A therapist once asked me, “Do you know how EFT Tapping sends a calming signal to the amygdala?”

It’s such a great question.

Many of us know that Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT Tapping, can reduce stress and ease emotional intensity. But how does that actually happen in the brain? What does “calming the amygdala” really mean?

If you’d like to see the key sections, here’s what this article covers:

Table of Contents

• The Amygdala: Your Brain’s Alarm System
• Tapping Sends Calming Signals Through Touch
• Exposure and Cognitive Integration
• What the Research Shows
• Mechanistic Summary
• Putting It All Together
• A Gentle Note
• References (APA Style)

The Amygdala: Your Brain’s Alarm System

The amygdala is part of your limbic system—the emotional center of your brain. Its job is to keep you safe. When it detects something threatening, whether it’s a real danger or a painful memory, it activates the fight-flight-freeze response through the HPA axis (the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal system).

This sets off a cascade of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, raising your heart rate and tensing your muscles. It’s an incredible survival mechanism, but it can easily go into overdrive when old emotional patterns or trauma are triggered.

When you think about something stressful during an EFT session, you’re momentarily lighting up that same alarm system. But then, something unusual happens…

Tapping Sends Calming Signals Through Touch

As you tap gently on specific acupoints (often on the face, collarbone, and hands), you activate mechanoreceptors and pressure-sensitive nerve endings under the skin. These signals travel through the somatosensory pathways to deeper brain regions that influence the amygdala and the autonomic nervous system.

In other words, while the brain is remembering something stressful, the body is sending messages of safety and regulation.

Studies of acupressure and acupuncture—many of which overlap with EFT points—show that stimulating these areas can increase parasympathetic activity (the “rest-and-digest” response) and reduce sympathetic arousal. EEG research also shows an increase in alpha brain waves, a marker of relaxation and emotional regulation (Swingle, 2005; Feinstein, 2012).

A 2018 meta-analysis confirmed that acupoint tapping is an active ingredient in EFT, not merely a placebo effect (Church et al., 2018).

Exposure and Cognitive Integration

EFT also combines this calming sensory input with gentle cognitive exposure—noticing the stressor, naming the emotion, and affirming self-acceptance (“Even though I feel this anxiety, I accept myself”).

This pairing helps the brain re-learn safety through a process called memory reconsolidation.

When you recall a distressing memory, the neural network holding that emotion becomes active and flexible. If you then tap while staying emotionally present, the body signals “you’re safe now.” The memory updates, and the amygdala no longer fires as strongly the next time that situation arises.

Over time, emotional triggers lose their charge. You remember the event, but your body no longer reacts as if it’s happening again.

What the Research Shows

Brain Imaging (fMRI)

A 2019 study by Peta Stapleton and colleagues examined brain scans of participants before and after four weeks of EFT for food cravings.

They found reduced activation in brain regions linked to emotional regulation and reward—particularly the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, and temporal gyrus (Stapleton et al., 2019). This suggests that tapping may literally quiet parts of the brain involved in emotional reactivity.

Hormones and Stress Response

In a well-known randomized controlled trial, Church et al. (2012) found that one EFT session led to a 24 % drop in cortisol, significantly greater than talk therapy or rest.

A later replication by Stapleton et al. (2020) confirmed an even greater 43 % decrease in cortisol after a 60-minute EFT group session.

Both studies show that EFT reduces activation of the HPA axis—the system that keeps the body on high alert.

Gene Expression and Inflammation

In 2016, Maharaj measured changes in gene expression after EFT sessions and found down-regulation of genes involved in inflammation (NF-κB and others) and up-regulation of immune-supporting genes (Maharaj, 2016).

In other words, tapping doesn’t just calm the mind—it appears to influence the body at the cellular level.

Mechanistic Summary

Here’s a simplified overview of what happens in the body and brain during EFT Tapping:

• Step 1 – You recall a stressful event.
  The amygdala activates and triggers a cascade of stress hormones.
• Step 2 – You tap on specific acupoints.
  This sensory input stimulates parasympathetic pathways, signaling the body to begin calming down.
• Step 3 – You affirm self-acceptance.
  The prefrontal cortex engages, supporting emotional regulation and perspective.
• Step 4 – Safety and stress networks co-activate.
  The memory reconsolidates with new “safety” information, weakening the old fear response.
• Step 5 – Amygdala activity decreases.
  The body and mind return to balance, and emotional triggers lose their intensity.

Putting It All Together

EFT appears to calm the amygdala through a combination of bottom-up and top-down processes:

• Bottom-up: tapping signals safety through touch and the nervous system.
• Top-down: mindful attention and acceptance activate the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate the limbic system.

The result? A shift from a threat state to a state of safety and emotional ease.

Even though many of these studies weren’t done specifically in healthcare environments, the underlying mechanisms—reduced stress, lower cortisol, greater self-regulation—apply universally.

These same physiological pathways are active whether you’re a nurse on a busy shift, a therapist supporting clients, or someone managing daily life stressors.

A Gentle Note

This article summarizes current research on the neurophysiology of EFT Tapping. It’s intended for informational purposes only and not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.

References (APA Style)

• Bach, D., Groesbeck, G., Stapleton, P., Sims, R., Blickheuser, K., & Church, D. (2019). Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) improves multiple physiological markers of health. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 24. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6381429/
• Church, D., Yount, G., & Brooks, A. J. (2012). The effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 200(10), 891–896. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e31826b9fc1
• Church, D., Stapleton, P., Yang, A. & Gallo, F. (2018). Is tapping on acupuncture points an active ingredient in Emotional Freedom Techniques? A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 206(10), 783–793. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000878
• Feinstein, D. (2012). Acupoint stimulation in treating psychological disorders: Evidence of efficacy and mechanisms of action. Review of General Psychology, 16(4), 364–380. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028602
• Maharaj, M. E. (2016). Differential Gene Expression after Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Treatment: A Novel Pilot Protocol for Salivary mRNA Assessment. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 8(1), 17–32. ResearchGate link
• Stapleton, P., Buchan, C., Mitchell, I., McGrath, Y., Gorton, P., & Carter, B. (2019). An initial investigation of neural changes in overweight adults with food cravings after Emotional Freedom Techniques. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.icm.1901010
• Stapleton, P., Crighton, G., Sabot, D., & O’Neill, H. M. (2020). Reexamining the effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000563
• Swingle, P., Pulos, L., & Swingle, M. K. (2005). Neurophysiological indicators of EFT treatment of post-traumatic stress. Journal of Subtle Energies & Energy Medicine, 15(1), 75–86. PDF via REBProtocol