Tapping for Anxiety Relief: How to Use EFT for Anxiety

Does tapping work for anxiety?

Yes, and this is one of the most studied uses of EFT tapping. In a peer-reviewed study of 270,461 people using guided tapping sessions (Church & Stapleton, 2020), self-rated anxiety dropped from an average of 6.7 to 3.8 on a 0-10 scale in a single session, a 44% average reduction. A systematic review of clinical EFT research (Frontiers in Psychology, 2022) found consistently strong results for anxiety across randomized controlled trials. And the mechanism is physical, not just psychological: a replicated randomized trial led by Dr. Peta Stapleton found significant reductions in cortisol, the body's main stress hormone, after tapping.

Tapping works for anxiety by combining exposure (naming what you feel) with stimulation of acupressure points, which research suggests sends calming signals to the amygdala, the brain's threat center (Feinstein, 2012). In plain terms: you think about the thing that makes you anxious while your body gets the message that you're safe.

Is it a placebo? Studies comparing real tapping against sham tapping found the real points outperformed the sham, which is the standard test for an effect beyond placebo.

Why is my anxiety worse in the morning?

There is a biological reason mornings hit hardest. Cortisol, your main stress hormone, naturally peaks in the first 30 to 45 minutes after waking. It is called the cortisol awakening response, and it happens to everyone. It is your body's way of getting you up and moving.

The problem comes when your baseline stress is already high. That normal morning surge lands on an already loaded system, and the combination can feel like waking directly into dread: heart going before your feet touch the floor, a heavy sense that the day is already too much, sometimes before you can even name what you are dreading. Nothing is wrong with your body. The surge is normal. The load it is landing on is the part you can work with.

That is where a short morning tapping practice fits. Two suggestions. First, tap before you pick up your phone; email and news stack fresh stress on top of the surge at its exact peak. Second, be specific. Instead of tapping on "morning anxiety," ask what today's dread is actually about: the meeting, the conversation you have been putting off, the general sense of being behind. Name that, notice where it sits in your body, and tap through the points while the cortisol wave crests and passes.

You are not fighting your biology. You are letting a normal surge move through a calmer body.

Let's learn all about Tapping for anxiety relief, shall we?

Are you one of the many people who is constantly stressed? Who has a million things running around in their mind? Who has a really hard time unwinding and enjoying daily life?

If so, you aren’t alone. Feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, stress, fatigue, and burnout have unfortunately become par for the course in modern life.

So much of our life force gets taken up by anxiety. We walk around stuck in this perpetual state of worry and overload. It seems like the stress will never end, and we constantly feel like we just can’t take it any longer. Ultimately, anxiety keeps us from being in the moment and actually enjoying our lives.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. You deserve to live a life you love, and you can!

What if I told you that there was a simple, easy technique for anxiety relief that could help to get to the root of your stress?

What if I told you that you could release these old patterns of feeling stuck in perpetual overwhelm, that you could process your negative emotions, and that you could let go of your anxiety?

That’s where the power of Tapping comes in. This simple method for anxiety relief allows you to rewire the body and brain so that you can create the life of your dreams without anxiety constantly taking over.

Read on to learn a little bit more about anxiety, and explore how Tapping for anxiety can help you create the positive transformation that you deserve.

Please note: As always, if you are experiencing any physical or mental health concerns, consult with a doctor, therapist, or other qualified health practitioners. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.

Anxiety, the Amygdala, and Fight or Flight

Anxiety is our body’s way of reacting to stress and alerting us to potential dangers.

When we are stressed, a part of our brain called the amygdala fires into action and triggers the stress response. The amygdala’s job is to help us survive and to protect us from danger.

You might have heard of this referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response. It’s a natural instinct leftover from way back when our ancestors had to cope with life-or-death situations, like running from tigers and bears in the wild to stay alive.

An overworked system

Nowadays, we aren’t often facing such life-or-death situations. However, our nervous systems are still programmed to be on high alert for potential dangers. And the stress response of the amygdala is still very much ready for action at all times.

In fact, everyday situations in the modern world can, in no time at all, elicit that same fight-or-flight response. It can happen whenever we perceive a threat of any sort, which often occurs when we are actually in no real danger.

Sometimes, it might be something big. Financial concerns, a major life change, or a global conflict can all fuel anxiety and kick our bodies into a state of fight or flight.

But other times, it doesn’t take much at all to get anxiety off and running. Anxiety might be triggered by sitting in a traffic jam, being too busy with work projects, or having a tense conversation with a partner. It’s common to experience anxiety when taking a test, public speaking, or meeting new people. For some people, it’s the body itself that becomes the trigger, with every ache or racing heartbeat sparking a new wave of worry, which is where tapping for health anxiety can help.

In today’s world, a lot of us are living in a constant state of low-grade stress and anxiety.

Our body’s fight-or-flight mode is turned on all the time. And this really begins to take a toll on our mental and physical health.

But here’s the great news: you can learn to reprogram your brain and body to release that anxiety. You can learn to free up some energy to put towards creating a life that feels more balanced, calm, and at ease.

One scientifically-backed way to do that? EFT Tapping!

How Does Tapping for Anxiety Work?

I like to think of Tapping as a way to send your mind’s prehistoric programming back into extinction. It is a way to reprogram the patterns that keep us stuck in the fight-or-flight stress response so that we can let go of anxiety and reclaim our own lives.

Here’s how it works:

Tapping, also called Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT, is a unique combination of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology.

EFT Tapping for anxiety is a simple technique. You simply use your fingers to tap on nine specific points on the body that correspond to traditional Chinese medicine acupressure meridian points. And as you tap, you speak about what is causing you stress and anxiety.

