Tapping Assisted Psychotherapy (TAP)
After having been a traditional "talk therapist" for twenty-five years, I began to incorporate tapping, a
form of self-administered acupressure, into the therapy process in 2013. In 2014, I received Level I
and II training in this energy modality with Susan Bushell, EFT International Master trainer. I
subsequently completed Level III training with Susan.
In October 2015 I was delighted and honoured to assist Dr. David Feinstein as one of his teaching
assistants for a three-day Energy Psychology training he offered for mental health professionals at the
Canadian Association for Integrative and Energy Therapies (CAIET) Conference in Victoria, British
Columbia. David is truly a rock star in this field. You can find links to a few of his articles below.
Since 2013, I have used TAP with many dozens of clients in my private practice, and have taught
tapping to hundreds of people though group trainings, both to lay people and to other clinicians.
If you are unfamiliar with tapping, I've provided answers to Frequently Asked Questions
about tapping, some key references, and a link to tapping instructions below.
Tapping FAQ
What is tapping?
Tapping, also known as Energy Psychology (EP) or Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), is both a self-
help tool – a safe, gentle, easy-to-learn, fast and effective way to deactivate the fight/flight
/freeze/fold response and relieve distress or overwhelm – and a clinical treatment tool. Evidence-
based, tapping is used to treat anxiety, trauma and a wide variety of other clinical issues.
What does tapping involve?
Tapping is a self-administered tool, and involves the gentle, percussive stimulation (tapping) of key
acupoints on the skin using one’s own fingertips. These specific points are some of the same acupoints
that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. While we tap, we repeat key phrases. Tapping combines
gentle acupressure and cognitive restructuring, and the outcomes are achieved rapidly and safely. In
therapy sessions, I guide my clients though the entire process.
Is this a new modality?
Although acupuncture is thousands of years old, tapping as such was developed in the 1980s by Dr.
Roger Callahan, an American psychologist specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders (Thought
Field Therapy, TFT), and then simplified in the 1990s by Gary Craig (Emotional Freedom Techniques,
EFT). Tapping may be seen as a marriage of the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine and modern
western psychology.
What is Tapping Assisted Psychotherapy (TAP)?
When I use tapping with my clients as a treatment modality, I integrate tapping into the psychotherapy
process. My clients soon become very calm yet alert, and quickly gain new perspectives on their issues
and in many cases are able to let go of long-held problems, including traumas. I use the term TAP to
represent the process whereby we talk, tap, talk some more, tap some more, and so on. Simply put,
the tapping enhances and informs the psychotherapy, and therapeutic outcomes are generally
expedited and even potentiated because of the efficiency of this modality.
What kinds of problems can be treated using tapping?
In a clinical, therapeutic setting, tapping is used to enhance the therapy process and clinical outcomes.
Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in the following areas:
Resolving (fully clearing) trauma, including PTSD
· Eliminating phobias
· Treating other anxiety disorders, stress and overwhelm
· Shifting sense of guilt, jealousy, anger, shame, unremitting grief
· Assisting in the treatment of mild–moderate depression
· Achieving clarity around a problem or decision
Can I use tapping myself between sessions?
Yes! Tapping can be used easily as a self-help tool to reduce anxiety and overwhelm in the moment. My
clients love the fact that it is so simple, fast, and is free and portable.
Tapping seems weird. Will it work if I am skeptical about it?
It is very natural to be skeptical about this modality. You are not alone. To many western-trained
clinicians and lay people alike, the notion of using such a simple, mechanical tool to enhance therapy
outcomes seems implausible and perhaps even laughable. Fortunately, one can be skeptical about it
and it will be just as effective. Having been a "talk therapist" for over thirty years, I have been
profoundly humbled by the depth of the contribution that this deceptively simple energy modality
can make to our health and well-being.
Is tapping considered an evidence-based practice? Is there research to support its efficacy?
There is a growing body of research providing evidence of its efficacy, including many
randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews, published in a wide variety of
peer-reviewed journals. The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP), continues to
do an excellent job of gathering and disseminating the energy psychology research, which it
makes very accessible through its website, www.energypsych.org .
Selected Tapping References and Resources
(Please note: if links are broken or unavailable, all of these resources are in the public domain and can be found through a search in your browser).
Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Techniques
ACEP (US) Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology
CAIET (CAN) Canadian Association for Integrative and Energy Therapies
Church, Dawson. (2013). Clinical EFT as an Evidence-Based Practice for the Treatment of Psychological and Physiological Conditions. Psychology, 4, 645-654.
Feinstein, David. (2018). Energy psychology: Efficacy, speed, mechanisms. Explore.
Feinstein, David. (2015). How Energy Psychology Changes Deep Emotional Learnings . The Neuropsychotherapist.
Feinstein, David. (2012). Acupoint stimulation in treating psychological disorders: Evidence of efficacy. Review of General Psychology, 16, 364-380. ©2012, American Psychological Association.
Feinstein, David. (2010). Energy Psychology: Snake Oil or Designer Tool for Neural Change?
http://www.eftfree.net/energy-psychology
Key Authors:
Dawson Church, Gary Craig, Donna Eden, David Feinstein, Fred Gallo, Nick Ortner
