The Science: Why Resentment Lingers
Resentment is anger that has been simmering over time. Unlike acute anger, which flares and often dissipates, resentment builds and hardens. It becomes a recurring mental loop—replaying the unfairness, rehearsing grievances, nursing wounds.
The brain stores resentment alongside memories of perceived injustice. Each time you think about what happened, stress hormones are released as if the event is happening now. This chronic activation damages your health while doing nothing to the person you resent.
How Tapping Releases Resentment
Tapping on acupressure points while focusing on resentment sends calming signals to the amygdala, breaking the cycle of chronic stress activation. This allows you to process the feelings of unfairness without your body staying in fight mode. The result: you can acknowledge what happened while releasing the ongoing burden of carrying it.
Real Results of Releasing Resentment
Agnieszka
"I love you all, Nick and the Team. I have lowered my resentment by 10 points."
Marie
"I think that finally I found what is the biggest problem in my life for 30 years. It is resentment, holding someone and something for all my anxiety, anger, hopelessness. And not forgiving a person for all my pain, sadness, unhappiness. Thanks so much. Now I need to work hard to let go of resentment to at least enjoy the last years of my life."
Sinead
"This is a really powerful Tapping meditation! I'm amazed at the emotional release I just experienced. Tears flowed. I'm so grateful for this meditation and that release."
I just discovered that I have had a lot of resentment! I didn't understand it before! And I really feel better after this meditation.
Tatjana, finally recognizing what she'd been carrying
Elyssa
"Thank you so much. I loved how empowering the self-talk is in this meditation after acknowledging the feelings of powerlessness associated with resentment."
Nathan
"It was great! Saved my day from being swept away by resentment."
Francoise
"This is the second Tapping in a row that I did for releasing anger. I start at 9... at the end, I was at 4. Then in a row I did a second Tapping about the same anger... and it went down to 1! Just feel peaceful and relaxed. How just great this technique! Marvelous—just marvelous."
Resentment vs. Anger
While anger and resentment are related, they're not the same:
- Anger is often acute—a flare-up in response to a present situation
- Resentment is chronic—a slow burn that builds over time
- Anger can dissipate once expressed or addressed
- Resentment tends to be rehearsed and reinforced, growing stronger
Many people find they need to work on both. If your resentment includes acute anger flare-ups, you might also benefit from the Releasing Anger session.
I'm amazed how quickly I am healing from years of holding onto resentments.
Kathie, releasing years of accumulated resentment
When Resentment Feels Justified
Sometimes resentment is completely understandable. Someone betrayed you, treated you unfairly, or caused real harm. The injustice was real. Tapping doesn't mean pretending it was okay.
Instead, Tapping helps you stop paying the ongoing price for someone else's actions. As one user put it: "In my life so many things felt like such a betrayal of trust, love, and family. I did this resentment Tapping first honoring the resentment and then again substituting the word resentment for betrayal. It was deeply moving. Very powerful."
Stacey
"Release of resentment towards those who brought slavery to my ancestors. I truly want to release heaviness and create more space for love and light in my heart."
The Path to Forgiveness
Many people find that releasing resentment naturally opens the door to forgiveness—not forced, but genuine. Tapping helps you get there organically rather than trying to forgive before you're ready.
Forgiveness doesn't mean:
- Saying what happened was okay
- Letting the person back into your life
- Forgetting what happened
- Removing healthy boundaries
Forgiveness means: choosing not to carry the burden anymore.
Ready to Release Resentment?
Try the Releasing Resentment session in the app—used by over 99,000 people.