Beyond Talk Therapy: What Clinical EFT and EMDR Have in Common
Clinical EFT and EMDR have a surprising amount in common, despite looking quite different on the surface.
Both approaches emerged from the observation that psychological distress is often maintained not just by thoughts, but by how upsetting experiences are stored in the nervous system. They both aim to reduce the emotional charge attached to memories, beliefs, and triggers.
Key Similarities
1. Both Work with Distressing Memories
Rather than simply talking about a problem, both Clinical EFT and EMDR help clients access specific experiences that are contributing to current symptoms.
For example:
Fear of speaking up in meetings
Social anxiety
A traumatic event
Childhood criticism
Relationship wounds
In both modalities, the practitioner helps the client connect with a target memory while remaining grounded in the present.
2. Both Use Bilateral Stimulation
This is one of the biggest overlaps.
EMDR uses:
Eye movements
Alternating taps
Alternating sounds
Clinical EFT practitioners often use:
Alternating tapping points
The Gamut Point Procedure
Eye movement sequences
Floor-to-ceiling eye rolls
Many advanced EFT protocols include bilateral stimulation elements that are very similar to those used in EMDR.
3. Both Reduce Emotional Intensity
In both approaches, clients assess distress levels before, during, and after processing.
EMDR typically uses:
SUDs (Subjective Units of Distress)
Clinical EFT uses:
SUD ratings (0–10 scale)
The goal is similar:
Reduce the emotional intensity associated with a memory until it no longer triggers the same physiological response.
4. Both Can Create Cognitive Shifts
Clients frequently report:
"I know it happened, but it doesn't bother me anymore."
"I see it differently now."
"I realise it wasn't my fault."
"I don't feel stuck there anymore."
In EMDR these are called cognitive interweaves or spontaneous adaptive insights.
In EFT, practitioners often observe reframes emerging naturally as emotional intensity decreases.
5. Both Are Memory Reconsolidation Approaches
From a neuroscience perspective, both appear to utilise aspects of memory reconsolidation.
The basic idea:
Activate an emotional memory.
Introduce new information or a new physiological state.
The brain updates the memory network.
The emotional charge decreases.
This is increasingly viewed as one of the core mechanisms underlying effective trauma therapies.
6. Both Work with the Body
Neither approach is purely cognitive.
Clients often notice:
Tightness in the chest
A knot in the stomach
Tension in the throat
Increased heart rate
Both modalities encourage awareness of bodily sensations as part of the processing experience.
Important Differences
Clinical EFT
Uses tapping on acupuncture points.
Includes explicit acceptance statements.
Often works through aspects of an issue systematically.
Can be used as a self-help tool.
Frequently combines cognitive reframing with somatic regulation.
EMDR
Uses structured phases and protocols.
Relies heavily on bilateral stimulation.
Does not typically use affirmations or setup statements.
Generally requires a trained therapist to administer.
Often focuses more directly on traumatic memory networks.
Why Many EFT Practitioners Notice the Overlap
Practitioners such as Peta Stapleton, Dawson Church, and some trauma-informed EFT trainers have noted that both methods appear to facilitate processing through simultaneous memory activation and nervous system regulation.
Many advanced EFT practitioners who learn EMDR report feeling that:
EMDR is more structured and protocol-driven.
Clinical EFT offers more flexibility.
Both can lead to remarkably similar outcomes when working with trauma, anxiety, phobias, and limiting beliefs.
A Deeper Perspective
One way of understanding both methods is that they help a person revisit a difficult experience without becoming overwhelmed by it.
The memory is activated, but the nervous system is simultaneously receiving signals of safety. Over time, the brain learns:
"This happened, but it is not happening now."
That shift is often where the healing occurs, whether the client is following an EMDR protocol or tapping through a Clinical EFT process.
For practitioners like yourself, one of the most interesting areas is how advanced EFT techniques such as Tell the Story, Movie Technique, Chasing the Pain, Tearless Trauma, and the 9-Gamut Procedure overlap with EMDR's use of titration, dual attention, and bilateral stimulation. The languages are different, but many of the underlying therapeutic principles are remarkably close.
Disclaimer:
While Clinical EFT and EMDR utilise different techniques and theoretical frameworks, this article does not suggest that the two approaches are identical. Rather, it explores areas of overlap observed in clinical practice and supported by emerging research, particularly around memory activation, emotional processing, nervous system regulation, and bilateral stimulation.
Sources and Further Reading
This article draws upon and cross-references information from the following sources:
Peta Stapleton, Dawson Church, A. Vasudevan & T. O'Keefe (2022). Clinical EFT as an evidence-based practice for the treatment of psychological and physiological conditions: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology.
EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) – About EMDR Therapy. Information regarding bilateral stimulation, memory reprocessing and the Adaptive Information Processing model.
EMDR Institute – What is EMDR?. Overview of EMDR's eight-phase protocol and mechanisms of action.