How Does EFT Work in the Body
EFT tapping “is similar to acupuncture in that it uses defined acupoints for the tapping,” says Peta Stapleton, PhD, a registered clinical and health psychologist at Bond University in Queensland, Australia, who leads clinical trials in EFT tapping.
Per TCM, the human body has more than 2,000 acupoints, and these points are connected by pathways, or meridians, through which life-force energy (called “chi”) flows, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. TCM holds that this energy flow is responsible for overall health, and disruption of the flow may cause disease. Stimulating specific acupoints is thought to improve the energy flow and, by extension, overall health, per Johns Hopkins.
Research suggests that there’s a physiological response to the stimulation of these acupoints — they’re not simply random sites on the body. After examining acupoints under a microscope, scientists discovered that they contain a high density of nerve endings, nerve fibers that control heat and cold, and a high concentration of white blood cells, according to a review.
Other research found that stimulating acupoints produces a variety of brain chemicals, including endogenous opioids (pain-relieving chemicals), serotonin (which helps regulate sleep, mood, and memory), and gamma-aminobutyric acid (which has a calming effect on the body), according to a past research article (PDF).
“Tapping on acupuncture points has been around for thousands of years, but now we can actually measure the effects by looking at gene expression, brain waves, hormones, and neurotransmitters,” says Dawson Church, PhD, founder and CEO of EFT Universe, an EFT training, certification, and education organization. “We’re really building up an inventory of research on what this technique can do for the body.” (Dr. Church has led research studying the effects of EFT tapping on PTSD and obesity.)
Eyebrow (EB) Where the eyebrows start at the bridge of the nose
Side of the 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 two inches below and to the side of where your collar bones meet
Under the Arm (UA) On each side, about four inches beneath the armpits
Top of the Head (TOH) Directly on the crown of your head
Side of Hand (SH) The outer edge of the hand, on the opposite side from the thumb
One of the first steps in tapping is to identify a feeling or situation that’s bothering you and create a statement that acknowledges the feeling or problem, followed by a phrase of acceptance. For example: “Even though I’m overwhelmed with work, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
This is known as a setup statement, and according to EFT International, it lays the groundwork for what’s called “the disconfirming experience.” This means that it helps us see our issue for what it really is, as opposed to our emotional response to it.
Countering a negative thought with a positive affirmation also serves to neutralize it, theorizes the research article (PDF, noted above), which provides an overview of EFT and other energy therapies. And when you calm your brain and body by working with tapping, you may be more apt to accept these neutral statements as true.
Church feels that this works with patients with PTSD in a clinical setting: “In tapping sessions with a certified clinical EFT practitioner, the practitioner will remind you over and over again about the traumatic event, which lights up the neural pathways that carry the signals of adverse experiences.” Tapping these acupoints at the same time during this exercise provides a soothing signal to the brain that may rapidly calm the body’s stress response to that traumatic memory.
Over time, clinical tapping sessions teach the brain to respond to stressful memories in a neutral way. After clinical EFT, people retain the details of the traumatic memory minus the emotional response, or they have a lessened experience of the emotional response, Church explains.
