Calm Your Mind, Soothe Your Heart and Balance Your Body with EFT (Tapping) — A Simple Guide

Are you interested in a simple tool that you can use on your own to supplement your deeper work in between sessions? Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as tapping, is a simple yet effective practice you can do anywhere. It involves tapping on specific acupressure points while focusing on your feelings, helping to release emotional tension and restore balance.

I have to admit, I was skeptical of EFT for many years—actually, decades. I first learned about it in my 20s as a new MSW grad. I attended a workshop in the 2000s, and some of my social work friends raved about their results. They shared strong anecdotal evidence about how EFT helped their clients, but at the time, it wasn’t backed by any western psychological science.

While I had a deep appreciation for Eastern medicine and its wisdom (EFT uses acupressure points), I didn’t feel comfortable blending it with the western psychological training I had worked so hard to master. So, I blew it off. It seemed like too big of a leap.

Fast-forward 20 years, and EFT has circled back into my life. Many clients have started asking me about it, and I’ve noticed a significant shift in my own openness. Truthfully, it’s not just me—western science in somatic psychology (also called psychophysiology or body-mind psychology) has been blowing up lately. Research is finally catching up to what ancient Eastern wisdom has known for centuries: that engaging the body’s nervous system is key to healing. With this new understanding of bilateral stimulation and nervous system regulation, I’ve found myself embracing this east-west blend of practice.

What Is EFT?

EFT combines elements of traditional Chinese medicine and modern psychology. By tapping on points along the body’s energy meridians, you engage the nervous system, reduce stress, and shift emotional patterns. It’s a gentle practice that works directly with the body’s physiology to promote emotional freedom.

From a scientific perspective, EFT’s effectiveness can be understood through several modern theories:

1. Polyvagal Theory: EFT engages the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, specifically activating the vagus nerve. Tapping helps shift the body from a state of fight-or-flight (sympathetic activation) to a state of calm and safety (parasympathetic activation).

2. Bilateral Stimulation: Similar to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), EFT uses repetitive, rhythmic tapping to create bilateral stimulation. This process helps integrate and process emotional memories, reducing their intensity and allowing the brain to reframe negative associations.

3. Interoception and Regulation: By focusing on physical sensations during tapping, EFT enhances interoceptive awareness—our ability to sense and interpret internal bodily states. This increased awareness helps regulate emotional responses and fosters a sense of safety within the body.

4. Pendulation: A concept from Somatic Experiencing (SE), pendulation involves gently moving between states of distress and safety to release tension and restore balance. EFT mirrors this process by engaging the nervous system during moments of emotional activation and providing a calming somatic focus through tapping. This rhythmic alternation helps the body and mind return to equilibrium.

How to Practice EFT

Follow these easy steps to start your tapping practice:

1. Identify the Issue: What are you feeling? Be specific. For example, “I feel anxious about [specific situation].”

2. Rate the Intensity: On a scale from 0 to 10, how strong does the feeling feel right now?

3. Create a Setup Statement: While tapping the side of your hand (karate chop point), repeat three times:

   “Even though I feel [this issue], I deeply and completely accept myself.”

4. Tap Through the Points: Tap gently 5–7 times on each point while repeating a short reminder phrase (e.g., “This anxiety”):

   • Side of the hand (karate chop point)

   • Eyebrow

   • Side of the eye

   • Under the eye

   • Under the nose

   • Chin

   • Collarbone

   • Under the arm

   • Top of the head

5. Reassess: Pause, take a deep breath, and notice how the intensity feels. Has it shifted? Repeat the process as needed until you feel more balanced.

Start Practicing

Want to dive deeper into tapping? Check out Evidence-Based EFT for more resources, videos, and research. The practice is simple, but the results can be profound.

Conclusion

EFT is an empowering tool you can use anytime, whether to calm your nerves or re-center during a stressful day. Like me, you might find yourself surprised at how effective it can be. Try it out and notice the difference it makes—it’s a beautiful blend of ancient wisdom and modern science, offering relief and balance when you need it most.

*Check out my next blog post for a special guide of EFT statements to use for each Enneagram type.

Resources

1. Evidence-Based EFT – A comprehensive resource for research, videos, and advanced techniques.

2. The Tapping Solution – Practical guides, tools, and a library of tapping meditations.

3. Polyvagal Theory and EFT – Learn more about the science of the nervous system and its connection to EFT.

4. EFT International – Professional organization offering certifications, training, and peer-reviewed research.

5. The Science Behind EFT – Dive into the neuroscience and studies supporting EFT.