The Tapping Solution

Living through the stress of  COVID-19 has us feeling, anxious, depressed, fearful and uncertain about what the future will bring.  These are unprecedented times and no one has an answer as to when all this will come to a end.  The barrage of constant negative information that we hear from the media has us all in “fight or flight” syndrome.  I have recently become enraptured with Tapping, also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques).  It is a powerful holistic healing technique that has been proven to effectively resolve a range of issues, including stress, anxiety, phobias, emotional disorders, chronic pain, addiction and binge eating, just to name a few.


Tapping therapy is based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. Tapping, while focusing on negative emotions or physical sensations, helps to calm the nervous system, rewire the brain to respond in healthier ways and restore the body’s balance of energy.  Anxiety and stress weaken the immune system so we need to stay on top of this big time right now.  Remember your only natural defense against COVID-19 is a healthy immune system.  This will be even more important when our “shelter in place” orders are lifted and we are back together again. 

The body is equipped with an energy system that travels along pathways known as meridians. Tapping on these meridian endpoints helps to stimulate this system.  The basic Tapping technique requires you to focus on all your negative emotions. While maintaining your mental focus on this issue, you use your fingertips to tap 5-7 times on each of the 9 specific meridian points of the body.

As stress increases, the levels of the hormone, Cortisol (“the stress hormone”), rise also.  Cortisol plays an important role in helping the body respond to stress.   That being said it needs to be regulated – too high or too low and it can trigger a variety of disorders in the body.  The goal should be to try to regulate this hormone naturally.   Tapping has a success rate of providing a 24% decrease in cortisol levels. 

In some ways, Tapping is similar to acupuncture. It achieves healing through stimulating the body’s meridians and energy flow.  However, unlike Tapping, acupuncture involves needles! “No needles” is what we need right now so that you can do this by yourself. 

So let’s get down to business and see how a basic Tapping sequence works.  In order to do that we need to identify the 9 Tapping Points:

Karate Chop -Side of hand

Eyebrow Point - Where the eyebrows begin, closest to the bridge of the nose

Side of Eye - On the bone directly along the outside of either eye

Under Eye - On the bone directly under either eye

Under Nose - The area directly beneath the nose and above the upper lip

Chin Point - This is the area just below your bottom lip and above the chin, right in the crease

Collarbone Point - Starting from where your collar bones meet in the center, go down an inch and out an inch on either side

Under Arm - On your side, about four inches beneath the armpit

Top of Head - Directly on the crown of your head

You can watch a quick tutorial of  Jessica Ortner illustrating a sequence by clicking on the link below and scroll down to  “Introduction to the Tapping Points” https://www.thetappingsolution.com/tapping-101/

Her brother, Nick Ortner, recently posted a COVID-19 tapping sequence that is  worth a listen:

https://www.facebook.com/nortner/videos/667231784035309/

Here are some tips to help you achieve the correct technique for Tapping:

You should use a firm but gentle pressure, the same as if you were drumming on the top of your desk or testing a melon for ripeness.

You can use all four fingers, or just the first two (the index and middle fingers). Four fingers are generally used on wider areas, while just two can be used on sensitive areas, such as around the eyes. 

Tap with your fingertips, not your fingernails.

You can tap one side of the body or both at the same time. The meridian points are symmetrical on either side of the body. 

Make Tapping part of your life and you will profit from its calming and relaxing benefits that are so necessary right now. If you download the Tapping Solution app, they are offering free COVID-19 tapping meditations for you to follow.