Why is eft so effective?

Dealing with stress and anxiety can be frustrating, to say the least, and it can be tough to find a therapist and style that works for you — but there is a simple technique that’s been gaining popularity recently that can help calm you down relatively quickly. You might have heard of a type of therapy called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or perhaps you’ve heard it called by its nickname, tapping. Celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg and even Queen Consort Camilla have spoken publicly about using the technique. It’s basically what it sounds like: You tap on certain points on the body in order to work through (and hopefully relieve) a certain problem. And while we concede that tapping may sound a little woo-woo, there’s more to this method than meets the eye (or, in this case, the fingertips), and there is a large body of research supporting its benefits.

The Emotional Freedom Technique, also referred to colloquially as tapping, was founded by Gary Craig in the 1990s, but the practice has roots in Roger Callahan’s Thought Field Therapy, which dates back to the 1970s. It draws on the practices of acupuncture and is similar to acupressure in that it involves touching various energy channels throughout the body — although, unlike acupuncture, there are no needles involved, making it a welcome alternative to needle-fearing folk looking for a little relief. And unlike acupressure, tapping involves a much lighter touch that is self-administered, rather than a more firm pressure applied by a massage therapist or acupuncturist.

Tapping involves using between two to four fingers to (you guessed it) tap lightly on nine pressure points on the body, such as the top of the head, space under the eyes, and right under the clavicles. Guidelines say to tap between five to seven times on each spot, but the practitioners KCM spoke to say that you can linger on any body part for as long as you need to while you work through whatever feelings are coming up. Tapping can be done alone or in the presence of a therapist or practitioner. If you visit a practitioner, they will instruct you to tap on various body parts as you focus on whatever is causing you anxiety or stress and verbalize those feelings. You will also say self-accepting statements (for instance, “I’m feeling anxious” and “I deeply and completely accept myself”). The therapist would just be guiding you through the motions, not performing them on you. Tapping can also be done alone using a number of self-guided resources, and the process would work the same way.

Mary Mahoney, LCSW and EFT practitioner, has used tapping with her clients to address all types of issues, from anxiety to phobias — particularly fear of flying, which both the Queen Consort and Whoopi Goldberg used the technique for — as well as PTSD and addiction (she says smoking cigarettes is a big one).

Bonnie Azoulay, a 27-year-old New Yorker who runs a copywriting and social media business, was diagnosed with OCD at age 22. Her current therapist introduced her to tapping a few years ago as a tool to try when she was having, as she puts it, “an obsessional flare-up.” She’ll tap on various body parts while her therapist walks her through peaceful situations in a soothing voice. On her own time, she’ll often watch videos or TikToks of other people performing tapping as a way to relax, finding comfort in the slow, rhythmic movements. “I think it’s just something to ground you and stay mindful,” she tells KCM. “When things are moving so fast, when you’re working so fast, thinking so fast, it’s just a way to slow things down.”

But tapping can also be used to tackle more specific issues. Katherine Capone, a 34-year-old massage therapist in Connecticut, tried tapping once in 2018 to work on a very particular problem: She couldn’t stand the sound of a loved one’s chewing — on a scale of one to 10 (one being bearable), the irritation was “definitely a 10,” she told KCM, adding, “It was something I was fixating on and it was ruining my time with this person.” After about 45 minutes with a practitioner instructing her to tap on certain meridians — the face, down her arms, her head — while visualizing and talking about the annoyance she would feel when thinking about the chewing, she found it stopped bothering her.

EFT focuses on what are called meridian points, or passages in the body through which energy flows, according to Chinese medicine. The underlying belief is that applying pressure to these points can help rebalance the body’s energy, which can assuage negative emotions or symptoms. Before you start tapping, you’ll state what’s on your mind, and as you tap, you will verbalize the issue and also make statements of self-acceptance.

While it might seem like talking about an issue that’s bothering you would cause you to spiral or fixate on those negative feelings, in fact, the opposite happens. “Stating the negative when you’re tapping doesn’t reinforce it. It’s actually taking the power out of it,” says EFT tapping practitioner and trainer Jackie Viramontez. “Because you’re pairing this self-soothing with this statement or feeling that would normally totally trigger you, and you’re creating a new connection,” she explains.

EFT has no known side effects or risk, though Mahoney said that for some people, saying a negative thought out loud can be difficult. This is why it’s important for practitioners to be tuned in to their clients’ needs and for patients to speak to their practitioners or therapists before they try this technique.

