If you’re stressed, many mind-body practices can coax you back into a state of calm. One is known as emotional freedom technique (EFT), or tapping.

Standard EFT tapping is a noninvasive, inexpensive method that most people can learn on their own to relieve stress and anxiety, explains Alex Ortner, the Newton, Connecticut–based co-owner and chief marketing officer of The Tapping Solution, a company that provides EFT tapping resources.

EFT tapping combines principles of traditional Chinese acupressure with modern psychology. Like the name suggests, it involves tapping specific sites known as acupuncture points, or acupoints, on the hands, face, and body with your fingertips, according to EFT International (PDF).

While you tap, you concentrate on the problem or emotion you’d like to change, pair it with what’s called a setup statement that acknowledges the issue, and end with a phrase of affirmation or acceptance. For example: “Even though I’m overwhelmed with work, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

In short, there are two kinds of EFT tapping: standard EFT (or self-administered) may help soothe everyday stress, mitigate food cravings, foster focus, and more for generally healthy people without diagnosed mental health issues. Clinical EFT is a tapping technique used by licensed therapists to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, phobias, and other mental health issues. It is similar to standard EFT, but it should only be performed in a clinical setting by a trained healthcare professional.

Read on to learn how — and why — you may want to try standard EFT tapping if you feel frazzled or stressed out by daily life.

The Possible Benefits of EFT Tapping

EFT tapping may boost your health in many ways. Here’s what the research suggests:

1. May Lower Stress and Anxiety

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.

The author of a past review and meta-analysis concluded that EFT tapping led to significant improvements in anxiety in 14 studies but noted that there were too few data points comparing EFT with conventional treatments (such as cognitive behavioral therapy), and more research is needed to better understand the efficacy of EFT in relation to established approaches.

2. May Diminish Food Cravings and Aid Weight Loss

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. Church says.

3. May Boost Focus

Tapping can be used to lower performance anxiety and improve concentration, which may help people under pressure to deliver.

For example, a past study (PDF) in high school and college basketball players found that those who practiced tapping for 15 minutes improved their free throw performance by an average of nearly 21%. Meanwhile, those in the control group saw a nearly 17% decrease in free throw performance. This study suggests that EFT tapping may be a viable method to calm the mind and increase mental focus in high-pressure everyday situations (i.e., to perform in a game or give a work presentation).

4. Helps Treat PTSD and Trauma in a Clinical Setting

Clinical EFT tapping may be an effective treatment option for some people with PTSD and trauma.

EFT administered by a licensed, trained therapist can be used to help patients “process past memories that caused the trauma or PTSD, and then be able to think of those memories without [or less] physical or psychological distress,” Dr. Stapleton says.

In a past study, 58 military veterans with PTSD who performed EFT tapping, in addition to conventional treatment, saw a significant reduction in their PTSD score (from 65 to 34 on average).

If you are interested in clinical EFT tapping, you can discuss with your healthcare provider whether this is an appropriate option for you.

Before you can begin standard EFT tapping to reduce everyday stressors, you need to familiarize yourself with the nine acupoints you’ll be working with. According to EFT International, the acupoints include:

Eyebrow (EB) Where the eyebrows start at the bridge of the nose
Side of Eye (SE) On the bone along the outside of either eye
Under the Eye (UE) On the top of the cheekbone under either eye
Under the Nose (UN) The area beneath the nose and above the upper lip
Chin Point (Ch) The crease between your bottom lip and chin
Collarbone Point (CB) About 2 inches below and to the side of where your collarbones meet
Under the Arm (UA) On each side, about 4 inches beneath the armpits
Top of Head (TOH) Directly on the crown of your head
Karate Chop (KC) The outer edge of the hand, on the opposite side from the thumb

To perform EFT tapping on your own, follow these steps outlined by EFT International:

Identify an issue you’re concerned about, like stress.
Consider how you feel about the issue right now and rate your intensity level on a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 as the most intense). Write down this number or make a mental note.
Create a setup statement that acknowledges the problem you’d like to deal with, then follow it with a phrase of acceptance. For example: “Even though I’m sad we broke up, I accept myself and how I feel.”
Tap repeatedly on the karate chop point (outer edge of hand). You can tap wider areas with four fingers and sensitive areas (such as around the eyes) with two fingers. Use firm but gentle pressure. While you tap, say your statement out loud three times.
Next, tap on the rest of the points on your body five to seven times each in this order: top of the head, eyebrow point, side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin point, collarbone point, under arm. While you tap, repeat a shortened version of your setup statement that describes your issue. For example: “I’m heartbroken, but I fully love myself.” As you move through the process, you may begin noticing a release in tension and having more positive thoughts.
Stop and rate how you feel about your issue now on the scale from 0 to 10.
Repeat the above steps until you get a lower number or start feeling better.

Access to Standard EFT Tapping

Once you learn how to tap, you can do it anytime, anywhere.

If you’d like more guidance, consider downloading an app (like The Tapping Solution) or learn more from online videos by healthcare experts (like "What Is EFT Tapping" or "Emotional Freedom Technique").

If you’re interested in using EFT tapping to treat PTSD or other trauma, it’s important to work with a healthcare professional who’s certified in clinical EFT, Church says. After you’ve discussed the approach with your professional healthcare provider and determined that EFT may help you, you can find a clinical EFT practitioner through EFT International or EFT Universe.