Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), commonly known as tapping, is a meditative self-help practice that integrates elements of traditional Chinese medicine, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and exposure techniques. The method involves gently tapping with the fingertips on specific meridian points while focusing on distressing emotions, sensations, or memories. In traditional Chinese medicine, meridian points are considered locations on the body through which vital energy, or qi, flows. Unlike acupuncture or acupressure, which use needles or pressure, EFT employs light tapping to stimulate these points, promoting energetic balance and calming the nervous system.
The central principle of EFT is that negative emotions arise from disruptions in the body’s energy system. By restoring balance through tapping, individuals can alleviate both emotional and physical distress. Developed by Gary Craig in the 1990s, EFT has since evolved into a structured therapeutic model known as Clinical EFT and has become the subject of increasing academic and clinical research.
Mechanisms of Action
EFT operates on both psychological and physiological levels. The process begins with identifying a specific emotional issue or target memory, followed by verbal acknowledgment through a “setup statement,” for example, “Even though I feel anxious about this meeting, I deeply and completely accept myself.” This statement is paired with a sequence of tapping on nine standardised meridian points, including the eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin, collarbone, under the arm, and the top of the head. The individual continues to focus on the issue during the sequence, combining cognitive exposure with somatic stimulation.
Clinical Applications
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) are used to address a wide range of psychological and physical conditions. Clinical research supports its effectiveness for anxiety disorders, phobias, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic pain. A 2019 study published in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal reported that EFT significantly reduced chronic musculoskeletal pain and improved overall quality of life. Further studies have shown benefits in managing food cravings, supporting weight management, improving sleep, and reducing performance anxiety in athletes.
Practitioners employ several advanced EFT methods to target both emotional and physical symptoms. “The Movie Technique” enables clients to safely process traumatic memories by visualising the event as a film while tapping during moments of emotional intensity. “Chasing the Pain” focuses on physical sensations linked to emotional discomfort, while “Borrowing Benefits,” often used in group sessions, allows participants to experience relief by tapping alongside another person’s session.
Research and Evidence
Over the past two decades, more than 100 peer-reviewed studies, including numerous randomised controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, have examined the efficacy of EFT. A 2019 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease reviewed 14 RCTs and found that EFT produced significant reductions in anxiety, with large effect sizes. Similarly, a 2016 meta-analysis in The Psychological Bulletin concluded that EFT was as effective in treating depression as established therapies such as CBT and interpersonal therapy.
Research on PTSD has produced comparable results. A 2020 study in Frontiers in Psychology involving veterans reported an average 60% reduction in PTSD symptom severity following EFT, with many participants achieving clinical remission that persisted at three- and six-month follow-ups. Earlier, a 2013 randomised trial by Church et al., published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, found that six EFT sessions led to significant symptom reductions compared with a waitlist control group.
Biochemical and physiological research further supports these outcomes. A 2012 study in the APA’s Energy Psychology journal reported that cortisol levels fell by an average of 24% after a single EFT session, compared with a 14% reduction following supportive talk therapy and no change in the control group. Additional studies have shown improvements in heart rate variability, blood pressure, and immune function, suggesting physiological regulation beyond placebo effects. Neurobiological research at Harvard Medical School has also demonstrated that stimulating acupoints, as used in EFT, can deactivate areas of the limbic system associated with fear and hypervigilance, consistent with clinical reports of EFT producing rapid desensitisation of trauma-related triggers.
Criticisms and Ongoing Research
Although evidence supporting EFT’s effectiveness continues to grow, some scepticism persists within mainstream psychology. Critics argue that the energy meridian theory lacks direct empirical validation and that larger, blinded trials are needed to differentiate EFT’s specific mechanisms from general therapeutic effects. However, an increasing number of studies indicate that acupoint stimulation plays a key role. Comparisons of EFT with identical protocols that omit tapping have shown significantly weaker outcomes, suggesting that the somatic component contributes directly to therapeutic change.
Ongoing investigations are exploring EFT’s neural mechanisms using EEG, fMRI, and biomarker analysis, as well as its application in trauma-informed care, chronic illness management, and digital mental health platforms. Universities such as Bond University in Australia, Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom, and Harvard Medical School have all contributed to this expanding evidence base.
References:
The effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) on stress biochemistry: a randomized controlled trial, journals.lww.com
Reexamining the effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial, sueklassen.ca
Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Improves Multiple Physiological Markers of Health, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Emotional Freedom Techniques for Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review (2025), pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The effect of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and music applied to pregnant women who experienced prenatal loss on psychological growth, well-being, and cortisol level: A randomized controlled trial (2023), pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
EFT International: EFT Science Topics – Randomized Controlled Trials, eftinternational.org