We’ll let the research speak for itself. A study of 5000 patients found that 90 percent of patients who did tapping therapy saw improved anxiety, compared to 63 percent of patients who practiced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (with or without medication) instead. What’s more, the study found that it only took three tapping sessions to reduce a participant’s anxiety, while it took an average of 15 CBT sessions. That’s not to say that talk therapy is not helpful, but it could be worth exploring other options if CBT or other therapy techniques aren’t working for you.

EFT tapping can be divided into five steps. If you have more than one issue or fear, you can repeat this sequence to address it and reduce or eliminate the intensity of your negative feeling.

In order for this technique to be effective, you must first identify the issue or fear you have. This will be your focal point while you’re tapping. Focusing on only one problem at a time is purported to enhance your outcome.

After you identify your problem area, you need to set a benchmark level of intensity. The intensity level is rated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst or most difficult. The scale assesses the emotional or physical pain and discomfort you feel from your focal issue.

Establishing a benchmark helps you monitor your progress after performing a complete EFT sequence. If your initial intensity was 10 prior to tapping and ended at 5, you’d have accomplished a 50 percent improvement level.

Prior to tapping, you need to establish a phrase that explains what you’re trying to address. It must focus on two main goals:

The common setup phrase is: “Even though I have this [fear or problem], I deeply and completely accept myself.”

You can alter this phrase so that it fits your problem, but it must not address someone else’s. For example, you can’t say, “Even though my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself.” You have to focus on how the problem makes you feel in order to relieve the distress it causes.

It’s better to address this situation by saying, “Even though I’m sad my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

The EFT tapping sequence is the methodic tapping on the ends of nine meridian points.

There are 12 major meridians that mirror each side of the body and correspond to an internal organ. However, EFT mainly focuses on these nine:

Begin by tapping the side of hand point while simultaneously reciting your setup phrase three times. Then, tap each following point seven times, moving down the body in this ascending order:

After tapping the underarm point, finish the sequence at the top of the head point.

While tapping the ascending points, recite a reminder phrase to maintain focus on your problem area. If your setup phrase is, “Even though I’m sad my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself,” your reminder phrase can be, “The sadness I feel that my mother is sick.”

If an upcoming job interview or financial uncertainty suddenly brings about these not-so-helpful physiological symptoms, how can you get your body and mind back on the right track? You might consider EFT tapping.

Developed in 1995 by Gary Craig, Emotional Freedom Techniques tapping, also known as EFT tapping, is a self-help therapeutic technique that combines elements from ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. The stress-relief tool is often usedto ease common conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as more severe mental health concerns such as post-traumatic stress disorder, both in the home and clinical settings.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupressure points are the physical locations where Qi — or "life force energy" in the body — can be accessed, and pressing on these spots can help release blocked or congested Qi, according to Acupuncture and Massage College. While the scientific explanation as to why stimulating these points can affect your physical and mental health is murky, some research has suggested a close relationship between these points and the nervous system and blood vessels.Other studies have found that stimulated acupressure points may release biomolecules that relieve pain or alter nerve activity.

Here's how it works: When you begin to feel overwhelming physical symptoms of emotional distress (e.g., a pounding heart, stomach pain, or shakiness), EFT tapping can help alleviate these physical symptoms so you can better address the larger problem at hand.

In a typical EFT tapping session, you use your fingertips to quickly and lightly tap on nine specific acupressure points on the body five to seven times each:

Throughout the entire tapping sequence, which should take about a minute, you keep focusing on the worry, anxiety, stressful situation, unresolved problem, or thing that's causing the unwanted physical sensations you are feeling in the moment.

"Tapping sends a calming signal to your brain, letting it know that it's safe for you to relax," says Jessica Ortner, co-founder of The Tapping Solution, a website and app that provides EFT tapping guides. "If your body feels more relaxed while you're thinking about a stressful thought, you don't feel like you're being hijacked by that emotion."

This focus on the emotion or stressor that's causing that tightness in your chest or knot in your stomach — and accepting it — is the key difference between EFT tapping and acupressure or acupuncture (aside from the needles when it comes to the latter), says Suzanne D. Alfandari, M.S., L.M.F.T., a certified expert EFT trainer and practitioner. While you solely focus on easing the unwanted physical sensations in these therapeutic practices, EFT tapping encourages you to be honest with yourself and your feelings, which helps you work through the mental challenges causing the physical reactions in the first place.

