A: There is confusion regarding the difference between the Movie Technique and Tell the Story. The biggest difference is that, in the Movie Technique, you run the event through your head silently, rather than talking about it out loud. The Movie Technique is usually used when the person is too traumatized by the event to discuss it or wants to keep the details private. Following are instructions for both.
Movie Technique: Give your event a title, as if it were a movie, and state how long it lasts from beginning to end. After assigning a SUD level to the distress associated with your movie, tap just on the movie title. Then recall the event silently, beginning at a neutral point. When you get distressed (reach an emotional crescendo), stop and tap on that point. You can choose a keyword from the event to tap on. After tapping, rewind (that is, replay in your mind what you tapped on to be sure it is now neutral). Then move forward by silently recalling more of the story. If you get distressed (reach an emotional crescendo), tap again on that segment of the movie. Continue this process until you reach the end of the event. Test your results by silently recalling the complete story beginning to end. You have succeeded in clearing the movie if you can watch it without symptoms of distress.
Tell the Story: You tell the story out loud, beginning from a neutral point. When you become distressed (reach an emotional crescendo), rate the SUD level, and then tap on that segment of the story until it is at 0. Repeat what you tapped on to be sure that it is neutral, and then move forward by telling more of the story. If you get distressed (reach an emotional crescendo) again, repeat the process of rating the SUD level and tapping on that segment. Continue in this manner until the story ends. Test your results by retelling the complete story beginning to end. You have succeeded in clearing the story if you can tell it without symptoms of distress. With Tell the Story, the event unfolds slowly. Since you tap only on crescendos, there is a great deal of starting and stopping in the telling. Each crescendo involves reevaluating the SUD level and developing new Setup Statements and Reminder Phrases.
–Valerie Lis, Expert EFT Practitioner
