Tapping 101



What is Tapping?

Tapping, also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), is a powerful stress relief technique. Tapping is based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology.

Studies have shown that Tapping decreases cortisol (often called the stress hormone) in your body. The World Health Organization has announced that stress is the health epidemic of the 21st century.

This is because stress is linked to anxiety, weight gain, sleep problems, lack of motivation, chronic pain, stomach issues, and depression. Tapping is proven to reduce stress, lower cortisol, improve sleep, reduce anxiety, relieve pain, increase productivity, and so much more!

Stress is also detrimental to your immune system because when you're stressed, your immune system's ability to fight off antigens is reduced, and you are more susceptible to infections. Tapping helps to lower stress, and in turn, allows your immune system to do its work!




So How Does It All Work?

The basic Tapping technique requires you to focus on a negative emotion at hand. This can be a fear, a worry, or any unresolved problem. While maintaining your mental focus on this issue, you use your fingertips to tap 5-7 times on 9 specific meridian points of the body (more specific information on this below).

Tapping on meridian points sends a calming signal to the brain, letting your brain know it's safe to relax. So, for example, when you receive bad news from your boss or you begin to worry about future events, it triggers a part of your brain called the amygdala.

When you think of the amygdala, one word should come to mind:

Fear.

This part of the brain is responsible for triggering the stress response in our bodies, releasing stress-related hormones into the bloodstream. Also popularly known as the fight-or-flight response, it is the body's natural reaction to a perceived threat.

The problem is, we tend to have our amygdala in charge way more often than we want.

The amygdala's response is effective when you're faced with real-life danger but damaging when you want to feel calm and confident during a high-stakes meeting. And most of the time when this is happening in your body, you aren't experiencing the fight-or-flight (or freeze) response for the same reason that our ancestors did long ago were. There is no tiger in the woods, but the response in your body is still the same.

Tapping on these meridian points (the same used in acupressure) while you think about what is causing you stress helps your mind understand that you are not in any physical danger and it is safe to relax, reducing cortisol levels.

Tapping gives you the opportunity to bring your life back into balance and reduce stress around your relationships, finances, weight, pain, fears, and so much more.




Is There Scientific Evidence of Tapping's Effectiveness?

In recent years, there's been a growing pool of undeniable research proving that Tapping produces real, lasting breakthroughs.

We've collected quite a few of these research studies.

But in the meantime, here are a few noteworthy findings to point out:

Tapping regulates the nervous system and boosts the immune system by putting the body back into the parasympathetic (relaxation) nervous system response. This allows the immune system, digestive system, reproductive system, and endocrine system to function as it should.

Reducing stress also reduces cortisol levels in the body. This reduction aids your body's ability to fight inflammation and boost your immune system.

The most remarkable study regarding Tapping and stress hormones was a landmark study by Dr. Dawson Church published in 2012 in the prestigious Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. The study found that EFT Tapping lowered cortisol significantly more than traditional talk therapy or resting. You can read more about that here and also check out the 2020 replicated study by Dr. Peta Stapleton.

What's the History Behind Tapping?

It began in 1980, with a psychologist by the name of Roger Callahan. Dr. Callahan combined his studies in traditional Chinese medicine with his knowledge as a psychologist.

Dr. Callahan began a series of investigations to develop and refine this technique, which he termed “Thought Field Therapy,” or TFT. It was fairly complex and required a trained practitioner to use specific algorithms and techniques to determine which meridian points to stimulate to obtain the desired results.

Gary Craig, trained under Dr. Callahan's tutelage in the 1990's, learning the procedures for TFT. He began to improve the process by creating a simpler sequence that could be easily learned and repeated, even by the patient him/herself, calling it Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT.

More recently, three siblings, Nick, Alex and Jessica Ortner developed a way to make this simple yet powerful technique accessible to mainstream audiences. Creating a process called Tapping Meditation they have been able to make this tool available to you in the comfort of your own home.

The spread of Tapping has caught the eye of the medical community around the world, leading to multiple clinical trials that have documented its unquestionable effectiveness.

How Can I Use Tapping in My Life?

Millions of people are settling for lives filled with poor health and emotional baggage.

Not knowing how to achieve the joyful and satisfying lives they desire, they're stuck accepting a lifestyle of emotional trauma, chronic physical pain, compulsions and addictions, or perhaps just an empty feeling inside, leading, as Henry David Thoreau famously said, lives of quiet desperation.

Does this sound familiar to you? Is there something holding you back from enjoying your life?

If you're like many people, you may feel trapped, caught in this cycle. You're tired of feeling sad, depressed, anxious, discontent, and unwell. You'd like to grow, flourish, and thrive, putting the past in the past. You want to be your best, living a life that is filled with peacefulness, joy, and fulfillment, from day to day and moment to moment.

