EFT tapping uses nine points on your body: the side of your hand, the top of your head, the start of your eyebrow, the side of your eye, under your eye, under your nose, your chin, just under your collarbone and under your arm. You tap each one gently with two or three fingertips while you name a feeling. Tappers say a few rounds soften stress, anxiety, worry and big feelings until they are easier to carry.
A round takes about a minute, needs nothing but your hands, and you can do it at your desk, in the car park or curled up in bed. Here is where every point sits, how a round goes, and how to make it a small calming ritual at home. 🌙
Where are the EFT tapping points? 🔮
Most of the body tapping points sit on your face and upper body, so you can reach them all without moving from your chair. Work from the top down, and you will soon find them without thinking.
- Side of hand (the karate chop point). The soft, fleshy outer edge of your hand, between the base of your little finger and your wrist. It is where a karate chop would land. You tap here while you say your setup statement.
- Top of head. The crown, right in the centre of the top of your head. Several fingertips together feel nice here.
- Eyebrow. Where your eyebrow begins, at the edge of the nose.
- Side of eye. On the bone at the outer corner of your eye, not on the soft temple.
- Under eye. On the bone just under your eye, about 2.5 cm below your pupil.
- Under nose. The small hollow between the bottom of your nose and your upper lip.
- Chin. In the crease between your lower lip and the point of your chin.
- Collarbone. Find the notch at the base of your throat where your two collarbones meet. Move about 2.5 cm (an inch) down and out to either side, and you will feel a small hollow just under the bone. That is the collarbone tapping point. EFT charts also label it K27.
- Under arm. On the side of your body, about 10 cm below the armpit. On many people it is level with the middle of a bra strap.
Tap each point about seven times, lightly, as if you were drumming your fingers on a table. You can use one side of your body or both, and switch sides whenever you like. Some tappers add extra points, such as the inside of the wrist or the gamut point on the back of the hand, between the knuckles of the ring and little fingers.
How to do a round of tapping, step by step ✨
A round is one setup plus one trip through the points. It is the same every time, which is part of its comfort.
- Name one feeling. Choose one thing that is bothering you right now. "I'm stressed" is fine, but something more exact works better: "the tight feeling in my chest when I think about tomorrow's interview".
- Give it a number. Rate how strong it feels from 0 to 10, where 0 is not at all and 10 is as strong as it gets. Just notice the first number that comes.
- Say the setup. Tap the side of your hand and say out loud, three times: "Even though I feel this tightness in my chest, I deeply and completely accept myself." The first half names the feeling. The second half is kind to you anyway.
- Tap through the points with a reminder phrase. Move from the top of your head down to under your arm, tapping each point while you say a short reminder of the feeling, such as "this tightness" or "this worry".
- Breathe and check in. Take a slow breath and give the feeling a new number.
- Go again. Do another round or two, until the number is as low as it will go. If the feeling changes shape, from worry to sadness for example, follow it and name the new feeling.
Tappers often find the number drops a little each round. Sometimes a memory or a new thought pops up in the middle. That is welcome: it simply becomes your next round.
An anxiety tapping round to try
This is the round people reach for most often, before an exam, a flight or a hard conversation. Rate your anxiety first, then:
- Side of hand: "Even though I feel anxious about tomorrow, I deeply and completely accept myself." (Say it three times.)
- Top of head: "All this worry."
- Eyebrow: "This knot in my stomach."
- Side of eye: "What if it goes wrong?"
- Under eye: "All this worry."
- Under nose: "I can feel it in my body."
- Chin: "It's OK to feel this."
- Collarbone: "I'm safe right now."
- Under arm: "I can let some of it go."
Breathe out slowly and rate it again. Many tappers save the collarbone point for the moment they feel most wobbly, because tapping just below the throat feels steadying and close to the heart. If you like spoken words as part of calming practice, our guide to mantras for emotional healing pairs beautifully with your setup statement.
What tappers say EFT helps with 🧿
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques. Gary Craig shaped it in the 1990s, drawing on Thought Field Therapy and the old map of acupuncture meridians. In that tradition, energy flows along pathways through the body, and the tapping points sit on those pathways. Tapping while you name a feeling is said to clear the jam, so the feeling can move through and out.
That is why people turn to it for everyday stress and worry, nerves before a big day, a flash of anger, a wave of sadness, cravings and restless thoughts at bedtime. They describe a loosening in the chest, a deeper breath, sometimes a yawn or a few tears, and then a quieter mind. Some feel the shift in one round. Others find it builds over a week of tapping each evening.
Part of the charm is that it is yours. Nobody needs to be in the room, it costs nothing, and you can tap quietly on your collarbone in a meeting without anyone noticing. If you love hands-on calming practices, Therapeutic Touch and chakra visualisation are two more gentle ways to let feelings move.
