EFT tapping for anger starts with something most anger advice skips: actually feeling the anger, instead of rushing to calm down. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.” Is there something you’re angry about, big or small, that you’d like to release?
Anger is tough, because by its very nature it encourages us to hold on to it. That’s why if you’re angry and someone says, “Why don’t you just let it go?” it can make you even angrier! Lol!
If this speaks to something you're carrying, our trauma and grief articles continue gently from here.
So I’m not going to ask you to just “let it go”, I’m going to actually encourage you to FEEL and ACKNOWLEDGE that anger FIRST and then, potentially, when the time is right, let it go.
The reality is, you likely don’t WANT to feel angry. It doesn’t feel good and it robs you, as Ralphie-boy said, of peace of mind. That’s why I think you’ll find today’s free Tapping Meditation especially helpful. It's called “From Anger To Peace". The world needs all of us to let go of more anger. :)
If you'd like to build your own session around exactly what you're feeling, this complete library of tapping phrases written specifically for anger gives you the words to work with.
I’ve made it available for you to download and keep, so you can have it on your phone when you need it most.
(I’ve also included the transcript if you’d rather read and tap along.)
If you’re new to Tapping and realize that NOW is the best time to get started, you can learn the basics in minutes here.
AND... my NY Times bestselling book, “The Tapping Solution,” goes into even more detail on how to clear out the old baggage of harmful patterns so that anger moves further and further away. So if you haven’t already, you can pick up your copy here.
What anger is telling you
Anger isn't a character flaw, and it's not something to force down until it's "fixed." It's a signal, usually that something felt unfair, a boundary got crossed, or you weren't heard. In REWIRED, I talk about how the body keeps a kind of ledger of stress it never got to finish processing, what I call Nervous System Debt. Anger you swallow instead of feeling doesn't disappear, it gets added to that ledger and tends to resurface later, at the wrong moment, aimed at the wrong thing. Tapping doesn't ask you to talk yourself out of the anger or rush to "let it go." It gives your body a way to actually feel it, safely, so the charge underneath it has somewhere to move, instead of staying stuck.
That's different from suppressing anger, and it's different from venting it onto whoever is closest. Tapping while naming the anger plainly, "this anger," "it's okay that I'm angry", tends to do what neither of those approaches can: it lets the emotion complete itself in your body, so what's often left afterward is a much calmer, clearer read on what actually needs to change.
Free. The best place to start.
Want to learn tapping from the people who know it best?
The Tapping World Summit has taught tapping to people all over the world since 2009. Ten days, 24 of the world's leading tapping teachers, 100% free.
Join the free summitA 3-minute round for anger
Use this when anger is running hot, in the moment, right after an argument, or when it's been sitting with you for a while. Rate the intensity of the anger from 0 to 10 first.
- Setup (repeat three times, tapping the side of your hand): "Even though I feel all this anger right now, I accept myself and how I feel."
- Eyebrow: "This anger."
- Side of Eye: "It's okay that I'm angry."
- Under Eye: "This isn't fair, and I'm allowed to feel that."
- Under Nose: "This tightness, this heat, this anger in my body."
- Under Mouth: "I don't have to push this down right now."
- Collarbone: "I was trying to protect myself by feeling this."
- Under Arm: "Letting this anger move through me, at its own pace."
- Top of Head: "Choosing to let some of this charge settle, right now."
Reassess your number. If the anger is still loud, do another round, naming exactly what happened rather than the general feeling.
Tapping phrases for anger, by moment
Anger shows up differently depending on where it's coming from. Here's language matched to the moment you're actually in.
| Moment | What to say while you tap |
|---|---|
| In the moment | "Even though I feel all this anger about this situation, I accept myself and how I feel." / "This anger, right here, right now." |
| After an argument | "This replaying in my mind." / "It's okay that I'm still angry about how that went." |
| Resentment that won't leave | "This resentment I've been carrying." / "I've been holding onto this for a long time." |
| Anger at yourself | "This anger I'm turning on myself." / "I'm allowed to be angry without being cruel to myself about it." |
| Anger at someone who's gone | "This anger I still feel toward them, even now." / "It's okay to still feel this, even though they're not here." |
What our data shows
Inside The Tapping Solution App, our Releasing Anger session, narrated by my sister Jessica, has been completed 260,899 times, with users rating their intensity 7.3 before and 4.1 after, on average. Our wider 58-session Emotional Freedom category, built for processing stuck stress and emotion generally, has been completed over 4 million times, moving people from an average of 7.0 to 4.1, a 42% drop.
In a peer-reviewed study of 270,461 App users published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (Church & Stapleton, 2020), a single guided tapping session brought self-rated stress down 45% on average, the same nervous-system effect the anger numbers above are tracking.
This is self-report app data, not a clinical trial.
What people say
"I went from a 9 to a 0 in one session. I can now go into my day lighter with less tension and no tightness in my chest thinking about past hurts that have continued to anger me."
Monique, on Releasing Anger, rated herself a 9 before, a 0 after
"I never learned how to deal with anger and it always felt unsafe to feel and acknowledge anger, but with this tapping exercise I can feel safe and acknowledge and feel anger without the fear of not knowing how to handle it."
Aaron, on Releasing Anger, rated himself a 9 before, a 1 after
Go deeper
- The complete tapping phrase library for Releasing Anger, a minute-by-minute breakdown of this same session with the full phrase set.
- Nervous system regulation, for when your body stays wound up even after the angry moment passes.
- EFT tapping phrases and EFT tapping scripts, for more ways to word a round.
- The 9 tapping points, with a printable chart.
- Real stories of tapping for anger, on the main site.
- Try Releasing Anger free in The Tapping Solution App.
Tap along with more on anger
For another guided round that names anger and rage directly, this video works through it out loud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does tapping help with anger?
Many people find it does. Tapping isn't a treatment for anger, it's a tool that helps you feel and process the anger instead of suppressing it or venting it. Our Releasing Anger session has been completed 260,899 times, with users rating their intensity 7.3 before and 4.1 after, on average.
How do you tap when you're furious?
Start exactly where you are. Rate the intensity of the anger from 0 to 10, then tap through the points naming it plainly: "this anger," "it's okay that I'm angry." You don't need to calm down first. The setup statement is built for this: "Even though I feel all this anger right now, I accept myself and how I feel."
What do you say when you tap for anger?
Name the anger plainly before trying to release it, phrases like "this anger," "this isn't fair," or "it's okay that I'm angry" work well. The 3-minute round above walks through a full sequence, ending with language about letting the charge settle rather than forcing calm.
Can tapping help with resentment?
Yes. Resentment is often anger that's had time to settle in and get comfortable. The same approach applies: name it plainly ("this resentment I've been carrying") rather than pretending it isn't there, then tap through the points to let some of that charge move.
Is it okay to tap on anger at someone specific?
Yes. You're working with your own nervous system's response, not confronting the other person, so it's safe to name who or what the anger is about while you tap. That's often where the most relief comes from, naming the real target instead of a vague, general feeling.
When should I get help instead of just tapping?
If your anger is turning into harm to yourself or someone else, or you're worried it might, get help now: call 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or 911, or reach out to a licensed mental health professional. Tapping is a real tool for everyday anger, resentment, and frustration, not a substitute for that kind of support.
- Instantly reduce anxiety and stress
- Fall asleep faster and sleep better
- Boost productivity, stay motivated
- Relieve chronic or occasional pain
- Release anger, find peace
Until next time...
Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner
P.S. Make sure to share this meditation with anyone you know that might be looking to release some anger. They’ll forever thank you for it!
