Do This to Cut Cortisol by 43%, Relieve PTSD, & Rewire Your Nervous System - With Jessica Ortner

Summary of Do This to Cut Cortisol by 43%, Relieve PTSD, & Rewire Your Nervous System - With Jessica Ortner

by Shawn Stevenson

1h 7m•May 4, 2026
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Overview of The Model Health Show episode with Jessica Ortner

In this episode, Shawn Stevenson speaks with Jessica Ortner, co-founder of The Tapping Solution and author of Rewired, about emotional freedom technique (EFT), also known as tapping. The conversation explains how tapping combines acupressure-style points with nervous system regulation to help reduce stress, calm panic, and “rewire” the body’s automatic threat responses. They cover the science behind tapping, including studies on cortisol, PTSD, pain, cravings, and gene expression, and Jessica walks listeners through a simple tapping routine they can use right away.

Main Takeaways

  • Stress lives in the body, not just the mind.
    When the nervous system is activated, logic and rational thinking can go offline, which is why “just calm down” usually doesn’t work.

  • Tapping sends a calming signal through the nervous system.
    By stimulating specific points with high concentrations of nerve endings, tapping appears to interrupt stress loops and help the brain register safety.

  • Anxiety is often a protection response, not a personal flaw.
    Jessica reframes anxiety as the nervous system trying to keep you safe based on past experiences and familiar patterns.

  • You are not your patterns.
    A central message of the episode is that repeated thoughts and reactions can feel like identity, but they are changeable patterns—not fixed truth.

Research Highlighted

Cortisol reduction

A replicated study found that EFT tapping reduced cortisol by 43%, compared with 19% in a psychoeducation group. This was presented as evidence that tapping affects measurable stress physiology, not just subjective feelings.

PTSD and trauma

A VA-related study with veterans found that after 30 sessions:

  • 90% of the tapping group no longer qualified as having PTSD
  • only 4% in standard care reached that outcome

Follow-up results remained strong:

  • 86% still in remission at 3 months
  • 80% still in remission at 6 months

Jessica also mentioned a meta-analysis showing an exceptionally large effect size for tapping in PTSD research.

Pain, cravings, and brain imaging

They discussed research showing tapping can:

  • reduce physical pain and flare-ups
  • reduce food cravings
  • change brain activity in response to triggering images, including in obesity-related craving studies

Gene expression

Jessica noted that studies have found tapping may influence gene expression in ways linked to:

  • lower inflammation
  • improved immune markers

How Tapping Works

Jessica explains tapping as a blend of:

  • acupressure points
  • mechanoreceptor stimulation
  • nervous system signaling
  • memory reconsolidation
    When you bring up a memory while tapping, the memory can be “updated” with a new feeling of safety instead of re-saving the same panic response.

How to Do Tapping

The 9 tapping points

Jessica walked through the standard EFT points:

  1. Side of the hand
  2. Eyebrow
  3. Side of the eye
  4. Under the eye
  5. Under the nose
  6. Chin / under the mouth
  7. Collarbone
  8. Under the arm
  9. Top of the head

Basic process

  1. Rate your stress from 0–10
  2. State what you feel honestly
  3. Tap through the points while acknowledging the emotion
  4. End with a calming or reassuring statement
  5. Re-rate the stress level

Important principle

Don’t rush straight into positivity.
Jessica emphasized that the nervous system first needs to feel seen and acknowledged before it can settle.

Best Applications Mentioned

Tapping was described as useful for:

  • anxiety and panic
  • sleep issues and racing thoughts
  • trauma and PTSD
  • fear of flying and phobias
  • physical pain
  • cravings and compulsive eating
  • stress around money, work, and relationships
  • emotional overwhelm for first responders and caregivers

Notable Insights

  • “The mind follows the body.”
    Changing the body’s stress state can make it easier to change thoughts and behaviors.

  • “You don’t have to believe everything you think.”
    One of the episode’s clearest themes is that anxious thoughts are not facts.

  • Tapping is an “emergency tool.”
    It’s designed for the moments when meditation, rational self-talk, or traditional coping tools are not enough.

Resources Mentioned

  • Jessica Ortner’s book: Rewired
  • The Tapping Solution app
  • The Tapping Solution YouTube channel and social media
  • Shawn also encouraged listeners to share the episode and try the technique themselves

Bottom Line

This episode makes the case that tapping is a simple, accessible, and surprisingly well-researched tool for calming the nervous system. Rather than trying to think your way out of stress, tapping gives the body a way to signal safety first—often leading to real improvements in anxiety, trauma symptoms, pain, and even cravings.