This Month’s Theme Emotional Freedom Technique, (a.k.a. Tapping)
This month we’re diving into a long promised topic: Emotional Freedom Technique – or as most people know it, tapping.
Let’s talk about tapping. Not the dance kind. Not the “tap-tap-tap-is-this-thing on?” kind. I’m talking about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – a powerful, simple practice, better known as tapping.
The roots of EFT go back to the 1980s when clinical psychologist Dr. Roger Callahan was working with a woman named Mary, who had a lifelong paralyzing fear of water. After traditional talk therapy failed to help, Dr. Callahan leaned into his curiosity about energy meridians (borrowed from acupuncture) and asked Mary to try tapping under her eye – the point associated with the stomach meridian where she said she felt the fear most strongly.
To their mutual shock, Mary’s phobia disappeared – immediately and permanently.
Boom. Just like that.
Inspired by this breakthrough, Dr. Callahan developed Thought Field Therapy (TFT) a method that used specific tapping sequences or “algorithms” for different emotional issues like trauma, anxiety or anger. It worked, but it was complex.
Enter Gary Craig, one of Callahan’s students. In the mid 1990s, Craig had a simple idea: What if one tapping sequence could work for all problems? And thus, the Emotional Freedom Technique was born.
So how does EFT work?
You begin by tapping on the karate chop point (side of hand) while acknowledging how you currently feel, for example:
“Even though I feel so resistant to being productive, I choose to relax and release this resistance.”
This opens the door for change. You then move through these points:
- Eyebrow point – bladder and stomach Meridian
- Side of eye – gallbladder, triple warmer, and small intestine Meridian
- Under eye – stomach Meridian
- Under nose – governing vessel, and large intestine meridian
- Chin point – conception vessel, (central Meridian) and stomach Meridian
- Collarbone point – kidney Meridian
- Under arm point – spleen Meridian
- Top of head – governing & bladder Meridian
As you tap, you shift your internal state by gently introducing positive, empowering statements. It’s like giving your nervous system a loving nudge towards safety, calm, and clarity.
How tapping went mainstream (with a little help from Tony Robbins)
In 2004, Nick Ortner was introduced to tapping at a Tony Robbins event – and it works so well on his own pain that he became (his words) insufferable about it. He told everyone. Lucky for us, he turned his obsession into something truly impactful.
- in 2008, he released the Tapping Solution documentary
- In 2010, he launched the first Tapping World Summit
- In 2013, he published the best selling book The Tapping Solution
- And in 2018, he launched The Tapping Solution app which soared in popularity during the pandemic
But… does it really work?
Great question. Science says yes.
Dr. Peta Stapleton used FMRI scans to show that tapping changed the neural pathways of chronic pain patients, literally altering how their brains interpreted pain.
Dr. Dawson Church found that EFT could reduce cortisol and PTSD symptoms by up to 24% – outperforming nearly every other trauma-focused method, especially in veterans.
Dr. Marjorie Maharaj discovered that after tapping, 72 genes involved in immunity, inflammation and stress regulation, began expressing themselves differently
According to Nick Ortner:
“Tapping reduces stress, which enhances immune function, which reduces the physical toll of fighting infections, which reduces overall stress levels”.
Yes, please
My personal experience
Over the past 10 years I’ve dabbled in tapping. I even watched some of Gary Craig’s early sessions – they helped even if his delivery wasn’t quite my cup of tea (sorry, Gary!)
But this year, something changed
The 2025 Tapping World Summit simplified everything – fewer sessions, clearer focus, less overwhelmed. I resonated with it so deeply that I finally downloaded the app…and I haven’t looked back.
I signed up on March 20. As of today I’ve completed 219 sessions and logged 35 hours of tapping. And considering most sessions are 5-10 minutes long, that’s saying something.
Tapping has now become a daily ritual right before my meditation. It’s grounding, gentle and surprisingly effective.
If you’re curious about tapping, this might be the nudge you’ve been waiting for. After all, a little tap can go a long way.
Thank you for reading, and as Nick always says: Take care and keep tapping.