Tapping can be used on a daily basis to reduce the stress and anxiety that is interfering with your happiness and well-being. You can use Tapping to help you fall asleep at night, to help you overcome your paralyzing fear of driving, and everything in between.

Many people also use Tapping in combination with protocols from their doctor or therapist, so make sure to let any of your health professionals know what additional steps you're taking to support your wellbeing.

If you're wondering, "Can I use Tapping for <insert your topic here>?" take a look at the long list of topics we currently have in our Tapping Solution App!




Introduction to the Tapping Points

Eyebrow Point (EB)
Where the eyebrows begin, closest to the bridge of the nose.

Side of Eye (SE)
On the bone directly along the outside of either eye.

Under Eye (UE)
On the bone directly under either eye.

Under Nose (UN)
The area directly beneath the nose and above the upper lip.

Chin Point (CP)
This is the area just below your bottom lip and above the chin, right in the crease.

Collarbone Point (CB)
Starting from where your collar bones meet in the center, go down an inch and out an inch on either side.

Under Arm (UA)
On your side, about four inches beneath the armpit.

Top of Head (TH)
Directly on the crown of your head.




Basic Tapping Sequence for Anxiety

As discussed, Tapping can be used to help a variety of challenges – so try it on everything! Here's the method for how to use it. In this example, we'll focus on general anxiety.

You can also follow along to our Releasing Anxiety Tapping meditation. After 260,000 plays of this Tapping meditation, the average reported reduction of anxiety was 41% in 9 minutes.


The basics of the Tapping process are simple



Lets break down the steps:



Setup statement examples:

"Even though I feel this anxiety, I accept how I feel"
"Even though I'm anxious about my interview, I accept myself and how I feel."
"Even though I'm feeling this anxiety about my financial situation,
I honor my feelings and give my body permission to relax. "


Get ready to begin Tapping!



Eyebrow Point (EB)
Where the eyebrows begin, closest to the bridge of the nose.

Side of Eye (SE)
On the bone directly along the outside of either eye.

Under Eye (UE)
On the bone directly under either eye.

Under Nose (UN)
The area directly beneath the nose and above the upper lip.

Chin Point (CP)
This is the area just below your bottom lip and above the chin, right in the crease.

Collarbone Point (CB)
Starting from where your collar bones meet in the center, go down an inch and out an inch on either side.

Under Arm (UA)
On your side, about four inches beneath the armpit.

Top of Head (TH)
Directly on the crown of your head.

And take another deep breath!

Now that you've completed the sequence, focus on your problem again. How intense is the anxiety now, in comparison to a few minutes ago? Give it a rating on the same 0 to 10 scale. Did you notice a shift?

If your anxiety level is still higher than 2 or 3, you can do another round of tapping. Keep tapping through the sequence until the anxiety is gone. You can change your setup statement slightly to take into account your efforts to fix the problem or your desire for continued progress.

Examples:
"Even though I have some remaining anxiety, I accept how I feel and choose to relax."
"Even though I'm still a little worried about this interview, I deeply and completely accept myself." And so on.

Now that you've focused on dispelling your immediate anxiety, you can work on instilling some positive feelings in its place. This approach is different from traditional "positive thinking." You're not being dishonest with yourself. You're not trying to obscure the stress and anxiety inside yourself with a veneer of insincere affirmations. Rather, you've confronted and dealt with the anxiety and its corresponding negative emotions, offering deep and complete acceptance to both your feelings and yourself.

The same way you need to weed a garden before you plant seeds, you have to release the intensity of what you're feeling before more empowering thoughts can take root. That's what makes Tapping so much more effective than the "positive thinking" techniques that many of you have already tried.

Here are some example phrases to guide you:
"I have faith in my ability to change."
"I am joyful about these positive changes."
"I am accomplishing so much."
"I enjoy the calm and peace that I have."
"I love the person that I am."
"I am becoming a more relaxed and joyful person."

You can use these positive phrases with the same sequence of Tapping points described above.

Here are some tips to help you achieve the correct technique.

You should use a firm but gentle pressure, the same as if you were drumming on the top of your desk or testing a melon for ripeness.

You can use all four fingers, or just the first two (the index and middle fingers). Four fingers are generally used on wider areas, while just two can be used on sensitive areas, such as around the eyes.

You can tap one side of the body or both at the same time. The meridian points are symmetrical on either side of the body.

Congratulations! You've completed your first Tapping sequence.

Free Tapping Meditations

Download The Tapping Solution App to Easily Access
Free Tapping Meditations Like This One


Releasing Anxiety Tapping Meditation

with Jessica Ortner

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