Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping is a holistic acupressure treatment that may help people overcome conditions like PTSD, overeating, and depression, all through the power of tapping.
It may sound a bit woo-woo, but tapping has recently become a must-have coping tool for stressed-out patients looking to combat issues like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This simple meditation technique is exactly what it sounds like: You tap your way to better mental health using Chinese acupressure points.
Sound too good to be true? Luckily it isn’t, and the best part is it’s a simple technique to learn, and you can do it for free. We turned to the experts to find out everything you need to know about this buzzy meditation practice.
What Is Emotional Freedom Tapping?
“Tapping involves using your fingertips to gently tap on a specific set of points on your body, while you focus on and speak about whatever might be causing you distress or discomfort,” Nick Ortner, CEO of The Tapping Solution, tells DailyOM. “The tapping points correspond to traditional Chinese medicine acupressure points. Tapping on these points sends calming signals to the brain, letting it know it’s safe to relax.”
These pressure points are designed to turn off the body’s fight-or-flight response. Unlike acupuncture, though, tapping is incredibly easy to learn and can be done on your own schedule, at home, and by yourself. (Think of EFT as using the same map, but not the same technique, as acupuncturists.)
According to Ortner, the process of tapping while speaking or thinking about your stressors helps your brain realize that you’re not in real danger, so it is safe to relax. This helps regulate activity to turn off the fight-or-flight response in the amygdala, which eventually helps relieve stress long-term.
There’s research to back up the benefits of EFT. In one 2020 study published in the journal Psychological Trauma, 53 participants were randomly divided into one of three groups: One group received EFT meditation, one received psychotherapy, and one received no treatment at all. The group that received the tapping meditation showed a 50 percent decrease in anxiety, as well as a 43 percent decrease in cortisol levels. The findings support that EFT is an “efficient and effective brief treatment for reducing biological markers of stress,” reported the researchers.
Interested in learning more? Check out Heartbreak to Soulmate With the Magic of Tapping
What Is a Tapping Meditation?
Don’t let the word “meditation” confuse you. Tapping meditations are totally different from your typical guided imagery meditations because you are actively involved in the entire process. Working with a professionally trained EFT practitioner or an app can be beneficial early on when you’re learning the fundamentals, as can seeking out an online class to learn how to combine the tapping with the right self-talk steps. “Tapping meditations are designed to help you get support on your own, whenever and wherever you need it, for whatever it is that may be bothering you or causing you distress,” Ortner says.
What Can Emotional Freedom Tapping Help With?
Tapping can help with a wide range of mental health issues, which is probably why it’s rapidly gaining popularity in the health and wellness world. Celebrities including Madonna, Lily Allen, and Whoopi Goldberg are all reportedly fans of the powerful stress-reducing technique.
Tapping has no side effects, is inexpensive, and has been proven to help with issues like PTSD, anxiety, depression, weight loss, phobias, and sleep, among others. According to a study published in the Review of General Psychology, participants showed significant improvement in all of these areas, compared to their research counterparts who tried various other methods of psychotherapy, including talk therapy and CBT, both of which had a lesser impact on their mental health.
“There are so many benefits for lowering our stress response, hence why there are so many benefits to practicing EFT,” says Steph Dodds, an EFT tapping educator, creator of the Tapping With Steph YouTube channel, and DailyOM course instructor. “I have personally helped clients with weight loss, romantic issues, prosperity issues, quitting smoking, phobias, physical body pains of all kinds, unleashing creativity, limiting beliefs, and releasing the charge of traumatic events of our past.”
How Long Does It Take for Tapping to Work?
There is no set number of days or weeks it will take for tapping to work for you. It varies from person to person. But according to Dodds, you can typically expect to feel its impact in a short amount of time if you’re consistent with your practice.
“It is possible to experience a profound shift with tapping in as little as 5 to 10 minutes,” she says. “Before the last couple of stressful years, I would suggest that everyone tap once a week, but now I recommend that we all tap every day for at least 5 to 10 minutes for an amazing self-care routine to let go of everyday stress and obstacles. The great thing about tapping is that it can never harm you, so you can’t do too much of it!”
What Is the History of Tapping?
It all started in 1980 with a psychologist named Roger Callahan. Dr. Callahan combined his studies in traditional Chinese medicine with a series of investigative studies called Thought Field Therapy, or TFT. This method used specific algorithms to determine meridian points on the body, inspired by Chinese medicine, to obtain his desired results, which were freedom from stress, anxiety, and fear.
Under Callahan’s tutelage in the 1990s, a Stanford engineer graduate named Gary Craig studied TFT and eventually adapted what he’d learned to create a simpler sequence, which eventually became Emotional Freedom Tapping.
Tapping meditation is now widely accessible to anybody who wants to give it a try, thanks to its recent foray into the mainstream. “It is very safe, noninvasive, and gentle,” says Dodds. “EFT is for everyone. I would encourage skeptics to give it a try especially!”
How Do You Practice EFT?
Don’t be intimidated. Getting started with tapping is much easier than it seems. Ortner suggests you start with these five basic steps.
1. Identify an issue to work on.
“Focus on something that is bothering you, like a fear or an anxiety, a physical ailment, a bad memory, or an unresolved problem.”
Dodds adds, “There are so many benefits to lowering our stress response. That’s why the creator of EFT, Gary Craig, teaches us to literally try it on everything!”
2. Rate the intensity of the issue.
“Rate the issue on a scale from 0 to 10.”
3. Acknowledge whatever is causing you distress, while accepting yourself.
“You create a setup statement to begin the process, such as ‘Even though I have this [insert problem here], I deeply and completely accept myself.’”
4. 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 first focus on and acknowledge what you are feeling, then move toward letting go of the distress, resolving your difficult emotions, and turning toward the positive. As you tap, you might also do visualizations or bring to mind certain thoughts or memories.”
5. Rate the intensity of the issue again.
“Rate the issue again on a scale from 0 to 10 to assess if anything has changed for you.”
How Do I Find a Tapping Practitioner?
“While EFT is easy enough to learn and practice on your own, there are many benefits to working with an EFT practitioner,” says Ortner. “An EFT practitioner can provide a safe space for you to explore and clear your emotions, help you discover the core issue of a specific challenge, assist you in identifying and clearing healing blocks that you may have, formulate effective EFT tapping statements, and keep you on track.”
When looking for a qualified EFT practitioner, ask for a consultation first to make sure you feel comfortable, regardless of whether you plan to meet on Zoom or in person. Dodds also suggests seeking out local EFT workshops and community tapping circles for locals who are experts in their field.
Although they do get certified, there is no license for Emotional Freedom Tapping practitioners, so you may want to try sessions with a few different therapists before settling on “the one.” And if you don’t immediately find your match, don’t get discouraged. There are plenty of therapists out there, so keep trying until you find somebody you like.
The Bottom Line
Tapping can be an extremely useful addition to your mental health arsenal if you’re experiencing signs of anxiety, depression, stress, or sleep problems. (As always, you should consult with your doctor or therapist first if you are experiencing any severe physical or mental health concerns. And if your tapping practice is bringing up some emotions that are challenging to deal with on your own, working with a therapist may be necessary.)
On its own, or combined with traditional medical treatment and care from your doctor, EFT can help you remove roadblocks and reduce your pain so you can become the very best version of yourself.
