Photo by S. Jackdaw on Unsplash.
Today, the New York Times published a column on Emotional Freedom Technique—better known as tapping. For people like me, who actually use tapping, the article came off as skeptical and even a little dismissive. Its first line: “It looks a little goofy.”
The piece didn’t cite much research and leaned heavily on a conventional, medicalized viewpoint. Many of the comments pushed back. Some even thought the article was AI generated.
I’m generally skeptical of all things medical.
I’ve turned down plenty of “routine” recommendations. I don’t do screenings. I am very cynical about Myers-Briggs and many other standardized tests.
Yet I’ve practiced Transcendental Meditation for decades, starting when a formal course cost just $75. We brought fruit and flowers to the teachers. I started on a whim and stayed because it worked.
Years later, I was introduced to EFT tapping. Now I use it mostly to fall asleep or to calm down when I’m stressed to the max. It works, almost every time. No cost: I use YouTube videos.
1. The Research May Be Mixed—But That’s Not Unique To Tapping
EFT tapping doesn’t have a massive body of scientific proof behind it. But the truth is, many “proven” medical treatments show only modest benefits.
A resident doctor once encouraged me to take a preventive drug. I asked her to share a research article to support the advice. She did. It showed a 2.2% improvement over placebo, with a long list of side effects.
I declined. She didn’t argue.
Let’s talk about statins—among the most prescribed drugs on the planet. According to a JAMA article, they reduce risk of stroke or heart attack by about 1%.
The famous Sprint study showed aggressive blood pressure treatment improved outcomes by 1.5%. And mammograms? They require an enormous number of screenings to save a single life.
According to an NPR investigation, bone density tests were first promoted for the Merck company’s drug. The guidelines were pretty arbitrary
If you’ve ever tried to compare relative vs. absolute outcomes, you’ll know: even evidence-based medicine operates in a gray area.
2. The Placebo Effect Is Real and Not Always Bad
Could tapping work because of a placebo effect? Possibly. But the same can be said for many psychotropic medications. But I’ve heard people argue that all healing involves placebo to some degree—including therapy.
If someone says, “I feel better,” do we really need to dissect why?
3. People Already Self-Medicate—Why Not Offer Safer Options?
One commenter on the Times article worried that people might try tapping instead of seeking professional help.
That concern is valid—but incomplete.
People already self-medicate with alcohol, food, social media, compulsive spending, and more. Even those who want help often face insurance denials, long wait times, or other lack of financial or geographical access.
If tapping helps someone calm down or sleep—even if they learned it on YouTube—how are they worse off?
Why We All Need an Emotional First-Aid Kit
In my book Making the Big Move, I suggest that people who are relocating create an emotional first-aid kit: a small box of feel-good items like favorite photos, music, or books that provide comfort during transition.
Now I think we all need an emotional first-aid kit for daily life.
We’re facing a mental health crisis. There simply aren’t enough therapists to go around. Even a diagnosed person might wait weeks or months for care. We need accessible, low-risk tools to help manage anxiety, overwhelm, and sadness—before we get to the intake form.
Tools like tapping, meditation, mindfulness, exercise, thought reframing, online CBT, and more. I believe that feeling empowered to make your own changes can be therapeutic. Sometimes, just learning that others feel the same way can be transformational.
Final Thought: Is it really “goofy?”
Tapping may look odd. So does lying on a couch talking to someone for 50 minutes. So does running on a treadmill while staring at a screen of numbers. But we don’t question those.
The bigger question is: Does it help? Let’s stop dismissing what we don’t fully understand. Let’s stop accepting what may be false reassurance.
Tags:
#MentalHealth #EFT #Tapping #PlaceboEffect #AlternativeHealing #SelfCare #EmotionalHealth #TM #CBT #Meditation #NewYorkTimes
