Frequently asked questions

EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique. It's a self-help method where you gently tap with your fingertips on a sequence of acupressure points on your face, collarbone and hand — while focusing on a feeling, memory or worry that's bothering you.

The tapping calms the brain's threat response (the amygdala), lowers the stress hormone cortisol, and teaches your nervous system that the feeling is allowed to be there and that you're safe. It's been studied for over 25 years and has growing evidence for anxiety, stress and emotional overwhelm.

Standard EFT scripts use generic phrases like "even though I have this anxiety". The Journal Tapping Method does something different: your child writes a short journal entry first, and Nova builds the tapping script using their own exact words.

Specific, personal language reaches the nervous system in a way generic scripts can't. It's the difference between "even though I'm anxious" and "even though Mrs Patel calling on me in maths makes my chest go tight". The second one actually shifts something.

Nova is the AI guide built into the app. She reads your journal entry, follows Michelle's exact session rules, and creates a personalised 3-round tapping script. After every script she asks you to check your SUDS score (a 0–10 number for how strong the feeling is). If you're not at 0 or 1 yet, she creates the next script. She keeps going until the feeling has settled.

Nova never gives advice, never replaces a therapist, and never stores anything she shouldn't. She has one job: to walk children, teens and parents through proper EFT tapping with their own words.

Yes. EFT has more than 100 peer-reviewed studies, including randomised controlled trials. Research has shown measurable effects on cortisol, heart rate variability, and self-reported anxiety. The American Psychological Association has classified Clinical EFT as an "evidence-based" practice for several conditions.

That said: The Journal Tapping Method is a self-help guide, not a clinical treatment. It works alongside — not instead of — professional support when that's needed.

The child and teen track is designed for ages 9–18. Younger children (under 9) usually need a parent to do the tapping with them rather than reading the script themselves — in that case the parent track works beautifully.

The parent track is for any adult: parents, carers, grandparents, foster carers, kinship carers. Anyone holding the emotional weight of a household.

Most sessions take between 10 and 20 minutes. A short journal entry takes 2–3 minutes to write, each tapping script is around 3 minutes, and most things settle in 1–3 scripts. Bigger or older feelings can take longer — Nova just keeps going until the SUDS number reaches 0 or 1.

As often as you need. Some families use it once or twice a week to clear whatever has built up. Others use it daily during a hard period — exam season, a new school, after a tough event. There's no minimum and no "right" frequency. The Personal Peace Procedure (a separate feature) is designed for steady, ongoing work on a list of memories or worries one at a time.

Just a phone, tablet or laptop. The tapping uses your own fingertips on your own body — no apps to buy, no devices, no kit. A quiet 10 minutes is all you need.

You can read every page of this site — including the full method explanation and several free resources — before you subscribe. Membership unlocks unlimited Nova sessions, the journal, the Personal Peace Procedure, and the full video and audio library. See the membership page for current trial terms.

It depends on age and temperament.

• Under 12: usually yes — sit nearby, tap along, be a calm presence.
• 12–15: ask them. Many teenagers prefer to do it alone because the journal entry is private. Respecting that privacy is part of why it works.
• 16+: almost always alone. The journal entry is for them, not you.

If your child is in distress, of course stay with them. The method is meant to support connection, not replace it.

The journal is split into two profiles: an adult profile for the parent and a child profile for the child. Each can be locked with its own PIN, so a child's entries stay private from a parent and a parent's entries stay private from a child. This isn't about secrecy — it's about safety. Children write more honestly when they know no one is reading over their shoulder, and the method only works on what's actually written.

Parents do retain control of when sessions can be started: a separate parent password gates the start of each Nova session, so parents stay aware that practice is happening.

Absolutely — and please do. The parent track is built for adult worry, guilt, overwhelm, anger and exhaustion. When parents regulate, the whole home regulates. That's not a slogan, it's neuroscience: children's nervous systems mirror the regulated adults around them. Your tapping helps your child more than you'd think.

That's normal — especially for teenagers. The journal entry is the magic here: they don't have to talk to anyone. They write a few lines, Nova reads it, and the tapping starts. Many parents tell us their children are more honest with the journal than they'd ever be face-to-face. The privacy is the point.

