EMDR vs. IEMT - What's the difference? A clear guide to help you choose.

If you’ve been looking into ways to overcome trauma, anxiety, or stuck emotional patterns quickly, effectively and without hours of talking about yourself and your problems - then you’ve probably come across two names: EMDR and IEMT. Both are powerful therapeutic approaches that help the brain process difficult emotions and experiences - but they do it in slightly different ways.

At The Better Brain Company, we often get asked what sets these two apart, and which might be the best fit for you. This guide will walk you through:

• What EMDR and IEMT are

• How they are similar

• How they differ

• How to decide which approach might suit you best

What is EMDR and how does it work?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It was developed to help people process traumatic memories that remain “stuck” in the brain. It's based on a theory known as the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which explains how EMDR helps the brain restart its natural healing process by making sense of stuck memories. Normally, our brains naturally make sense of difficult experiences, process them and file them away - but when trauma overwhelms the system, memories and emotions can be left in their active, "raw state" - leading to an overreactive nervous system and ongoing distress. Careful exploration and processing using bilateral stimulation can help the brain process and move those memories along, so they, too, can be filed away as a historical impression rather than an ongoing sensory experience.

To achieve this, EMDR uses a structured eight-phase process involving:

• History-taking and preparation

• Identifying specific traumatic memories and negative beliefs

• Bilateral stimulation (usually, but not always, eye movements) processing

• Installing positive beliefs

• Checking physical sensations

• Closure and follow-up
  

Clients often report that EMDR sessions bring shifts in emotions and perspectives, gradually reducing distress and helping them feel more in control.

What is IEMT and how does it work?

IEMT stands for Integral Eye Movement Therapy. It also works with stuck emotions and trauma, helping the brain complete its processing in much the same way, so the emotional reaction is no longer intruding in the client's present experience and they can choose rational, calm responses rather than being in the grip of their emotional brain.

IEMT is slightly different, however, in that it focuses more on how emotional patterns and aspects of identity got "installed" or learned in the first place, and remain active in the present.

Instead of targeting specific past events, IEMT asks clients to explore present negative emotional experiences and trace them back to their earliest clear memories of feeling that way. It uses carefully calibrated eye movements to help change the kinaesthetic state - the felt sense of the emotion - and to update how these emotional imprints are held in the body and mind. Identity also comes into the equation:

• How the client sees/experiences different aspects of themselves in "stuck" situations (if you always feel like a 12 year old child in a boardroom full of adults, for example!)

• The influence of key figures and external influences on those emotional imprints
  

This is generally processed using a different pattern of eye movements, and often leads to rapid shifts in how clients feel and relate to themselves - helping them access previously 'blocked' internal resources and break free from old emotional loops, without needing to revisit the detail of traumatic memories.

IEMT tends to be exploratory, rather than being based on a step-by-step protocol - gently "untangling the ball of wool" as we go along, and adapting to the client's changing state in the moment. Unlike EMDR, IEMT also considers how the somatic (physical) state might be impacting the "stuck" emotions as part of a feedback loop, so the client can learn to physically 'release' heightened emotion in the future. And, last but certainly not least, at the core of IEMT is psychoeducation - helping clients break free from their Patterns of Chronicity - behavioural and emotional 'loops' that tend to keep us repeating the same patterns in our lives, rather than making changes and moving forward positively.

How are EMDR and IEMT similar?

As we've discovered so far, both IEMT and EMDR:

• Aim to help the brain complete unfinished processing and release stuck, overpowering emotional response patterns

• Use eye movements or other bilateral stimulation as a tool to support change

• Work beyond words - they engage the brain and body in healing at a deeper, neural level rather than using words to analyse or describe - or as a great practitioner once put it, they facilitate "change at the neurological level to generate an outcome at the cognitive level"

• Help clients access resources and new perspectives without being overwhelmed

• Can lead to rapid and lasting shifts in emotional experience

  
  

It's also fair to say that both EMDR and IEMT tend to be used as part of the therapist's 'toolkit' rather than as standalone therapies. While they can both be incredibly powerful and effective, it's important that they are used by a professional with a strong background in mental health, therapy or psychology, who understands how to use them within the context of the client's overall goals and needs.

As great "troubleshooting" techniques it can be tempting to think that just quickly applying them to whatever is troubling us will get it gone and help us move forward - and in some cases that's absolutely true! But an experienced eye will also read between the lines, guide us gently and safely through the process, and help us ensure that change will be lasting and supported by exploring any other areas that may need some attention.

What are the main differences between EMDR and IEMT?

Whilst on the surface they might appear similar because of the eye movement processing, IEMT and EMDR do have some key differences, which I'll illustrate below:

Aspect	EMDR	IEMT
Focus	Specific traumatic memories and negative beliefs	Emotional patterns and identity imprints that negatively impact current experience
Approach	Structured 8-phase protocol, identifying and exploring the target memory as an event, processing and reprogramming with positive cognitions	Exploratory and adaptive, working on a negative emotion and releasing the 'pins' that hold it in place so the client can access their own more positive, rational & relevant perspective
Reprogramming techniques	Bilateral stimulation during memory reprocessing can involve horizontal eye movements, tapping, auditory or other physical stimuli.	Calibrated eye movements along multiple axes to change kinaesthetic (emotional) & identity referencing state. The therapist may also incorporate Physiological State Accessing Cues - working non-invasively with body position for somatic release.
How much talking is there?	Typically involves talking about memories but can be non-disclosure based	No exploration of specific memory content, can work without full disclosure of trauma or emotions
Psychoeducation and Ongoing Emotional Development	May be incorporated by the therapist depending on their clinical grounding	Learning about the Patterns of Chronicity behind behavioural/thought loops is a key part of the process. May be incorporated within an existing therapeutic framework.
Typical Duration	8-12 sessions is typical but it can be effective in fewer sessions; or sometimes more depending on client needs.	Can be effective in 2-3 sessions but may be 8-12 or more, depending on client needs and desires.
Client Experience	Structured, with phases of preparation and closure	Fluid, exploratory, less direct focus on negative memory content

Which approach might be right for me?

EMDR and IEMT are both therapies which are best fully understood by experiencing them in person! They effectively work towards the same outcome of alleviating "stuck" emotion, but approach that in subtly different ways. Both can be extremely effective, but perhaps the most important element of all is choosing the therapist that feels like the right fit - studies have shown over and over that this is one of the key factors to influence therapeutic outcomes. If you're not sure you're ready for either, yet, or if you feel like you wouldn't know where to begin, perhaps the best approach is to arrange an initial chat with a therapist who can help answer any questions and allay any fears you may have. It may even be that starting with a different therapeutic approach that doesn't directly target trauma and heightened emotions would feel better and more manageable for you initially - your therapist will be able to guide you and help you work out what might be most appropriate. We often like to support our clients with gentle Solution-Focused therapy and hypnotherapy along the way, to help regulate and manage those emotional reactions and provide a framework for the process of positive change.

How can I find a qualified EMDR or IEMT practitioner?

Look for therapists who:

• Are fully trained and accredited in EMDR or IEMT

• Have experience working with clients outside of these modalities, too

• Offer a safe, respectful space where you feel heard and supported

• Use a client-centred, collaborative approach
  

At The Better Brain Company, we practice IEMT along with Solution-Focused therapies, and can help you explore which approach might suit you best.

About the author

Abi Rogers is a Solution-Focused therapist and founder of The Better Brain Company. She specialises in helping ambitious people overcome emotional blocks and trauma using evidence-based, compassionate approaches including IEMT.

Learn more at www.betterbraincompany.com/about

View Abi's profile on Gravatar.