Tap away Chocolate & Food Cravings
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Many people feel confused or frustrated by food cravings.
You might know you’re not truly hungry… yet the urge for chocolate, sugar, or snacks feels strong, urgent, and hard to resist.
If this sounds familiar, you are not lacking willpower. Food cravings are brain-nervous system driven, and not just about discipline.
This is where Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT / Tapping) can help.
Cravings are often misunderstood. They are not simply about hunger.
They are usually connected to:
• Stress and overwhelm
• Emotional comfort and reward
• Habit loops in the brain
• Blood sugar dips and fatigue
• Learned coping patterns
• Emotional memories and associations
For example:
Chocolate after a stressful day
Snacks while working or watching TV
Sugar when feeling tired or low
Comfort foods when feeling lonely or anxious
Over time, the brain learns:
Food = relief
This becomes an automatic emotional habit loop.
When you crave a food, your brain activates the reward system and releases dopamine.
This creates:
anticipation
urgency
emotional pull
At the same time, the nervous system may be trying to regulate stress.
So the craving is not just about taste — it’s about soothing the nervous system.
This is why willpower alone rarely works long-term.
EFT works by combining:
Gentle focus on the craving
Nervous system calming through tapping
Rewiring the emotional connection to food
Instead of fighting the craving, we listen to it safely and allow the brain to update the pattern.
What Happens in the Brain During Tapping
When you tap while focusing on a craving:
1. The stress response calms
Tapping sends safety signals to the nervous system.
This reduces the “urgent” feeling of the craving.
The craving often drops in intensity within minutes.
2. Emotional triggers are processed
Many cravings are linked to emotions such as:
stress
boredom
sadness
fatigue
overwhelm
Tapping helps the brain process these feelings instead of numbing them with food.
3. The reward loop weakens
The brain learns a new message:
“I can feel this urge and still be okay.”
This breaks the automatic link between: emotion → food → relief
4. Emotional memories can shift
Sometimes cravings are linked to early experiences:
treats as rewards
food as comfort
family traditions
childhood coping patterns
Tapping allows the brain to update these emotional associations.
What Clients Often Notice
After tapping on cravings, people commonly report:
• The urge feels weaker
• The urgency disappears
• They feel calmer
• They can choose rather than react
• The craving sometimes disappears completely
Many people say: “I still like chocolate — but it no longer feels in control of me.”
Why This Is Different From Dieting
Dieting uses restriction and willpower.
Tapping works with the nervous system and emotional brain.
Instead of:“I shouldn’t eat this.”
We help the brain learn:“I don’t need this to cope anymore.”
This creates change that feels natural and sustainable.
Tapping Can Help With Many Cravings
EFT can be used for:
• Chocolate and sugar cravings
• Emotional eating
• Night-time snacking
• Stress eating
• Comfort foods
• Binge urges
• Caffeine cravings
• Salty snack cravings
Because the real target is not the food —it’s the emotional and nervous system drivers behind the urge.
A Gentle and Compassionate Approach
Cravings are not a personal failure.They are a sign your nervous system is trying to help you cope.
Tapping offers a kind and effective way to:
understand the urge
calm the body
change the pattern
regain choice around food
Final Thoughts
You don’t need more willpower. You need your nervous system on your side.
When the emotional charge behind cravings softens, food can return to being just food — not a coping strategy.
If you’re curious about using EFT for food cravings, this can be explored safely and gently in sessions.
GUN MESKANEN HOPKINS – registered Mental Health Clinician
ACCREDITED MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL WORKER,
Certified Evidence-Based EFT and BUTEYKO BREATHING PRACTITIONER
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