EFT changes your biochemistry - it’s beyond a calming technique!
When people first hear about EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), they often think it’s “just” a mindset tool - a way of calming yourself down by tapping. But what if I told you science has shown EFT changes things at the level of your actual biochemistry?
A 2012 randomised controlled trial published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease looked at how EFT affects stress hormones in the body. And the results were kind of mind-blowing.
An overview on cortisol (The Stress Hormone)
Cortisol is your body’s master stress hormone. A little bit of it helps you wake up and respond to challenges. But when cortisol is running high for too long, it wreaks havoc. Chronic stress and elevated cortisol are linked with:
Anxiety and depression
Weakened immunity
Digestive problems, poor sleep, even heart disease
Faster ageing
So if you’re constantly running on stress, your whole system pays the price.
What the Study Found
In this study, 83 participants were split into three groups:
One group received a one-hour EFT session
One group had supportive psychotherapy (just talking)
One group had no treatment
Before and after, researchers tested participants’ cortisol levels through saliva samples and measured their psychological distress (anxiety, depression, etc).
Here’s what they found:
The EFT group’s cortisol dropped by an average of 24% in just one session
The other two groups only saw around a 14% drop
The EFT group also reported huge reductions in anxiety (58%), depression (49%), and overall distress (50%)
Basically, a single EFT session didn’t just make people feel better — it created measurable changes in their stress biology.
Why This Matters
This is one of those studies that bridges the gap between what clients feel in session (“lighter, calmer, clearer”) and what’s actually happening in the body. EFT seems to help the nervous system down-regulate so effectively that it alters cortisol levels, which then influences immunity, inflammation, sleep, and mood.
My Takeaway
When I guide clients through EFT, I see this play out in real time. They come in feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or fried. We tap together, the tears flow, the nervous system softens and afterwards, they’re clearer, calmer, and able to take action. Reading research like this just confirms what I already see in practice: EFT works at the root, not just the surface.
So if you’ve been pushing through stress, hustling while running on empty, or carrying old emotional baggage that won’t shift, maybe it’s time to try something different. Something proven to literally change your body’s chemistry for the better.
