The EFT Tapping Points Explained (With a Full Sequence)

Most people who say tapping "didn't work for them" were tapping in roughly the right places with the wrong wording, or stopping after one round. This is the practical reference: where each point is, and how to run the sequence properly.

How to tap

• Use two fingertips — index and middle.
• Tap firmly enough to feel it, gently enough to be comfortable. This is not percussion.
• 5 to 7 taps per point, or roughly one out-breath's worth.
• Either side of the body is fine. Both sides at once is also fine.
• Keep talking while you tap. Silence halves the effect.

The setup point

Karate-chop point — the fleshy outer edge of the hand, below the little finger.

Tap here continuously while saying your setup phrase three times:

"Even though I feel [specific thing], I accept how I feel right now."

The eight sequence points

1. Top of the head. Crown, centre. Tap with the flat of your fingers.

2. Eyebrow. The inner end of the eyebrow, just above the bridge of the nose.

3. Side of the eye. On the bone at the outer corner — on the bone, not in the socket.

4. Under the eye. On the cheekbone ridge, directly below the pupil.

5. Under the nose. The small dip between nose and upper lip.

6. Chin. The crease between lower lip and chin.

7. Collarbone. Find the notch at the base of your throat, move about an inch down and an inch out to either side. You can tap this one with a loose fist.

8. Under the arm. About a hand's width below the armpit — bra-strap line for most people.

Some practitioners add the wrist points (inside of the wrists, tapped together) at the end. It is optional and many people find it a settling place to finish.

Running a full round

1. Rate the feeling 0–10. Write it down.
2. Setup on the karate-chop point, phrase said three times.
3. Sequence through points 1–8 with a short reminder phrase at each.
4. Breathe. One slow breath, longer out than in.
5. Re-rate. 0–10 again.
6. Repeat if it is still above 3, adjusting the wording to whatever is left.

Wording that works

The reminder phrase should describe what is actually there, not what you would like to be there.

• Weak: "I am calm and at peace."
• Better: "This tight chest."
• Best: "This tight band across my chest since the email."

Specificity is the single biggest difference between a round that shifts something and one that does not. Tapping on "my anxiety" is tapping on a category. Tapping on "the dread I feel at 4pm on Sundays" is tapping on an experience.

Common mistakes

• Positive affirmations too early. Your system does not believe them yet, and the mismatch stalls the round.
• Stopping at one round. Two or three is standard.
• Tapping too hard. Discomfort recruits the opposite of what you want.
• Not rating. Without a number you will forget the before, and you will conclude nothing happened.
• Starting too big. Begin at a 4 or 5, not a 9.

When to stop

Stop the round and ground if you feel foggy, distant, floaty, or outside your body. That is dissociation, not processing. Grounding tools first; the tapping will still be there tomorrow. Significant trauma is work for a trained practitioner, not a solo round.

A gentle next step

The EFT Tapping Flashcards show each point visually as you move through the sequence, with the wording written for you and the before-and-after ratings saved — which removes most of the mistakes on this list.