👆 Module 4 — The Tapping Points | EFT Course
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Free Course by Everything IFS Academy | Therapeutic Modalities Series
Module 4 — The Tapping Points
Today we're learning the tapping points, the physical alphabet of EFT. Every technique in this course, from the core procedure to the most advanced methods, is spelled out on the same small set of locations on the hand, face, and upper body, so knowing these points cold is the first real skill of the modality. This lesson teaches where every point in the modern sequence sits, how to find each one reliably on a real body, the mistakes that most commonly send people to the wrong spot, and how the tapping itself is physically done. By the end, a learner will be able to locate all nine points without a diagram and will know the gentler alternatives for moments when tapping isn't the right fit.
What the Tapping Points Are
The tapping points are a fixed set of spots on the body, drawn from the acupoint map of the acupressure tradition, where all of EFT's tapping takes place. The modern shortcut version of EFT, the worldwide standard and the version this course teaches, uses nine of them: one point on the hand with a special job of its own, and eight points running down the body from the eyebrow to the top of the head that make up the tapping sequence. The historical original version used several more, on the fingers and the back of the hand, and those belong to this course's bonus lesson on EFT's first form.
One reassurance belongs inside the definition itself, because it dissolves the worry that most often trips up beginners: the points are targets, not pinpoints. Each one is roughly the size of a coin, and EFT is tapped with the pads of two fingers, which together cover an area larger than the point itself. Close counts. A tapper who lands a centimeter off is still on target, and nobody's results hinge on anatomical perfection. The locations taught below are worth learning properly, because some points are genuinely easy to miss by a wide margin, but the precision required is the precision of finding a doorbell, not threading a needle.
How Tapping Is Done
Before the locations, the physical act itself, which is simpler than most people expect.
The fingers. Tapping is done with the fingertips, most commonly the pads of the index and middle finger held together. Two fingers cover the whole target area comfortably. Some people prefer three or four fingers on the larger points, which works just as well.
The firmness. Firm enough to feel clearly, never firm enough to hurt. The right pressure is about what someone would use to drum their fingers thoughtfully on a desk. Tapping should leave no soreness and no marks; anyone tender or bruise-prone simply taps more lightly.
The count. Roughly five to seven taps on each point. Nobody counts strictly, and nothing breaks if a point gets four taps or ten. The number exists only to give each point a few seconds of attention before moving on.
The sides. Every point on the face and body exists on both sides, mirrored left and right, and EFT treats the two sides as equivalent. Tapping the left side, the right side, or both at once with two hands are all fully correct, and switching sides mid-stream is fine. A Maya who taps under her left eye today and her right eye tomorrow is doing nothing wrong either day.
The hands. Either hand taps. Many people settle into a habit, the dominant hand doing the work, and habits are fine; none of it is load-bearing.
What this lesson deliberately does not cover is the order in which the points are tapped and the words spoken while tapping them. The order belongs to the Basic Recipe, and the words begin with the Setup Statement, each a skill with its own full lesson in this course. Today is the alphabet; the sentences come later.
The Karate Chop Point
The Karate Chop point sits on the fleshy outer edge of the hand, along the side of the palm between the base of the little finger and the wrist. It is exactly where the hand would strike in a karate chop, which is how it got its name, and it is the easiest point in EFT to find: the soft, meaty edge of either hand, tapped with the fingertips of the other hand.
This point has a special job. It is not part of the eight-point sequence; instead, it is where EFT's famous opening phrase, the Setup Statement, is spoken at the start of the work. That statement, what it says, and the fascinating problem it was invented to solve all belong to the Setup Statement lesson later in this course, so here the point is simply placed on the map: outer edge of the hand, fleshy part, either hand, and its moment comes at the beginning.
The Eight Points of the Sequence
These are the eight points of the modern tapping sequence, presented in the top-to-bottom order they are usually shown in, each with its exact location, a tip for finding it, and the mistake that most often sends people astray.
Eyebrow. At the inner end of the eyebrow, right where the brow hair begins, beside the bridge of the nose. The finding tip: a fingertip placed on the bridge of the nose and slid a half inch toward either eye lands on it, on the small hard ridge of bone where the eyebrow starts. The common mistake is tapping the middle of the eyebrow instead of its inner end; the point lives at the start of the brow, not along its arc.
Side of Eye. On the bone at the outside corner of the eye, between the eye and the temple. The finding tip: the hard ridge of bone that frames the outer corner of the eye socket is the target, about a finger's width from the corner of the eye itself. The common mistake is drifting too far back onto the soft temple, which is the wrong spot and an unpleasant place to tap. Bone, not hollow: when the fingertip feels firm ridge rather than soft give, it has found home.
