What is Tapas Acupressure Technique?
Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT) is a self-applied energy psychology method that combines holding acupressure points on the head with focused attention on emotional or physical concerns. Developed in 1993 by Tapas Fleming, a Licensed Acupuncturist in California, the practice involves holding acupressure points on your head (The TAT Pose) and going through a series of 9 statements. Practitioners apply light pressure to four areas of the head (inner corner of both eyes, one-half-inch above the space between the eyebrows, and the back of head) while placing attention on a series of verbal steps. Sessions typically take approximately 20-30 minutes.
TAT is classified within the broader field of energy psychology, which posits that emotional disturbances correlate with disruptions in the body’s energy system. TAT is classified as energy therapies as TAT claims to employ Qi (chi), though no scientifically plausible method of action is proposed for Tapas Acupressure Technique, instead relying on unvalidated putative energy and meridians with no identified biophysical or histological basis.
Origins & Lineage
Tapas Fleming became a Licensed Acupuncturist and began her practice in 1987, specializing in the treatment of allergies. She was using a combination of acupressure and acupuncture, based on the methods of Dr. Devi Nambudripad of Buena Park, California, who developed Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) in 1983.
Fleming describes the technique’s inception in distinctive terms: Tapas Acupressure Technique came to her after taking a nap in her office one day, waking up with the thought of a particular acupuncture point and how it could be used for healing a person’s whole system. The acupuncture point is called Urinary Bladder 1 (UB1) or “Eyes Bright” as it is called in Chinese. Though the full technique was invented in 1993, TAT incorporates elements from existing acupressure traditions.
TAT was originally intended to be an allergy elimination protocol, but the emphasis switched to emotional trauma. Fleming realized that in addition to relieving her patients’ allergic reactions, TAT was clearing the effects of their past stressful or traumatic experiences in an easy, gentle way.
How It’s Practiced
A TAT session follows a structured sequence. The practitioner or self-user assumes the “TAT Pose”: one hand touches three points on the face (the inner corners of both eyes near the bridge of the nose, and a point approximately one-half inch above the space between the eyebrows), while the other hand rests on the back of the head at the base of the skull. The technique does not involve tapping or movement—pressure remains gentle and static.
While holding this pose, the individual focuses attention on nine sequential statements that typically progress from acknowledging a problem or trauma, to releasing it, to integrating healing. The statements vary depending on the issue being addressed but follow a consistent therapeutic arc. With TAT you can heal without reliving anything, talking about it, digging for core issues or figuring anything out.
The process emphasizes passive receptivity rather than active processing. One holds the pose and the focus on the issue until there is a shift to new information, feelings or awarenesses about the issue. Sessions can be conducted individually or in groups, and TAT can be practiced individually or in groups.
Tapas Acupressure Technique Today
TAT is now taught and practiced internationally through multiple channels. Fleming offers private sessions, live webinars, workshops, and recorded materials through her organization TATLife. Research suggests that TAT can be effective in treating stress, anxiety, trauma, PTSD/PTSS, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and weight loss maintenance.
The technique has been studied in clinical research contexts. An article detailing the study using TAT for Weight Loss Maintenance conducted by Kaiser Permanente and funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine [Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 67-78]. TAT is part of a larger family of mind-body healing techniques collectively known as Energy Psychology, alongside Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Thought Field Therapy (TFT).
Some addiction treatment centers, mental health clinics, and integrative health practitioners incorporate TAT as a complementary approach. It appears most commonly in contexts that embrace energy psychology frameworks and alternative healing modalities.
Common Misconceptions
TAT is not acupuncture—it requires no needles and involves only light touch on the skin surface. It does not involve tapping, distinguishing it from its better-known cousin, EFT. While Fleming’s personal narrative describes the technique emerging from a nap-induced insight, TAT developed within the context of her formal acupuncture training and clinical practice with allergy treatment.
The technique’s theoretical foundation remains contested. A 2005 review of so-called “Power Therapies” concluded that TAT and similar techniques “offered no new scientifically valid theories of action, show only non-specific efficacy, show no evidence that they offer substantive improvements to extant psychiatric care, yet display many characteristics consistent with pseudoscience”. Proponents point to clinical reports and some published research; critics note the lack of established physiological mechanisms and limited rigorous controlled trials specific to TAT (as opposed to the broader energy psychology field).
TAT should not be viewed as a replacement for conventional mental health treatment, particularly for serious psychiatric conditions. While research on energy psychology as a field shows some promise, TAT itself has been studied far less extensively than techniques like EFT.
How to Begin
Those interested in exploring TAT have several entry points. Fleming’s workbook You Can Heal Now: The Tapas Acupressure Technique (1999) provides written instructions and self-guided protocols. The TATLife website (tatlife.com) offers instructional videos, recorded webinars, and tutorials that demonstrate the pose and statement sequences.
Because TAT is designed for self-application, individuals can learn the basic protocol independently. However, Fleming also trains practitioners who offer guided sessions. The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) includes TAT within its broader educational framework for energy psychology methods.
For those exploring energy psychology approaches, comparing TAT with related methods like EFT may clarify which approach resonates more strongly with individual preferences—EFT’s active tapping versus TAT’s static holding, EFT’s longer protocols versus TAT’s fixed nine-step structure.