Like acupuncture, EFT is a therapy involving meridian points. These tapping points are important to the healing and movement of the energy flow in the body. So, mechanistically, EFT is sometimes referred to as meridian tapping technique.
What are meridians?
The mechanism of EFT is best understood when the meridian points are unraveled.
Meridians are the paths through which the energy of life flows, as understood in Chinese medicine.
The meridians may be considered to be the circuits of the bio-energy circulation of the human body. In Chinese medicine, there are 400 acupuncture points and 20 meridians that connect almost all of these points. Of the 20 meridians, there are 8 extraordinary paths or channels and 12 standard or regular channels. The 12 standard meridians are symmetrical and run on both sides of the body and are related to the specific organs.
Also referred to as the spiritual axis, the extraordinary meridians are the storehouse of energy and are associated with the internal organs. The two single meridians run along the midline of the body, one on the posterior end and the other on the anterior. Along these meridians there are several points that act as transformer units for energy flow to respective organs – muscles, visceral organs etc.
The points along the meridian are termed as meridian points and might become tender if negative energy has been held in the area or organ associated with that point. Consequently, disease, pain and emotional stress might occur. A tender point can cause pain and discomfort in the muscles surrounding those points. When the organ connected with the meridian is inflamed, diseased or affected, the meridian points might become irritated or painful. After using EFT, you might notice that the pain or discomfort has subsided or disappeared as a result of being stimulated by the tapping process.
This is a very interesting read of the studies done on EFT and it's effectiveness.
"A randomized controlled trial with a population of 59 veterans successfully treated for PTSD also identified a significant reduction in depressive symptoms after six 1-hour EFT sessions"
.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6381429/