What Is EFT Tapping? A Critical Look at the Tapping Technique

What is EFT tapping, and does tapping on your face really work? Read about its claims, the scientific debate and the more likely reasons people feel relief.

You are scrolling on your phone when you come across a video: someone is lightly tapping their fingertips on the start of their eyebrow, the side of their eye and just below their collarbone, repeating with each tap, "Even though I carry this anxiety, I accept myself." The comments underneath say, "I felt calmer in three minutes." It is perfectly natural to be curious. What is EFT tapping, can something this simple really work, or is it just a well-edited video? In this article we look at the method, also known simply as tapping, without either glorifying or dismissing it: where it came from, what happens in a session, where its claims become weak, and why people still feel relief. The aim is for you to have sounder information when you make up your mind.

What Is EFT Tapping? A Brief History

EFT stands for "Emotional Freedom Techniques"; in Turkish it is called "Duygusal Özgürlük Teknikleri" or simply the "tapping technique". It was popularised in the 1990s by Gary Craig. Craig trained as an engineer and became a self-help author; he derived his method by simplifying a more complex practice developed by the psychologist Roger Callahan, known as "Thought Field Therapy".

The idea behind the method is this: negative emotions arise from a disruption in the body's flow of energy; tapping with the fingers on particular points along the energy channels that traditional Chinese medicine calls "meridians" is said to restore this flow and lighten the emotional burden. This is why EFT is sometimes marketed as "acupuncture without needles".

The method quickly made its way into self-help books, seminars and later social media. Today in Turkey, too, we see it offered under headings such as "tapping session", "erase your phobia with EFT" or "tapping for abundance", often as part of coaching or energy-work packages.

Why did it spread so quickly?

Understanding why EFT spread is as instructive as evaluating it. First, the method is visually very "shareable": it can be shown from start to finish in a short video, and viewers can join in by touching their own faces at the same time. Second, it seems cheap and quick; when you think of the time and money therapy requires, a routine lasting a few minutes is tempting. Third, it gives a sense of control: instead of waiting helplessly during an anxious moment, "doing something" is reassuring in itself. Fourth, in settings where seeking psychological help is still weighed against the worry of "what will people say", it can be done at home without anyone seeing.

None of these are needs to be dismissed. People are looking for something accessible, free of shame and usable straight away. That is why an honest answer to the question "what is EFT tapping" has to take these needs into account as much as the method itself.

What Happens in a Tapping Session?

Whoever leads it, the sequence is usually similar:

1. Identifying the problem: The person chooses the feeling or memory they want to work on. For example, "fear of embarrassing myself at tomorrow's job interview".
2. Rating the intensity: The intensity of the distress is rated from 0 to 10. This scale is in fact borrowed from behavioural therapies.
3. The set-up statement: While tapping the side of the hand (the area used for a karate chop), the person says a sentence like this three times: "Even though I'm terrified of this interview, I deeply and completely accept myself."
4. The tapping round: The person taps lightly seven or eight times on points such as the start of the eyebrow, the side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, the chin, under the collarbone, under the arm and the top of the head, while saying a short reminder phrase ("this fear...").
5. Re-rating: The distress is rated again; if it has not gone down, the round is repeated.

On paper it looks like an innocent routine that is easy to learn and unlikely to harm anyone. Indeed, used in the right context, it is not dangerous in itself. The real debate begins not so much with what it does as with the claim about how it works and what it is used to replace.

What Is EFT Tapping, and What Is It Not? The Meridian Claim and the Scientific Debate

EFT's theoretical basis, that is, meridians and "blockages in the energy system", has never been shown to exist as an anatomical or physiological structure. This is also the most criticised aspect of the method within psychology.

The scientific debate rests roughly on two questions:

• Is it better than doing nothing? Some studies report that people who practise tapping report less anxiety than people on a waiting list. However, in a considerable number of these studies the number of participants is small, the measures rely on self-report, and the researchers are often advocates of the method. Problems like these limit the strength of the findings.
• Is the tapping what creates the effect? This is the decisive question. In comparison trials where the points were moved, or where participants tapped random points or even a doll, similar relief has reportedly been seen. If tapping the "wrong" point produces the same result, then what explains the result must be not meridians but other ingredients within the practice.

In psychology this is called a "dismantling" approach: you take a package apart and look at which part is actually doing the work. When this is done for EFT, it turns out that the working parts are elements already found in other, well-known methods.

The fact that a method helps some people is not the same as the method's own explanation being correct.

This point matters not in order to reject EFT altogether, but to put it in its proper place. Your relief may be real; but the reason for it may be different from the one you were told.

Why Do People Feel Relief After Tapping?

There is no reason to disbelieve people who try EFT and say, "I genuinely felt lighter." But behind this relief there are most likely some familiar mechanisms:

Deliberately focusing on what you fear

Throughout the practice, the person consciously holds in mind the memory or fear they usually avoid and says it out loud. In anxiety therapies this is called exposure: when you stay with what you fear without escaping, anxiety tends to decrease on its own over time. Tapping may be activating this process in a brief, mild form, without anyone realising it.

Saying a self-accepting sentence

The sentence "Even though I'm afraid, I accept myself" is the exact opposite of the voice many people hear throughout the day: "You'll mess it up again, how weak you are." Statements that soften self-criticism are also used in acceptance-based and self-compassion approaches.

