Most people assume they need to pick one.

EMDR or tapping or energy psychology. Choose your modality and commit.

As an international trauma therapist and coach working with clients around the world, I'd like to gently suggest that's the wrong question. Because tapping, EMDR, and energy psychology used in therapeutic coaching each do something fundamentally different. And using them together is what makes the work genuinely complete rather than just partially resolved.

They Each Do Something the Others Can't.

Tapping reduces the charge around distressing material without requiring the client to sit in it for more than a couple of seconds at a time.

It's fast, it's gentle, and it's always where I start.

EMDR reviews, releases, and repairs.

When something traumatic happens, the brain gets stuck at the worst part and doesn't know how the story started, or most importantly, that it ended. EMDR finds all the pieces of a memory, puts them in order, finds the end, and files the whole event into long-term memory. 

The difference between an IMAX movie playing every time you close your eyes and a paperback on a shelf you can choose to pick up.

Energy psychology adds one more layer that neither tapping nor EMDR covers on its own: the energetic imprint of an experience. This is the information we pick up in the air that is unsaid. 

Walking into a room where an argument just happened. The feeling of being in the presence of a specific person. The body carries this, especially after trauma, and it needs to be addressed and released for healing to be truly complete.

Here's How I Actually Decide What to Use First.

Always tapping.

Because it might be all we need.

I ask the client to focus on the worst part of the memory or feeling, give it a score on a scale of zero to ten, and then we tap. 

The Score Always Comes Down. 

If it drops significantly in one go — from a 9 to a 4, for example — another round of tapping will probably finish the job without any additional intervention.

If it only drops a couple of points, from a 9 to a 7, I know there's more that needs to come forward before the brain can let go. That's when I switch to EMDR, which is better for reviewing and making sense of material that's still tangled up.

Energy psychology techniques run throughout. Muscle testing and intention scripts help identify blocks and underlying traumas that also need clearing before the work is complete. This is what makes the process efficient rather than just thorough.

TFT or EFT. Yes, There's a Difference.

There are two schools of tapping, and most people only know one of them.

TFT, or Thought Field Therapy, was the original. 

Developed by Roger Callahan, it uses different sets of tapping points, called algorithms, depending on the issue. One for anxiety, one for trauma, one for addictive urges, one for jet lag, one for fear of spiders. Each one is specific to the problem at hand.

EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique, was developed by one of Callahan's students, Gary Craig. Craig felt that multiple algorithms were too complicated for clients to remember, so he simplified everything to one basic recipe for every issue. 

He also added NLP-influenced scripts, including the famous "Even though..." line that names what's currently true while opening space for something different.

I use TFT. Specifically the trauma algorithm, which became muscle memory long ago. It's exquisitely effective at reducing the charge around distressing material before we move into EMDR. 

I sometimes incorporate scripts and storytelling alongside it, but the TFT trauma sequence is my foundation. My long-term clients know it as well as I do.

What It Actually Feels Like. (Spoiler: A Lot Less Exhausting.)

A session that blends all three leaves you feeling resolved and at peace rather than wrung out.

Pure EMDR requires significant mental effort. The client has to work hard, and that work is taxing.

 Energy psychology allows the same shifts to happen much more gently and efficiently, which means you leave the session with more in the tank than you arrived with.

There's Also a Lot Less Talking Than Most People Expect. 

Analyzing without pausing to notice what's happening in the body doesn't resolve much. You don't chat your way through a massage or an acupuncture session. 

Energy psychology works the same way; focused on what you perceive and feel rather than what you can articulate. 

It's precisely that constant narration that makes traditional therapy so slow.

How to Find Someone Who Can Actually Do This.

Look for someone who is certified in EMDR, not just trained.

The certification process ensures a clinician genuinely understands trauma and knows how to work with it, not just how to administer a protocol. 

And then make sure that they have a separate body-centered approach too, like energy psychology or somatic experiencing. Many EMDR practitioners approach it primarily from a cognitive perspective, which in my experience at therapyjane doesn't get the same results as a body-based approach - so you need someone who is comfortable offering both.

Beyond the Credentials, Find Someone Who is Relational. 

A significant part of healing trauma in therapeutic coaching is having another person's nervous system present to help regulate yours while you revisit the hard stuff. That relational piece isn't a nice-to-have.

 For high-functioning trauma clients especially, it's often the most important variable of all.

Don't settle for someone who doesn't have it.

Ready to Experience What All Three Can Do Together? Work With an International Trauma Therapist and Coach

As an international trauma therapist and coach offering therapeutic coaching at therapyjane, I'm based in British Columbia and work with clients around the world. Wherever you are, we can work together.

When you're ready, here's how we begin:

• Book a One-Time Healing Session: Booking a one-time healing session is the fastest way to experience how tapping, EMDR, and energy psychology work together. One issue, one session, and you'll know by the end whether this is the right fit.
• Book Your Discovery Session: Ready for deeper work? Booking a discovery session is where we map your history, identify the patterns, and build a plan built around you.
• Get to Know Me First: Not quite ready? Fair enough. Have a look at my about page, read a few more posts, and get a feel for who I am and how I work. I'll still be here when you're ready.
• Show Up From Wherever You Are: A home office in Seoul, a kitchen table in Cape Town, a flat in Madrid. All you need is an internet connection and a private space. I'll handle everything else.

Other Ways to Work With Me

Understanding how these tools work together is one thing. Experiencing them is another. If you're ready to find out what tapping, EMDR, and energy psychology can do for you specifically, there are a few ways we can begin at therapyjane.

The fastest entry point is a One-Time Healing Session: one issue, one session, using whichever combination of tools is right for what you bring. No long-term commitment required.

If your patterns run deeper and you're ready for something more structured, Therapeutic Coaching is where the full toolkit comes together over time, built around a personalized plan that addresses your specific themes at the root. 

For practitioners wanting to bring these modalities into their own work, the Live and On-Demand Courses teach trauma-informed approaches in a way that is immediately usable in the room. And for case-specific guidance from someone who has been doing this work for twenty years, Consulting and Mentoring is available for therapists, coaches, and healers who want that.

Whatever you're carrying, there's a way in that fits where you are right now.

About the Author

Jane McCampbell Stuart is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Certified EMDR Therapist, and Certified Professional Co-active Coach based on an island in British Columbia, though her clients are scattered across the globe. With over 20 years of experience as a trauma therapist and having lived in four countries on two continents herself, she has a particular soft spot for the expats, executives, aid workers, and globally mobile humans who are brilliant at everything except sitting still. Her approach is deeply relational, clinically precise, and just a little bit magical. She gets in, gets to the root, and gets to work. And then she teaches you how to do it too.