Humans are always looking for more ways to ease stress and anxiety. Medications work well for many people, but they have drawbacks, including cost and side effects. Disciplines such as yoga, massage, tai chi, and acupuncture rely on a body-mind connection, and evidence shows that these interventions can relieve stress, depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders. If you're looking for an alternative solution to drug treatment or traditional talk therapy, you may benefit from Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping. People who use it say that this simple technique helps them calm down quickly. EFT tapping is a self-help strategy used to manage stress and anxiety. EFT involves tapping on certain points of your face and body while thinking about negative emotions or stress you want to release. EFT may be helpful in the treatment of depression, PTSD, and phobias. Tapping may also curb food cravings and aid in weight loss.
What is EFT Tapping?
EFT tapping, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique, is an alternative treatment method for mental and physical conditions. In the 1970s and 1980s, several doctors began stimulating acupressure points to help people manage stress, fear, and phobias. Roger Callahan, PhD, patented one of these methods, which he called Thought Field Therapy. Later, Gary Craig simplified the process and introduced it to the public as EFT in the 1990s.
It falls into the category of body-centered therapies. Tapping draws on the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture, which teaches that the body's energy travels along specific pathways. Certain points on these pathways are stimulated to improve the flow of energy. The stimulation is done by inserting very thin needles (acupuncture) or by applying pressure (acupressure). EFT tapping stimulates acupoints by touch rather than by the use of needles, making it a type of acupressure technique.
EFT combines elements of cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, and acupuncture point stimulation. Rather than using acupuncture needles, it relies on manual stimulation of the acupoints which is typical of Shiatsu or other forms of acupressure massage. EFT uses a tapping technique (with two fingers) to stimulate pressure points on the face and upper body and a cognitive element which involves the person stating their present concern out loud as they perform the tapping. Treatment time frames are typically brief between one and ten sessions.
How EFT Tapping Works
EFT practitioners believe that many negative emotions - and even physical pain - are caused by disruptions to your body’s natural energy flow. Balancing this energy can be achieved by tapping on nine different meridian points throughout your body. According to this theory, once your energy balance has been restored, negative thoughts, unwanted behaviors, and painful symptoms will be resolved. Other practices also accept the idea of balancing energy for healing. Acupuncture and acupressure both use pressure points to help unblock energy. EFT tapping adds modern tools from the psychology treatment toolbox to these ancient healing methods.
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Tapping on acupressure points, some suggest, can access and activate your amygdala. This is the part of your brain that regulates fear and anxiety. By activating this part of your body, EFT tapping may lower your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Some who practice tapping claim that by bringing down cortisol, you can achieve a “neutral” mental state, which may then relieve pain and anxiety.
The EFT Tapping Sequence
If you want to use EFT tapping, you can perform your own tapping sequences, or you can work with a practitioner. EFT tapping is easy to use as a self-help technique because you can do it anytime you feel the need. A trained professional can provide in-depth help if needed.
EFT tapping sessions follow a set sequence:
- Begin by stating what is on your mind and rating your distress on a scale of 0-10.
- Speak your "setup statement," which identifies the issue and includes a statement of self-acceptance.
- Begin the tapping sequence, using your fingers to tap on the specified sites.
- As you tap, use a reminder phrase to stay focused on your problem area.
- At the end of the sequence, rate your distress.
- Continue the process until your distress rating is very low.
Tapping procedures can differ slightly, but most use these locations: the heel or side of the hand, three locations around the eye, the area below the nose, the area below the lips, the collarbone, the underarm, and the top of the head. From seven to nine taps are delivered on each spot.
Potential Benefits of EFT Tapping
EFT tapping may boost your health in many ways. A 2022 review of more than 50 research studies found that EFT tapping is moderately to largely effective in managing a variety of conditions, including anxiety, phobias, depression, PTSD, insomnia, pain and athletic performance.
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Stress and Anxiety Reduction
Research suggests that EFT tapping may help with everyday stress and anxiety, like being overwhelmed at work. EFT has been shown to quiet the amygdala, also known as the stress center in the brain. This effect may help people feel calmer and enable them to think more clearly, says Peta Stapleton, PhD, a registered clinical and health psychologist at Bond University in Queensland, Australia, who leads clinical trials in EFT tapping.