If they really won't engage at all, lead by example. Use the parent track yourself for a couple of weeks. Children watch what we do far more than what we say.

No. The Journal Tapping Method is a self-help EFT guide. It is not therapy, not counselling, not a medical treatment, and not a substitute for professional mental health support. Nova is an AI guide — not a therapist.

Many families use it alongside therapy and tell us their therapist is supportive. If you're not sure whether to use it, ask the professional already supporting your child.

Please reach out to a real human, right now:

• Childline — 0800 1111 (free, 24/7, under-19s)
• Samaritans — 116 123 (free, 24/7, all ages)
• Shout — text SHOUT to 85258
• YoungMinds Parents Helpline — 0808 802 5544
• In immediate danger — 999 or your nearest A&E

EFT tapping is not appropriate as a first response to a crisis. Get the right support, and come back to the tapping later when things have settled.

For most diagnoses (anxiety, OCD, ADHD, depression, sensory difficulties, autism), parents tell us EFT works well alongside their existing treatment. For trauma, eating disorders, psychosis, or anything where a clinician is actively involved, please ask the clinician first. They know your child. We don't.

EFT is designed for exactly this — you bring the feeling up in order to settle it. The tapping signals safety to the nervous system while the feeling is present, and that's what allows it to release. If a session ever leaves your child more activated rather than calmer, stop, sit with them, and reach out for support if needed.

£12.99 a month. One subscription covers the whole household — both parent and child profiles, unlimited Nova sessions, the journal, the Personal Peace Procedure, and the full video and audio library.

Yes — cancel whenever you like, no penalty, no questions asked. You'll keep access until the end of the current billing month, and you won't be charged again. If you subscribed inside the iOS app, you cancel through your Apple ID subscriptions. If you subscribed on the website, manage it from your account page or email us.

If something has gone wrong — you were charged twice, the app didn't work, you cancelled but were billed — email michelle@journaltapping.co.uk and we'll sort it. App Store purchases are refunded by Apple directly through reportaproblem.apple.com.

On the website: all major debit and credit cards, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. In the iOS app: payment is handled by Apple through your Apple ID, using whatever payment method you have on file with them.

Yes — one membership, one account, both places. Sign in with the same email on the app and your subscription is recognised automatically. The same is true the other way: subscribe in the app, sign in on the website, full access.

Journal entries are stored encrypted on our database (Supabase, hosted in the EU) so you can read your own entries back across devices. They're only visible to the account they belong to. We don't sell, share or use journal content for any other purpose — including AI training. Adult profiles can be locked with a PIN so a child cannot read a parent's entries, and vice versa.

The full details — what we collect, how long we keep it, your rights under UK GDPR — are on the privacy policy page.

Yes — that's how it builds the tapping script from your child's own words. We use Claude, Anthropic's AI model, for that step. Your journal entry is sent to Claude, the script is generated, and it comes back. Anthropic does not train their models on user inputs sent through their API. Nothing is shared with any third party beyond what's needed to generate the script.

No. We don't sell, rent or share user data with advertisers, marketers or data brokers — ever. The only third parties we use are the technical services that make the app work (hosting, payments, the AI that generates scripts). They're listed in the privacy policy.

The app is rated 9+ on the App Store. There are no ads, no in-app purchases beyond the membership itself, no chat with strangers, no social features, and no external links inside the child experience. Child profiles can be PIN-protected and Nova sessions can require a parent password to start — so the parent stays in control of when and how often it's used.

From the login screen, tap "Forgot PIN?" and we'll email a reset link to the email on your account. The link expires after one hour for safety. You can change your PIN any time from Settings → Security.

Yes. Sign in with the same email and password on any device — phone, tablet, laptop — and your journal, peace list and session history sync automatically.

Open Settings → Account → Delete account in the app, or email michelle@journaltapping.co.uk from your account email. Your subscription is cancelled, all your journal entries and peace memories are permanently deleted, and your account is removed within 7 days. This cannot be undone.

We're in early conversations with EFT practitioners, therapists and school wellbeing leads about a practitioner version. If that's of interest, please get in touch and we'll add you to the list.