical Symptom Reduction: While not a cure-all, EFT Tapping might lessen the intensity of physical discomfort linked to emotional stress.
• Holistic Wellness: EFT Tapping aligns with holistic principles, promoting emotional well-being as an integral part of overall health.

What is EFT Tapping Good For?

EFT Tapping can be explored for various purposes:

• Emotional Well-being: EFT Tapping aims to cultivate emotional freedom and greater overall emotional balance.
• Self-Help Tool: EFT Tapping techniques are simple to learn, making it an accessible tool for self-care and stress management.
• Trauma Recovery (with professional guidance): EFT Tapping may be used in tandem with traditional therapy as a component of trauma-informed treatment.
• Performance Enhancement: Athletes and performers might use EFT Tapping for managing pre-event anxiety.
• Personal Growth: EFT Tapping helps address emotional blockages that might hinder personal development.

Benefits of EFT Tapping

EFT Tapping offers potential benefits across various aspects of well-being:

• Improved Emotional Regulation: EFT Tapping supports managing challenging emotions for healthy emotional expression.
• Reduced Stress and Anxiety: EFT Tapping aids in calming the nervous system, fostering relaxation.
• Greater Self-Awareness: EFT Tapping can enhance awareness of one’s emotional patterns and triggers.
• Pain Management Support: EFT Tapping may decrease pain associated with emotional stress.
• Accessibility: EFT Tapping is relatively easy to learn and apply as a self-care practice.

What to Expect from EFT Tapping with a Practitioner

An EFT Tapping session typically follows these steps:

• Issue Identification: You discuss the specific concern, emotion, or situation you’d like to address.
• Guided Tapping: The practitioner guides you through tapping specific acupressure points in sequence.
• Issue Focus: While tapping, you focus on the negative emotion, memory, or limiting belief.
• Intensity Measurement: You monitor the emotional intensity, and the process gets repeated until it subsides.

How to Do EFT Tapping by Yourself

Basic EFT Tapping can be learned for self-use:

• Learn Tapping Points: Numerous online resources and diagrams illustrate the standard EFT tapping points.
• Choose Your Focus: Select a specific emotion, issue, or physical discomfort to target.
• Tap and Talk: Lightly tap on each point while verbalizing statements describing your issue or concern.
• Reassess and Repeat: Assess the change in emotional intensity and repeat rounds as needed.

Similar Modalities to EFT Tapping

Related modalities share elements with EFT Tapping’s use of acupressure or mind-body focus:

• Acupressure: Both utilize meridian points, although acupressure uses sustained pressure, not tapping.
• Thought Field Therapy (TFT): The precursor to EFT, TFT is more complex, using specialized tapping sequences.
• Mindfulness Practices: Like EFT Tapping, mindfulness fosters emotional awareness and self-regulation.

Final Thoughts

EFT Tapping provides a unique and accessible approach to emotional healing and well-being. Its combination of acupressure and psychological principles makes it a potentially powerful tool for self-care and personal growth.

Let me know if you would like a deeper dive into specific tapping sequences, how to use EFT Tapping for various concerns, or other related topics!

Scientific References

While more rigorous research is always beneficial, here are some resources supporting EFT Tapping’s potential:

• Church, D., Yount, G., & Brooks, A. J. (2012). The effect of emotional freedom techniques on stress biochemistry: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 200(10), 891-896. [
• Stapleton, P., Crighton, G., Sabot, D., & O’Neill, H. M. (2021). Reexamining the effect of emotional freedom techniques on food cravings: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 27(7), 577-586.
• Flint, G. A., Lammers, W., & Mitnick, D. G. (2006). Emotional freedom techniques in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A preliminary randomized controlled trial (RCT). Investigación y Salud, 8, 31–37.

Recommended Reading (from Amazon in APA)

• The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living by Nick Ortner (2013). Ortner, N. (2013). The tapping solution: A revolutionary system for stress-free living. Hay House, Inc.
• EFT for PTSD: A Comprehensive Self-Help and Education Program by Craig Weiner and Alina Frank (2015). Weiner, C., & Frank, A. (2015). EFT for PTSD: A comprehensive self-help and education program. EFT Energy Press.
• The EFT Manual by Dawson Church (2017). Church, D. (2017). The EFT manual. Energy Psychology Press