At the beginning of each tapping session, you say a "set-up statement"that acknowledges the emotions you're feeling or the problem you want to deal with, then state an affirmation. (For example, "Even though I'm anxious about my upcoming deadline, I deeply and completely accept myself") As you tap through the sequence, you repeat reminders of the issue (such as "my anxiety" or "my deadline") to stay focused.

"That thought is creating a physical reaction," says Ortner. "But when you're thinking that thought while tapping, you're calming your body and rewiring your body's reaction to it." If you're able to think about something scary or overwhelming but feel physically calm, you'll have an easier time navigating the situation, she adds.

Despite a lack of clarity on the exact mechanisms at play, more than 100 studies published in peer-reviewed journals have been conducted on EFT tapping, with the majority noting its efficacy — something Ortner has experienced firsthand.

A few months after Ortner first learned the EFT tapping sequence, she was going through a heart-wrenching breakup that made her feel like sadness was washing over her entire body, she explains. Ortner didn't remember all of the points but began tapping those she knew and allowing herself to be present with her feelings, she says. Almost immediately, she felt her whole body calm down, she says. "I was like, 'Wow, there's something to this because I'm not even doing it perfectly. Just with using half the points, I'm feeling like I can finally relax my body,'" says Ortner. "That's what I love about it — it's a very forgiving process."

Aside from relationship woes and daily stressors, research has shown EFT tapping to be effective for treating mental health concerns such as anxiety. In a five-and-a-half-year study of 5,000 patients seeking anxiety treatment, researchers found that 90 percent of patients who received EFT tapping therapy (in which a professional guides you through the sequence)had reduced anxiety levels, and 76 percent had complete relief of symptoms. For those who underwent cognitive behavioral therapy, these percentages dropped to 63 percent and 51 percent, respectively. What's more, studies have shown EFT tapping to be effective for anxiety, pain, and cravings when the practice was self-applied: Health care workers who practiced EFT tapping were found to have decreased ratings of pain, emotional distress, and cravings just two hours after tapping.

Research suggests that EFT tapping may benefit those who suffer from depression too: A meta-analysis of 20 studies showed that EFT tapping was more effective in treating depression than diaphragmatic breathing and supportive interviews, and a study on 59 veterans who had been treated for PTSD found a significant reduction in depressive symptoms after six one-hour EFT sessions.

One of the most interesting draws of EFT tapping, though, is its potential to work in just one session. The Tapping Solution's nine-minute Releasing Anxiety guide has been played more than 260,000 times, and users have reported an average 41 percent decrease in distress, says Ortner. Similarly, the company's 10-minute Quiet My Racing Mind guide, which has been played 119,000 times, has shown an average 49 percent decrease in symptoms of distress or anxiety, she adds. Research backs up tapping's quick results in clinical settings, too. In that 5,000-patient study on anxiety, participants' anxiety levels dropped in just three EFT tapping sessions, compared to 15 sessions for those who received cognitive behavioral therapy.

"If the tapping points are being used correctly — if the person is getting to the core of what their anxious feelings are about — yes, there could absolutely be relief in 10 minutes," says Alfandari. "If there is something that's been going on for a long time and there are multiple layers, it's possible it can be gone in 10 minutes, but more likely it will take longer than that."

To Ortner, EFT tapping is a simple tool to bring the mind back "online" and ease anxiety so you can figure out what exactly you need, whether it be a break from work or an appointment with a therapist. Plus, EFT tapping is incredibly safe — the worst thing that could happen is you don't notice a difference in your anxiety or stress levels, she adds.

While online scripts and apps make EFT tapping easy and accessible, they might not be specific enough for your situation, notes Alfandari. In those instances, a certified EFT expert practitioner might be able to help you get the results you're looking for, she says. You can find an expert, including Alfandari, on The Tapping Solution's online practitioner directory or through EFT International's directory, which allows you to sort practitioners by specialty. And if you feel like you may have an underlying mental health issue or are overwhelmed with the emotions you're feeling, both Ortner and Alfandari say it's important to seek additional professional help.

Capanna-Hodge explains that when the nervous system is calmed via EFT, it allows a person to review an issue causing stress or anxiety without their body becoming activated by uncomfortable emotions. This is why it can be especially effective for overcoming phobias and PTSD, according to available research.