Turning attention to the body and to rhythm

Rhythmic touch, counting and a slowing of the breath draw attention away from looping thoughts and towards the body. This has an effect similar to breathing and grounding exercises used during anxious moments. If you are looking for a similar effect in a simpler form, our article on breathing exercises for anxiety may be a good place to start.

Expectation and attention

A practitioner listening to you carefully, taking your distress seriously and saying "This will help" feels good in itself. This is not an effect to be belittled; it plays a part in every therapy. The problem is when this effect is marketed with an unproven explanation such as "opening the energy channels".

How Should You View Tapping Videos on Social Media?

Imagine someone who has struggled to sleep every night since the earthquakes sees an advert on an account saying, "Resolve your trauma with EFT in a single session," and buys a five-week package. Perhaps they feel a little relief in the first sessions. But getting up at night to check the door, the nightmares and the startle reactions continue; on top of that, they begin to think, "It didn't work for me, so my problem must be very severe." Often the real harm comes not from the technique itself but from the time lost and from this hopeless interpretation.

When assessing tapping content, it helps to ask yourself these questions:

• What is being promised? Phrases such as "in a single session", "at the root" or "for ever" are promises that no honest practitioner in mental health can make.
• Who is practising it? Does the person have undergraduate and postgraduate training in psychology or psychiatry, or are they practising after a certificate course lasting a few days? If you are unsure about professional titles, our article on the difference between a specialist psychologist and a clinical psychologist may help.
• What is it being offered instead of? A round of tapping tried for mild exam nerves is not the same as a package offered on its own for severe depression, panic disorder or post-traumatic stress.
• Are the cost and duration transparent? An unspecified number of "clearing sessions", discounted packages and warnings such as "if you stop halfway, it will backfire" are warning signs.

For someone who wants to try a few rounds on their own with a free video and calm down for a while, tapping carries no great risk. But if your symptoms have lasted for weeks and are affecting your work, your sleep and your relationships, this kind of routine should not replace a proper assessment.

If you have decided to try it

If you still want to try tapping, there are a few ways to use it more mindfully. First, start with a small, contained worry: tomorrow's presentation, or a phone call you have been putting off. Rate honestly and note it in a notebook; a few weeks later you will see whether anything has really changed by looking at your record rather than relying on memory. Use the routine not to escape from what you fear but to calm down before approaching it; if you do some tapping and then cancel the presentation anyway, the avoidance cycle has not changed. Finally, ask yourself, "Why might this method be working for me?" If the answer is "I said my fear out loud for the first time" or "I spoke gently to myself for the first time", that insight is worth more than the technique itself.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

What leads people to search for tapping videos is often not a single bad day but a burden carried for a long time. If any of the following apply to you, you might consider speaking with a mental health professional:

• Your anxiety has lasted almost every day for several weeks and you are avoiding certain places or tasks
• You have sudden attacks of palpitations, breathlessness or a feeling that you are about to die
• After an accident, earthquake, loss or experience of violence, memories come into your mind unbidden and you have nightmares
• Your sleep, appetite or energy levels have changed noticeably
• You have started turning more often to alcohol, medication or other substances so as not to feel bad
• The methods you try bring brief relief, but the problem always returns to the same point

These signs do not on their own mean a diagnosis; but they do suggest that the time has come for a careful assessment.

How Are Anxiety and Difficult Memories Addressed in Therapy?

The elements within EFT that do work, namely staying with a fear without escaping, putting some distance between yourself and a thought, and speaking to yourself more kindly, appear in a more systematic way in therapy approaches that have been scientifically studied. For example, cognitive behavioural therapy involves mapping together the thought and avoidance cycles that maintain anxiety, approaching feared situations gradually and in a planned way, and testing catastrophic scenarios realistically. The difference is that in this work what is done and why is discussed openly, and the person gains a skill they can use even without the therapist.

Clinical Psychologist Eda Erkan Alapala has completed four years of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training to EABCT standards with the Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (KDTD), and does not practise EFT. When someone seeks help for anxiety, the first sessions explore together when the symptoms began, what triggers the anxiety and which kinds of avoidance are narrowing their life; a personalised plan is then drawn up. Work in the area of anxiety and panic can take place face to face in Çorum or online.

If you have tried tapping before, there is no problem at all in talking about it in a session. Describing when it helped and when it was not enough makes it easier to understand what genuinely does you good.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are EFT and EMDR the same thing?

No. Although both are sometimes mentioned together as "methods that work with the body", their origins, the way they are applied and how thoroughly they have been researched are different. EMDR is a therapy method for post-traumatic stress, delivered through a structured protocol and requiring clinical training; EFT is a tapping routine that can be self-taught.

Is there any harm in doing tapping on my own at home?

There is no known physical harm in trying a few rounds during a moment of mild tension. The thing to watch for is attempting to work alone with a heavy memory or intense panic symptoms, and trying to make the technique carry a load it cannot bear. If relief never comes or your distress increases, it is wiser to stop and seek support.

Should I get my child to do tapping?

Children's anxiety is often closely linked to the family's attitudes, the school environment and their developmental stage. Rather than trying to soothe a child's fears with a tapping routine, understanding what feeds the fear and learning how to respond as a parent offers more lasting benefit. If anxiety symptoms continue, you can consult a professional who works with children and adolescents.

What should I think if a psychologist uses EFT in a session?

You have every right to ask what the professional bases this choice on and what other options they have considered for your problem. A good therapist can explain clearly the basis and the limits of the method they use, and will not take your questions badly.

• #EFT
• #tapping
• #alternative methods
• #anxiety

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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