You start with statements that recognize how you feel, such as what’s going on, what’s bothering you, and what the reasons are for your anxiety. Then, as the process moves on, you shift towards positive statements. These encourage you to release and let go of the emotions and experiences that are no longer serving you.

Tapping along the meridians at those nine specific Tapping points sends calming signals to the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls the stress response. When we Tap, we are able to actually alter the stress response, lowering cortisol and other stress hormones in the body (more on that later).

Thinking about the thing that you are anxious about while physically tapping on these Tapping points sends calming signals to the brain. This ultimately rewires how we think and feel. Instead of triggering fight-or-flight mode, as usual, we send an opposing signal to the body letting it know that it is safe.

This tells your brain and body that it is okay to let go of that stress and anxiety, making room for more of what you want in your life.

You can use Tapping to release anxiety, and also to welcome in and create more of what you want in your life: confidence, hope, peace, courage, and so much more.

If you’re thinking that this all might sound a little too good to be true, stick with me. There’s been a whole lot of research done on Tapping to back this up and provide evidence that it really works, and that it works super well!

The Tapping Technique Has Been Validated by Scientific Research

Tapping has been clinically studied to help reduce the stress response and provide natural anxiety relief.

There’s a whole body of research supporting Tapping for anxiety.

A systematic review and meta-analysis study from 2016 that looked at data from 14 different high-quality studies found that EFT for anxiety leads to significant reductions in anxiety scores. The authors of the study concluded that Tapping had what they considered to be a large treatment effect when it came to lowering anxiety.[1]

In one specific study, researchers found that 76% of people with anxiety disorders treated with EFT Tapping techniques experienced complete remission of their symptoms over the course of treatment, and that 90% experienced at least some improvement.[2]

Tapping has been studied for specific types of anxiety too. Research shows it can be helpful with things like test anxiety, public speaking anxiety, and dental anxiety for example.[3]

And what’s even more incredible is that Tapping actually results in changes within the body and to our biology too! It  works from the inside out to create real, tangible benefits.

A groundbreaking study in 2012 showed us that using EFT for anxiety actually lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.[4] This was an incredible finding that helped us better understand how Tapping can have such profound effects for so many people.

More recent findings have shown Tapping to help reduce heart rate and blood pressure as well.[5]

So, Tapping can actually alter our biochemistry to support greater ease and reduce the effects of stress! Pretty incredible, right?

How to Use Tapping to Relieve Anxiety

If you have anxiety, Tapping truly can be transformational. I’ve seen it a hundred times over in the many people I’ve worked with over the years as I’ve shared this tool.

It is so exciting to see more and more individuals benefit from using the Tapping method for anxiety, and also to see research studies continue to validate its effectiveness.

One of the things I love most about Tapping is that it truly promotes positive and lasting change that works at the root of the problem.

Remember, this is a way to reprogram your brain and body to get out of old patterns of anxiety and stress. And that is something that can truly change your life!

Plus, it is so easy to learn, and you can do it on your own. 😀

Try the Tapping Solution App

To learn more about Tapping and how to use the Tapping method for anxiety relief, head over to The Tapping Solution App now. In the App, you’ll find a bunch of Tapping meditations for anxiety, along with Tapping Meditations for stress relief, sleep support, and so much more.

A great place to get started is the 5-Day Release Anxiety Challenge. In this 5-Day series with my sister Jessica, you’ll learn to release anxiety in the breath, body, heart, and mind to move forward from a place of peace through the power of Tapping.

In the App, you’ll also find these other great Tapping Meditations for anxiety:

• • Releasing Anxiety
  • Turn Your Day Around: Release General Anxiety
  • Turn Your Day Around: Tapping for Anxiety, Tap and Breathe
  • Help Me Stop Overthinking
  • Anxiety Relief: I Can't Stop Worrying About Everything
  • Sleep Support: Quiet My Racing Mind
  • From Fear and Worry to Peace
  • Stress and Anxiety About Finances
  • Fear of Public Speaking: Reduce Anxiety Before Speaking
  • Releasing Weight Loss Anxiety
  • Instant Boost of Safety
  • Micro Boost of Peace

For a deeper dive, consider checking out our full Anxiety Relief Program with six modules of amazing content.

And if you just have 5 minutes and want to get to Tapping right away? Head over to this link and Tap along with me to release a little anxiety right here, right now.

Until next time...

Keep Tapping!

Nick Ortner

Go deeper

• Perimenopause Anxiety: Why It Happens and What Actually Helps
• The Sensitive Empath Archetype: Understanding Your Emotional Sensitivity & How to Transform Overwhelm
• Somatic Exercises for Anxiety: 9 Body-First Techniques That Actually Work
• The Pressure Cooker Archetype: Understanding Your Emotional Patterns & How to Transform Them

References

1. Clond M. Emotional Freedom Techniques for Anxiety: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2016;204(5):388-395. doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000483
2. Andrade J, Feinstein D. Energy Psychology: Theory, Indications, Evidence. Energy Psychology. https://www.energiepsy.com/uploads/3/1/7/7/3177769/andrade_feinstein_paper-1.pdf
3. “EFT Tapping Research: Anxiety.” EFT Universe. https://www.eftuniverse.com/research-studies/eft-research#anxiety
4. Church D, Yount G, Brooks AJ. The effect of emotional freedom techniques on stress biochemistry: a randomized controlled trial. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2012;200(10):891-896. doi:10.1097/NMD.0b013e31826b9fc1
5. Bach D, Groesbeck G, Stapleton P, Sims R, Blickheuser K, Church D. Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Improves Multiple Physiological Markers of Health. J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019;24:2515690X18823691. doi:10.1177/2515690X18823691