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Tapping is one of those new age wellness trends that sounds absolutely wild–but could it actually work?
EFT tapping, or emotional freedom techniques, was developed in 1995 by Gary Craig. It’s a mix of acupressure and psychology designed to help reduce stress and even calm anxiety. Some fans of the practice even claim that it helps depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although mainstream medicine remains skeptical of the technique, it’s been studied as a possible way to treat certain illnesses. It isn’t that different from acupuncture, stimulating certain points on the body–called energy meridians–to achieve a desired effect. In theory, tapping helps balance energy flow.
In practice, it might have more to do with interrupting negative thought patterns. It could also be a helpful grounding technique for someone who suffers from anxiety. Keep in mind that doctors haven’t given this practice the green light for treating diseases, and you should talk to your health care provider about it if you’re unsure.
So a free, easy technique you can do at home offers all those benefits? It has to be too good to be true, right?
Well, maybe not. There’s clinical evidence that people do feel better after tapping. It seems to be especially helpful for people who use unhealthy coping strategies to deal with stress and anxiety.
Journalist Sarah Watts tried the technique to cope with her sugar addiction. She turned to candy to cope with stress and realized that it was becoming a seriously bad habit. She decided to give tapping a try, despite her skepticism, and was shocked to find that it actually worked. “I didn’t eat any sugar that night. Or the night after,” she wrote. “I lasted an entire two months without sugar — an unfathomable accomplishment for me that I still think about with pride.”
Since then, Watts says that she’s been able to enjoy a piece of birthday cake or other treat from time to time without needing her nightly fix of sugar. Impressive, right?
You can’t just start randomly tapping on parts of your body. Instead, you need to mentally engage with something that’s bothering you. For example, if you’re feeling anxious about an upcoming test or a challenge at work, focus on it. Experts recommend rating your anxiety or emotional distress about this focal point on a scale of one to ten before you get started.
Next, distill the issue into a simple phrase that includes both the problem and a positive affirmation. In our example above, you could say, “I am worried about this test, but I value myself regardless of the outcome.”
Sounds kind of cheesy, right? But introducing positive self-talk–in essence, talking to yourself as you would a cherished friend–can offer benefits all on its own.
Now you’re ready to start tapping. You’ll tap on the nine meridian points of your body as you repeat the phrase. Start with the “karate chop” point on the underside of your hands and then move down through these places, tapping seven times each:
When you’re done, tap the crown of your head. Sit for a moment with your feelings. Is your anxiety improved at all? Rate it again on that scale so you have a sense of whether the technique worked for you.
