What are Meridians?

You don't need to know anything about Chinese Medicine to use EFT. This page is purely for those of you who like to know all the background of things.

Meridians are central to Traditional Chinese Medicine, which has been the primary form of medicine in China for more than 5000 years. They are pathways in the body, which energy flows along. Meridian are usually associated with an organ, so there are meridians for Stomach, Spleen, Gall Bladder, Liver and others.

Pictures of where each meridian runs in the body

Traditional Chinese Medicine is about achieving balance in what's called the 5 element system, and between the yin & the yang.

The Five Elements each include two meridians, one Yin, one Yang (except Fire, which has two pairs) and are associated with certain emotions. There are also two extra meridians called Central and Governing, which like overseers of the whole system. If either of these is out of balance, the whole system will be.

One of the ways that Chinese physicians diagnose is by feeling the different pulses in the body and seeing how deep, fast & strong they are. They will also look at your tongue, and ask lots of questions about how your body is functioning. Some of the questions may seem to have no relevance to the problem you're consulting them about. Imbalances can be treated with acupuncture, herbs, food & Tai Chi like exercises.

The following chart shows the tapping points, and which meridians they are on.

This does not necessarily mean that if your issue is anger, for example, the Wood elements will be most affected. We still use all points for all issues, as more than one meridian is usually involved in any situation.