What Is EFT Tapping, and Why Is Everyone Talking About It? Part 1
By Associate Counselor, Nicole Nielsen, MS eD, Psy, LAC
Part 1 of a 3-part series on tapping, stress, and the nervous system
If you've spent any time on wellness socials lately, you may have seen people gently tapping on their faces and collarbones while talking through something stressful. It can look a little unusual at first. But this practice, called Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT tapping, has been around for decades, and it is getting a fresh wave of attention thanks to a new book called Rewired by Nick, Jessica, and Alex Ortner.
(Quick note: EFT tapping is different from Emotionally Focused Therapy, the attachment-based EFT many of our clinicians use with couples. (Same letters, very different practices.)
How EFT tapping works
At its simplest, tapping combines two things.
The first is naming what you are feeling, honestly and out loud.
The second is lightly tapping with your fingertips on a series of points on the face and upper body, many of which line up with acupressure points used in traditional Chinese medicine.
You might tap on the side of your hand, the eyebrow, the side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, the chin, the collarbone, under the arm, and the top of the head, all while saying something like "This tightness in my chest" or "I'm so worried about tomorrow."
A different approach to stress
What I appreciate about tapping is that it doesn't ask you to talk yourself out of how you feel. So much of what we're taught about stress and anxiety is about pushing it away, staying positive, or powering through. Tapping starts somewhere different. It asks you to notice what is actually here, to say it plainly, and to stay with it while giving your body a steady, calming rhythm.
What's new in Rewired
The Ortners wrote an earlier book on this topic, The Tapping Solution, more than a decade ago. Rewired builds on that work with what has been learned since about stress, trauma, and the nervous system. It walks through common struggles like overwhelm, frustration, overthinking, and self-doubt, and offers tapping practices for each one. The tone is approachable and practical, which makes it a good entry point if you are curious about tapping but a little skeptical.
Coming up in this series
In the next two posts, I'll share why tapping seems to help your nervous system, what the research says so far, and how you can try it yourself at home.
And if stress has been living in your chest and shoulders for a while now, you don't have to wait for Part 3 to get support. I use tapping in my therapy sessions, and I work with teens (12+) and adults in person at our North Central Phoenix office and virtually throughout Arizona. You can [book a free 20-minute consultation] to see if we're a good fit, or [learn more about me here]