Make tapping a ritual: crystals, scent and soft light 💎
Tapping works anywhere, but at home you can turn it into a small ritual. Hold a stone in your free hand, light a lamp and let a calming scent fill the room.
A crystal to hold while you tap
In crystal practice, each stone is matched to a feeling. Hold it in your non-tapping hand, or rest it on your lap or over your heart.
| Feeling | Stone | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety and stress | Amethyst | Hold it in your free hand through the whole round |
| Sadness and grief | Rose quartz | Rest it over your heart between rounds |
| Anger and frustration | Red jasper | Rub the worry stone with your thumb as you re-rate |
| Fear | Black tourmaline | Wear the bracelet on your tapping wrist |
| Self-doubt | Tiger's eye | Keep it in your pocket for a quick round before you go in |
Smooth, palm-sized stones are the most comfortable. Keep amethyst off a sunny windowsill, because strong light can fade its colour over time. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth are all rose quartz and amethyst need. For more stones matched to worry, see our guide to crystals for anxiety and stress, or try the gemstone techniques for emotional release.
A calming scent 🕯️
Scent is a lovely signal that it is time to slow down. Lavender oil is the classic choice for calm, and frankincense brings a warm, grounded feel. Put a few drops in a diffuser before you sit, then take three slow breaths of the scent as you name your feeling.
If you would like a drop on your wrists, mix it with a carrier oil first, because essential oils are too strong to use undiluted on skin. Keep the bottles out of reach of children, and keep diffusing away from cats and other pets, since most oils are not safe for them. If you are pregnant, talk with your midwife before using oils. Our essential oil dilution chart gives the drops for each bottle size.
A soft glow
Switch on a Himalayan salt lamp half an hour before you tap and turn off the bright overhead light. The amber glow tells your whole body that the busy part of the day is over, and salt-lamp lovers say the room feels fresher and calmer for it. Our salt lamp care guide covers bulbs, damp weather and safe placement.
Choosing a piece
Prices as at October 2026:
- A stone for your palm: a tiger's eye tumble under NZ$5, an amethyst tumble around NZ$10, or a rose quartz worry stone or red jasper worry stone at NZ$12.
- To hold over your heart: a rose quartz heart with its pouch, about NZ$16.
- To wear: an amethyst bead bracelet from NZ$22, or a black tourmaline bracelet from NZ$27.
- For the room: lavender or frankincense essential oil at NZ$25 each, or a small salt lamp around NZ$40.
Browse our calming and grounding crystals or the salt lamp range, or visit us at Shop 62, Westfield Manukau, and hold a few stones before you choose. We ship across New Zealand.
Your questions about EFT tapping
Where is the collarbone tapping point?
Find the notch at the base of your throat where your collarbones meet. Move about 2.5 cm down and out to one side, and you will feel a small hollow just under the bone. Tap there with two or three fingertips. Many tappers find it the most steadying point of the round, so it is a lovely one to linger on.
What are the tapping points for anxiety?
Tappers use the same nine points for anxiety as for any feeling: side of hand, top of head, eyebrow, side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin, collarbone and under arm. What changes is the words. Name the worry in your setup, tap through the points with a reminder phrase like "all this worry", and many people feel calmer within a few rounds.
How many times should I tap each point?
About seven taps per point is the usual rhythm, but nobody is counting. Tap lightly and steadily while you say your reminder phrase, then move on. A full round takes about a minute, and tappers usually do two or three rounds until their feeling has eased as far as it will go.
Do I tap on one side or both sides?
Either works. Most points come in pairs, and tapping one side is enough. Some people like to tap both sides at once with both hands, because it feels balanced and soothing. Switch sides halfway through if your arm gets tired.
What do I say when I tap?
Start with a setup on the side of your hand, said three times: "Even though I feel [the feeling], I deeply and completely accept myself." Then, at each point, say a short reminder such as "this worry". Use your own words. Tappers say the more honestly you name the feeling, the more freely it moves.
Your fingertips know the way 🌙
Name the feeling, give it a number, and tap from the top of your head to under your arm. Two quiet minutes and a stone in your other hand are enough to turn a hard moment into a softer one. Keep the chart on your phone, and your calm is never more than a fingertip away. ✨
Sources
- EFT International: How to Tap and Tapping Points Chart: the nine points, the setup, reminder phrase, 0–10 rating, rounds, the collarbone (K27) point and extra points.
- EFT International: What is EFT tapping?: point locations, including the collarbone and under-arm distances.
- Cleveland Clinic: EFT tapping: seven to nine taps per point, how many fingertips to use and the 0–10 rating.
- Emotional Freedom Techniques (Wikipedia): Gary Craig and EFT's roots in acupuncture and Thought Field Therapy.
- Healthify: essential oils: diluting before skin use, children, pets and pregnancy.
- GIA: amethyst care and GIA: rose quartz care: fading in strong light and warm soapy water.