Under Eye. On the bone directly below the pupil, at the top of the cheekbone, about an inch under the eye when looking straight ahead. The finding tip: the hard upper edge of the cheekbone is unmistakable to a probing fingertip; the point sits on that ledge, centered under the pupil. The common mistake runs in two directions, either tapping the soft, delicate skin immediately under the eye, which calls for far more gentleness than the point requires, or sliding too far down the cheek off the bone entirely. This is naturally the point people tap most lightly, and light is exactly right here.
Under Nose. In the small groove between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip, the little vertical channel everyone has. The finding tip: there is only one groove there, and the point fills it. The common mistake is tapping so timidly that the point barely registers; the spot is small but not fragile, and the usual drum-on-a-desk firmness applies.
Chin. Despite the name, not on the chin itself but in the indentation midway between the lower lip and the tip of the chin, the natural crease below the mouth. The finding tip: a fingertip drawn straight down from the lower lip drops into the hollow almost immediately; that hollow is the point. The common mistake is taking the name literally and tapping the bony tip of the chin, a half inch too low.
Collarbone. The most-missed point in all of EFT, so it earns the longest entry. The point is not out along the collarbone, despite the name. It sits just below the small hard knob where the collarbone meets the breastbone, about an inch down and an inch to the side of the U-shaped notch at the base of the throat. The finding tip works every time: a fingertip placed in that soft U-shaped notch at the throat's base, moved straight down about an inch onto the breastbone, then slid an inch to either side, lands directly on it, in the soft spot just under the knob of the collarbone's inner end. Because the target is awkward to be precise about, many tappers cover it generously instead, patting the whole area with a flat hand or the front of a soft fist, which blankets the point completely and is regarded as a perfectly good way to tap it. The common mistake, made constantly, is tapping the middle of the collarbone itself, halfway out toward the shoulder, a couple of inches from the actual spot. When a Devon learns this point properly after months of tapping his mid-collarbone, he is in very large company.
Under Arm. On the side of the body, about four inches below the armpit, roughly level with the nipple on a man and with the middle of the bra band on a woman. The finding tip: where the side seam of a shirt runs, a hand's width down from the armpit; reaching across the body with the opposite hand makes it natural, so the right hand taps the left side and vice versa. The common mistake is tapping too high, up into the armpit itself, or curling too far forward onto the chest; the point lives squarely on the side of the ribcage.
Top of Head. At the crown, the center of the top of the skull. The finding tip: imagine a line running up from the top of one ear, over the head, to the other ear, and tap where that line crosses the head's center line; flat fingers of one hand tapping the crown cover it easily. The common mistake is landing too far forward, up at the hairline above the forehead, rather than at the true top. This point was a later addition to the standard sequence and has become the customary first or last stop, a detail the Basic Recipe lesson picks up.
That is the full map: one point on the hand, then eyebrow, side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin, collarbone, under arm, and the top of the head. Read top to bottom after the hand, the sequence simply travels down the face, down the torso, and finishes at the crown, which is why experienced tappers stop needing to think about it at all. The hands learn the route within days.
Gentler Variations
Tapping is the standard way of engaging the points, but it is not the only legitimate way, and EFT's own tradition treats the alternatives as full citizens rather than watered-down substitutes.
Touching and breathing. Instead of tapping, the fingertips simply rest on each point while the person takes a slow, full breath, then move to the next point. This variation, often called Touch and Breathe, suits people who find tapping physically jarring, anyone tender or bruise-prone, and moments where stillness feels better than rhythm.
Pressing and holding. A step firmer than touching: the point is pressed gently and held for several seconds. Some people simply prefer the feel of steady pressure to repeated taps, and the points accept either happily.
Discreet and imagined tapping. The points can be engaged quietly in public, a thumb pressing the Karate Chop point under a conference table, fingers resting at the collarbone spot as if in thought. And within the EFT community, vividly imagining the tapping, point by point, is used as a real variation in its own right, a favorite for the middle of the night when physical tapping would chase sleep away rather than invite it.
The reason these all count is the framework from the Discovery Statement lesson: in every explanation of EFT, the work happens through attention paired with the points, and tapping is simply the most popular way of keeping that pairing alive. A Sam holding his collarbone point on a crowded train, breathing slowly, is not doing a lesser version of EFT. He is doing EFT.
With the alphabet in hand, the course turns next to what gets measured and said while those points are engaged, beginning with the simple 0 to 10 scale that tells a tapper whether anything is actually changing.
Below this lesson, you'll find an Emotional Freedom Techniques practice built around one of the skills you just learned, along with a few ways to begin noticing and practicing it in everyday life this week.
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