The Science: Why Stress Makes Menopause Worse
Menopause isn't just hormones—though hormones drive many symptoms. The hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature, becomes more reactive during the hormonal transition, triggering hot flashes in response to small temperature changes. What's less known is that stress makes the hypothalamus even more reactive. Stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline) essentially lower the threshold at which a hot flash gets triggered. This is why many women notice their hot flashes worsen during stressful periods.
Beyond the physical, menopause is often an identity transition. The end of fertility, the reality of aging, perhaps children leaving home, parents needing care, relationships shifting. Research shows that psychological stress and unresolved emotions can amplify hormonal symptoms—not because they're "in your head," but because stress hormones directly interact with the hormonal cascade of menopause.
Tapping addresses both dimensions. Studies on EFT for menopause show reductions in hot flash frequency and intensity, likely by calming the stress response and raising the threshold at which the hypothalamus triggers symptoms. It can also help process the emotional aspects of this life transition—the grief, the fear, the identity questions—which further reduces the stress load that amplifies physical symptoms.
Hot flash research: Studies have shown that Tapping can reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. The mechanism isn't fully understood, but calming the nervous system appears to influence how the body regulates temperature during hormonal fluctuations.
What the Research Shows
The menopause-specific tapping research includes two studies on postmenopausal depression and a small field study on tapping outdoors. Every study below is catalogued in full, methods and limitations included, at the Tapping Evidence Base.
- Postmenopausal depression (Mehdipour et al., 2021): 88 postmenopausal women with mild-to-moderate depression did eight weeks of daily tapping or a sham version. The real-tapping group's depression scores roughly halved; the sham group barely moved. Read the study record.
- Tapping outdoors (Kim et al., 2016): a small, non-randomized comparison of 24 Korean women found tapping in a forest setting brought the biggest drop in menopausal symptoms and the biggest lift in quality of life, with benefits that kept building afterward rather than fading, unlike a guided walk alone. Read the study record.
A related conference abstract from the same research group (Abedi et al., 2023) describes a companion trial, though the catalogued record doesn't include its own results.
Menopause is a hormonal transition, but it's also an identity one, and both deserve attention. Dr. Aviva Romm's perspective on this stage of life is worth reading alongside the research: 5 Empowering Truths About Menopause.
Real Results
Marcia's Workplace Solution
"I am a woman, age 55 and going through menopause, I have hot flashes quite often. I began using Tapping during a hot flash and guess what? It worked! So now, even at work, if one comes on, I may not tap on it but I will gently touch the Tapping points and even that seems to help."
Marcia discovered that Tapping could be adapted to any environment. Even gentle pressure on the Tapping points—without the full Tapping motion—provided relief. This practical adaptation makes Tapping accessible even in professional settings where full Tapping might feel conspicuous.
Teresa's Body Image Journey
"I'm in menopause now and not very happy with my body. I was a size six until I was in my early forties and then I started putting on a few pounds every year. I have been so unhappy with my body for the past several years. I want mainly to be healthy and happy again and to get all of the negative thoughts out of my head for good."
Teresa's story reflects how menopause affects more than just physical symptoms—it involves identity, body image, and self-acceptance. The body changes that come with hormonal shifts can trigger deeper emotional work that Tapping is well-suited to address.
Christy's Request for More Support
"I would like to ask that you add more Tapping sessions for perimenopause/menopause symptoms. Perimenopause can last up to 10 years for women and it can be a horrible time in their lives. Extra support in this area would be so helpful."
Christy speaks for many women navigating this extended life transition. Perimenopause and menopause aren't brief events—they're multi-year journeys that benefit from sustained support. Tapping provides a consistent tool throughout this extended transition.
What Our Data Shows
Beyond the clinical research, our own app data gives a real-world view. Across the Women's Health category (37 sessions), completions total 80,525, and the average self-rated symptom intensity goes from 6.6 before a session to 3.9 after, a 41% drop (app data).
Inside the Menopause Support Collection specifically:
- Hot Flash Relief: 6,463 completions, intensity dropping from 6.8 to 3.5, a 48% drop.
- Menopause Frustration Relief: 6,286 completions, 7.1 to 4.0, a 43% drop.
- Calming the Menopause Mind: Brain Fog and Scattered Thoughts Relief: 2,174 completions, 6.8 to 4.2, a 38% drop.
- Menopause: Self-Love and Acceptance: 1,587 completions, 6.4 to 3.9, a 39% drop.
- Empowering Menopause Mantras to Transform Anxious Thinking: 1,162 completions, 6.3 to 4.0, a 37% drop.
- Menopause Mood Booster for Bad Days: 909 completions, 7.3 to 4.8, a 34% drop.
- Finding Your Glow During Menopause: A New Beginning: 650 completions, 5.9 to 3.2, a 45% drop.
This is self-reported app data, not a controlled trial. But at this scale, alongside the studies above, it's a real-world echo of the same pattern: in an independent study of 270,461 app users, Tapping was associated with a 44% average drop in anxiety and a 45% average drop in stress (Church & Stapleton, 2020, JMIR mHealth and uHealth).
Working With Menopause Symptoms
Tap on specific symptoms: Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings—each can be addressed directly. "Even though I'm having this hot flash..."
Address the transition: Tap on the emotional aspects too—grief about aging, fear of invisibility, whatever this change brings up for you.
Daily practice: Menopause symptoms respond best to consistent Tapping, not just crisis management.
A Tapping Round for a Hot Flash or a 2am Wake-Up
This is a short round to use in the moment, whether it's a hot flash in a meeting or a night you're wide awake with your heart racing. Say the setup statement while tapping the side of your hand, then move through the 8 points once while repeating a short reminder phrase at each one.
Setup (repeat 3 times, tapping the side of your hand): "Even though my body feels like it's on fire right now and I can't control it, I deeply and completely accept myself."
- Eyebrow: "This heat, this rush."
- Side of the eye: "My body doing this again."
- Under the eye: "I don't want to feel this."
- Under the nose: "But it's here right now."
- Chin: "My body is trying to regulate itself."
- Collarbone: "I can let this pass through me."
- Under the arm: "I don't have to fight it."
- Top of the head: "I can be calm inside this."
If it's the middle of the night and sleep is the bigger issue, our guide to Tapping for menopause insomnia walks through a longer wind-down round, and Deep, Restful Sleep covers the broader practice for staying asleep once you're calm again.
Support Your Menopause Journey
These sessions address common menopause symptoms.