You’ll find EFT, or “tapping”, on NLP courses, in hypnotherapy clinics and all over social media. It draws on NLP among other things, and it’s one of the better-researched techniques in this part of the field, though the research has important weaknesses.
What EFT is
Emotional Freedom Techniques became widely known through Gary Craig’s EFT handbook in the late 1990s. It is described as a hybrid that draws on acupressure, Thought Field Therapy, energy medicine and NLP, together with elements of cognitive restructuring.
How a session works
- Name the problem. “Even though I feel nervous about this presentation…”
- Rate it, from 0 to 10.
- Add an acceptance statement. “…I deeply and completely accept myself.”
- Tap with the fingertips on a sequence of points, such as the eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin and collarbone, while repeating a short reminder phrase.
- Re-rate the feeling and repeat until it eases.
It’s usually learned in a few sessions and then used as a self-help tool.
What the research says
- Several meta-analyses report large effects for anxiety, depression and PTSD, and reductions in pain and cravings. One summary reports average reductions of around 40% for anxiety and 35% for depression.
- Some analyses suggest the acupressure component is an active ingredient, and that results are not due only to placebo or to the general effects of any therapy.
- A systematic review of EFT for anxiety disorders has also been published.
Why to be cautious
- Much of the research comes from people who promote EFT, and journals have debated how to interpret it.
- Many trials are small and compare EFT with a waiting list, which can’t separate the tapping from the effect of attention and a plausible-sounding treatment.
- The meridian theory is not accepted by mainstream science. Even if EFT helps, the proposed mechanism (energy pathways) is unproven.
- Likely active ingredients overlap with proven ones: exposure (thinking about the problem while rating distress), cognitive restructuring (the acceptance statements), relaxation and distraction.
- Large claims, such as resolving trauma in a session or curing physical illness, go well beyond the evidence.
(The research summaries above come from search results and were not checked against the original papers.)
Who might try it
- People with everyday stress, nerves or cravings who want a quick self-calming tool.
- Anyone who finds the ritual calming and easy to remember.
Who should be careful
- People with PTSD, severe anxiety or depression. Use tapping alongside, not instead of, recommended therapies.
- Anyone tempted to skip medical care. Tapping doesn’t treat physical disease.
- Anyone paying for lengthy courses that promise to fix everything.
The bottom line
EFT is a cheap, low-risk technique with genuine research interest, and it probably works partly because it combines exposure, reframing and a calming routine. The energy-meridian explanation is unproven, and the research is weaker than the headline numbers suggest.
Next in the series: EMDR and NLP: Why Eye Movements Get Confused
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.