How Does EFT Tapping Work?
- Pooja, Shreem Wellbeing
- Feb 24
- 1 min read
Updated: Mar 19
One of the biggest barriers to the acceptance of psychotherapies that stimulate acupuncture points through tapping - such as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and TFT (Thought Field Therapy) - is a persistent question: How can tapping on the skin lead to psychological change?
For decades, practitioners have known that therapies and self-help approaches involving tapping on acupuncture points are unusually fast and effective, but articulating a clear, science-based explanation for this has been more challenging. Over the past two decades, researchers such as Dawson Church, Peta Stapleton, and David Feinstein have steadily advanced the evidence base through peer-reviewed studies. In November 2025, David published a landmark synthesis of this research, offering the most coherent and comprehensive scientific account to date of the physiological and psychological mechanisms underlying EFT and TFT.
Recognising the importance of this work - and knowing that clients and practitioners don’t have time to read lengthy academic papers - Nick Ortner used AI to translate the research into a beautifully designed, 10-page illustrated infographic. David then reviewed the entire piece, making numerous corrections and refinements to ensure scientific accuracy. The infographic can be viewed at it's original source at the following link and is also shared below.
Deep gratitude, acknowledgement and appreciation to all involved in the research over the past two decades, especially Dawson Church, Peta Stapleton, and David Feinstein and also to Nick Ortner for creating the infographic on how EFT Tapping Works. - Pooja, Shreem Wellbeing.
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