Tapping therapy may relieve anxiety

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- A new therapy appears to be relieving stress, phobias, and even post traumatic stress instantly.

It's called the Emotional Freedom Technique -- or "tapping".

"It tells your body that that stressful thought you're having isn't a real threat to your survival. And once you break the association in your mind between the stressful thought and the fight or flight response one time, it stays broken," explains Dr. Dawson Church from the Foundation for Epigenetic Medicine.

Dawson and other researchers have published small scale studies which show some positive results. However, some experts are not convinced. A Canadian study found that while tapping acupressure points did show a a decrease in anxiety, so did tapping other body parts -- or even a doll.

"Has this tapping therapy been proven effective? We don't think so at this point," said Rhea Faberman of the American Psychological Association.

The APA suggests consulting with a mental health professional before considering tapping as a form a treatment for yourself.