Can You Tap Your Way to Success?

An expert explains how tapping is reshaping mindsets at the highest level. 

In a world that demands constant decisiveness, public composure, and rapid-fire problem-solving, performance is no longer measured solely by output, but by how effectively someone can manage their internal state when the stakes are highest.

One of the more unexpected tools now circulating in these high-pressure circles is tapping – a technique involving rhythmic stimulation of specific points on the body, paired with focused language, to influence mental and emotional states. Advocates claim it can restore clarity and control in minutes, whilst sceptics are sure to brand the technique as ‘woo-woo’. The truth, as ever, sits somewhere between the two.

Few people understand that nuance better than Poppy Delbridge, founder of Rapid Tapping. A former executive herself, Delbridge began refining the method after noticing a recurring pattern among clients in demanding roles: capability was rarely the issue, but overloaded nervous systems were.

“Modern performance isn’t just about strategy or intelligence,” Delbridge explains. “It’s about your state of being before, during, and after high-pressure moments. When stress levels are elevated, decision-making narrows, creativity drops, and emotional reactivity increases.”

Rapid Tapping, she says, works by sending calming signals to the brain through the body. By tapping on specific points on the face and upper body – areas linked to the nervous system ­the brain begins to move out of fight-or-flight and back into a state of safety.

While Rapid Tapping has found particular favor among executives, creatives, and public figures – and was recently nominated for a Prix Galien Award, often likened to a Nobel Prize for life-science innovation – the technique itself is not new. It is a descendant of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), which has been examined in clinical settings since the late 1990s.

See also: Wellness or Woo-Woo? The Trending Experiences Everyone’s Trying

In a trial published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, participants using EFT showed a statistically significant reduction in cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, compared with those receiving talking therapy or no intervention. Additional studies have reported improvements across psychological and physical markers following structured EFT programs, suggesting measurable effects on the stress response.

Delbridge is open about her own early doubts when she first encountered tapping in 2010, but insists the mechanism aligns with what we now understand about stress regulation.

“When we tap on specific points on the face and upper body, we’re stimulating areas linked to the nervous system, particularly those responsible for stress responses,” she says. “When you combine that with focused language, visualization, and intention, the brain begins to move back into a state of system safety. From there, clarity, creativity, and emotional regulation return very quickly.”

Speed is part of the appeal. Delbridge contrasts Rapid Tapping with traditional EFT – which often involves longer scripts or therapeutic framing – describing her version as a lifestyle tool: short, repeatable, and adaptable to modern professional life. Data from the Rapid Tapping app suggests that 96 percent of users report an improvement in mood within minutes, a metric that helps explain its popularity among executives operating at pace.

See also: Is Health the Ultimate Status Symbol? Inside the Rise of Full Health MOTs

For newcomers, Delbridge recommends starting with something tangible – stress, pressure or mental overload – and paying attention to what changes.

“You don’t need to believe in it,” she says. “Tap for two or three minutes while acknowledging what you’re feeling, then check in again. The changes are often subtle but immediate: a drop in tension, slower breathing, clearer thinking.”

In a culture where elite performers meticulously optimize sleep, diet, movement, and focus, stepping aside for a few minutes of body-based regulation no longer feels particularly radical. Framed as a performance ritual rather than therapy, tapping offers a private, efficient way to reset, with no equipment required. “It’s not about fixing anything,” Delbridge says. “It’s about recalibrating your internal state so you can meet life from a place of clarity and steadiness.”

So, can tapping really help you tap into success? Maybe. Or maybe it simply reflects what many high performers have long understood instinctively: that success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about the state you bring to it. And if a few minutes of rhythmic tapping helps create that state, it may be worth keeping an open mind.