For example, a study published in November 2020 in Psychological Trauma found that people who practiced EFT tapping had significant decreases in cortisol (a stress hormone) compared with people who were given information about how to cope with anxiety. This study replicated earlier research, which also supports EFT as a potentially effective method for lowering stress.
A randomized controlled trial examining the salivary cortisol levels of 83 subjects immediately before and 30 minutes after receiving a single session of either EFT, talk therapy, or rest found substantial reductions in cortisol levels, along with decreases in anxiety and depression.
Mental Health Improvement
Studies show that EFT tapping can improve psychological disorders.
- Depression: One survey of 20 studies found that EFT reduced symptoms of depression just as well as conventional treatments. The improvement in symptoms lasted over time. EFT has been successfully utilized in the treatment of depression across a wide range of populations and delivery methods.
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): An analysis of seven studies showed that a series of EFT sessions is effective for various populations with PTSD. No adverse effects occurred, and EFT was effective both as a primary treatment and as a self-help technique.
- Phobias: Fewer studies address the use of EFT tapping to treat phobias. One study tested how EFT could help people who had phobias of small animals, and their excessive fear lessened after a single session.
Pain Management
While not a mental health condition, researchers have found that tapping can lessen how much you think something hurts. This includes symptoms of pain caused by tension headaches, frozen shoulder, fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain conditions.
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Addressing Emotional Eating
EFT tapping can help you be more mindful about what you eat. And if it helps ease symptoms of anxiety, depression, or stress, you may find it easier to avoid eating when you're not hungry. Researchers have found that using EFT tapping can:
- Reduce food cravings overall or for certain foods
- Lessen the power food has over you
- Make it easier to stick with your health eating plan
- Lower your body mass index and body weight
EFT Tapping and Weight Loss: Does It Work?
One of the other claimed benefits of EFT is weight loss. There’s reason to believe that EFT might be a weight loss tool that works for some people. EFT tapping for weight loss may work for some people. It really depends on your eating habits and stress levels.
EFT tapping may help with weight loss by creating changes in parts of the brain that activate food cravings.
In a study published in December 2018 in OMB Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 96 overweight and obese adults practiced EFT tapping for four weeks. Brain scans showed changes in the part of the brain associated with cravings, and study participants reported less interest in food. However, the study didn’t track weight loss, only the potential efficacy of using EFT tapping as a tool to help mitigate food cravings.
That said, other studies did measure weight loss: 76 dieters who practiced EFT tapping lost an average of 1 pound per week while following a six-week online EFT course, according to a study published in the March-April 2018 issue of Explore.
“The weight loss during the program wasn’t dramatic, but after the program finished, people kept on losing weight for the next year,” says study co-author Dawson Church, PhD, founder and CEO of EFT Universe, an EFT training, certification, and education organization. (Participants received monthly supportive telehealth visits after the six-week course ended.) That’s a pretty big deal, he continues, because many people who lose weight on a program end up gaining it back once the program is finished. “EFT is one of the few methods where they keep on losing [weight] after their initial experience,” Dr.
If you’re an emotional eater, EFT tapping might help curb your appetite and lead to weight loss. If you believe you’re gaining weight because of stress, EFT tapping might help with that, too. But if you’re simply trying to lose some excess weight, there are other methods you can use instead of or in addition to EFT tapping that have been proven to be effective.
How to Use EFT Tapping for Weight Loss
Here's an example of how you might use EFT tapping for weight loss:
- Rate how distressed you are.
- Think of a phrase like: "Even though I have this food craving, I accept myself."
- Tap on certain pressure points as you say repeat the phrase to yourself.
- Repeat this process for five to seven rounds. Re-rate your distress after each round.
For best results, use EFT tapping along with other weight management techniques. This may include eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, taking medication, or getting other medical treatments. Talk to your doctor about what's right for you.
Research on EFT Tapping for Weight Loss
A randomized controlled trial was conducted by the first author of this paper and found that there was a significant difference between pretreatment, posttreatment, and at 12-month follow-up in participants' weight, body mass index, food cravings, a person's subjective power over food, level of restraint, and overall psychopathology (P < 0.05). Results indicated that, for 96 participants, EFT demonstrated a significant change across these measures over time.
Internet-based research has been increasing over the course of the past decade and has now been used to examine EFT and weight loss. Church and Wilde examined depression and anxiety, as well as cravings and weight loss, in a sample (N = 72) enrolled in an online program called Skinny Genes. The program uses EFT to address emotional eating in a six-week course. They compared psychological characteristics and weight before and after the program, as well as conducting a six-month follow-up. They found a decrease in depressive symptoms that was both clinically and statistically significant (−44%, P < 0.001).
A 2016 study found that EFT was comparable to CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) at reducing food cravings. In a 2018 study, 76 participants went through a six-week Clinical EFT course focused on improving emotional eating and treating emotional triggers associated with food. The results showed that during the course, participants lost an average of one pound per week. Between when the course ended and the one-year follow up, participants continued to lose weight - about two pounds per month! A 2019 study with 200 participants showed that after just a 4-day EFT Training workshop, craving levels went down by 74%. A 2020 study found that EFT could help people after bariatric surgery to improve their eating habits. When treated with EFT, people noticed improvements in emotional eating and uncontrolled eating, for example. In a 2022 study, a Tapping program for weight loss helped participants lose an average of about 13 pounds over six weeks. Several studies have shown that Tapping interventions help people who are overweight to feel less depressed and less anxious. This is so important, because our mental and physical health are tightly connected.
EFT Tapping and Cortisol Levels
Elevated cortisol does have a relationship with weight gain and binge eating patterns. So, if EFT tapping stabilizes your cortisol level, it may work to help you lose weight. The evidence for this is mostly anecdotal, but there is medical literature that demonstrates a link between cortisol levels and obesity.
Research on Tapping shows that Tapping actually helps the brain to turn down the biological stress response. In fact, it has been shown to reduce cortisol levels by 43%.
EFT Tapping and Brain Activity
Dr. Peta Stapleton and colleagues scanned people’s brains before and after a four-week EFT intervention. Before the Tapping, parts of the brain that trigger cravings were “lit up” and active when people looked at photos of food. But after Tapping, those same areas of the brain were no longer lit up. When people looked at pictures of food after they Tapped, the brain areas associated with cravings were no longer as active. This suggested that the brain actually “rewired,” thanks to Tapping, helping people feel less pull towards cravings.
Advantages and Disadvantages of EFT Tapping
As a self-help strategy, EFT tapping has some advantages over more conventional treatments like medication or talk therapy with a therapist.
Some of the benefits of EFT tapping include that it's:
- Painless
- Cheap or free
- Easy to learn and do on your own
- Usually less time-consuming than other types of therapy
- Not a drug that comes with side effects
In addition, you may feel more in control of your treatment when you use EFT tapping.
EFT tapping can ease stress and anxiety for some people. There aren't many known negative side effects. But as an alternative therapy, it may come with some disadvantages when compared with standard treatments.
If you want to use EFT tapping as a self-care tool, here are some things to think about:
- Researchers haven't proven that it works better than more conventional treatments.
- It's not meant to replace medical treatment.
- If you have trauma, you may feel strong emotions when you do it.
Is EFT Tapping Right for You?
EFT tapping is effective for addressing negative emotions and habits, but does this mean it is right for you? EFT tapping has been identified as a powerful tool for addressing habits and mental health, meaning it can be used for different conditions, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Phobias
- Chronic pain
- People suffering from chronic illness
- Weight loss
- Eating disorders
- Addiction
The EFT tapping method is based on treating mental health which means we can not only address the mental health issue, but the poor habit that follows. For example, we have illustrated how emotional eating is linked to depression, stress, and anxiety. Similarly, people who suffer from trauma may feel similar negative emotions which may lead the substance abuse and addiction. EFT tapping’s biggest plus is that it goes for the root and not the symptoms, making it suitable for many conditions.
Precautions and Considerations
EFT is considered safe with few drawbacks. But tell your doctor if you have anxiety, depression, or trouble managing your stress. They'll work with you to find the best treatment plan, which may also include medication or talk therapy with a trained professional.
There are no known side effects or risks of acupressure or EFT tapping. It’s safe for almost anyone to try. If you have PTSD, anxiety, or any other mental health condition, you should first try cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure therapy under the guidance and supervision of a mental health professional before attempting them on your own.
Like any nutrition plan for weight loss intervention, we recommend consulting a health professional. While you can learn EFT tapping online, a certified professional can help you understand the process and provide insight into nuances that can’t be conveyed in videos. Furthermore, we suggest combining it with therapy or counseling to help address the root cause behind your emotional triggers. This will help treat the causes which can help lead to long-term results.