What is EFT?

EFT is an acronym for Emotional Freedom Techniques. Based on the same concept as acupuncture - but without needles -  in Chinese medicine, it involves tapping on several points on the body to release emotional distress. EFT is easy to learn, portable (meaning that you can use it virtually anywhere without the aid of a therapist), non-invasive, and very effective! Schedule an appointment to learn EFT from the beginning, or visit EFT developer Gary Craig's excellent website www.emofree.com for a free downloadable manual, then contact me to help you refine your new EFT skills.


What is EMDR?
(from www.emdr.com website)
"Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies in structured protocols that are designed to maximize treatment effects. These include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies. EMDR is an information processing therapy and uses an eight phase approach.

During EMDR the client attends to past and present experiences in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. Then the client is instructed to let new material become the focus of the next set of dual attention. This sequence of dual attention and personal association is repeated many times in the session.

Eight Phases of Treatment

The first phase is a history taking session during which the therapist assesses the client's readiness for EMDR and develops a treatment plan. Client and therapist identify possible targets for EMDR processing. These include recent distressing events, current situations that elicit emotional disturbance, related historical incidents, and the development of specific skills and behaviors that will be needed by the client in future situations.

During the second phase of treatment, the therapist ensures that the client has adequate methods of handling emotional distress and good coping skills, and that the client is in a relatively stable state. If further stabilization is required, or if additional skills are needed, therapy focuses on providing these. The client is then able to use stress reducing techniques whenever necessary, during or between sessions. However, one goal is not to need these techniques once therapy is complete.

In phase three through six, a target is identified and processed using EMDR procedures. These involve the client identifying the most vivid visual image related to the memory (if available), a negative belief about self, related emotions and body sensations. The client also identifies a preferred positive belief. The validity of the positive belief is rated, as is the intensity of the negative emotions.

After this, the client is instructed to focus on the image, negative thought, and body sensations while simultaneously moving his/her eyes back and forth following the therapist's fingers as they move across his/her field of vision for 20-30 seconds or more, depending upon the need of the client. Athough eye movements are the most commonly used external stimulus, therapists often use auditory tones, tapping, or other types of tactile stimulation. The kind of dual attention and the length of each set is customized to the need of the client. The client is instructed to just notice whatever happens. After this, the clinician instructs the client to let his/her mind go blank and to notice whatever thought, feeling, image, memory, or sensation comes to mind. Depending upon the client's report the clinician will facilitate the next focus of attention. In most cases a client-directed association process is encouraged. This is repeated numerous times throughout the session. If the client becomes distressed or has difficulty with the process, the therapist follows established procedures to help the client resume processing. When the client reports no distress related to the targeted memory, the clinician asks him/her to think of the preferred positive belief that was identified at the beginning of the session, or a better one if it has emerged, and to focus on the incident, while simultaneously engaging in the eye movements. After several sets, clients generally report increased confidence in this positive belief. The therapist checks with the client regarding body sensations. If there are negative sensations, these are processed as above. If there are positive sensations, they are further enhanced.

In phase seven, closure, the therapist asks the client to keep a journal during the week to document any related material that may arise and reminds the client of the self-calming activities that were mastered in phase two.

The next session begins with phase eight, re-evaluation of the previous work, and of progress since the previous session. EMDR treatment ensures processing of all related historical events, current incidents that elicit distress, and future scenarios that will require different responses. The overall goal is produce the most comprehensive and profound treatment effects in the shortest period of time, while simultaneously maintaining a stable client within a balanced system.

After EMDR processing, clients generally report that the emotional distress related to the memory has been eliminated, or greatly decreased, and that they have gained important cognitive insights. Importantly, these emotional and cognitive changes usually result in spontaneous behavioral and personal change, which are further enhanced with standard EMDR procedures."

Kathy's note...While EMDR has been proven through many rigorous research studies to be a current "gold standard" in trauma treatment, its application is not limited to trauma. This approach is a therapeutic modality that requires the skills of a licensed and EMDR-trained therapist. Unlike EFT and TAT, it is not considered appropriate as a self-help technique.


What is TAT?
(from www.tatlife.com)

"A trauma occurs when life becomes unbearable and you tell it "No." Or variations on the theme which could include: "Hold it right there." "This is too much for me." "If this happens, I won't survive." This is not necessarily a conscious choice. It is a natural response to your life in that moment. This response sets up patterns of mental, emotional, and physical behavior and health. A blockage, or energy stagnation has just been put in place and your life has been impacted. It seems like a good idea at the time, but you lose the ability of distinguishing the difference between a truly life-threatening event and an event that merely has certain aspects that resemble the original traumatic event. It is as if life were a flowing stream, and at one point, out of fear, you roll a boulder into it to try to dam the flow in order to keep a traumatic event from happening to you. The water, of course, simply flows around the boulder, but in your life - in your body, mind and emotions - there is a blockage that wasn't there before. 

From the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a blockage of energy flow creates disease. If you consider the blockage as a boulder in your body's life flow, you can easily imagine that the life energy that would naturally be flowing along certain streams is going to be diverted. On the upstream side of the boulder, there will be dammed up energy, on the downstream side you will find a lack of energy. This creates emotional, mental and physical disharmony which is also known as a yin-yang imbalance. On one side is too much, on the other is not enough. The goal of Traditional Chinese Medicine is to achieve balance. 

TAT is a way of saying to your whole body-mind: "Have another look at this." It is an opportunity to change, based on taking a new look, rather than continuing to look away. By taking another look, within the context of TAT's direction of the body's energy flow, the charge that is still being held is removed from the past event and the event can now be integrated into your whole system."

Kathy's note: Like EMDR and EFT, TAT is not only useful for trauma, but is effective at resolving all types of psychological distress. And like EFT, TAT is a wonderful modality for use both in the therapist's office and as a self-help tool. I recommend that you first learn how to do TAT within the context of therapy, especially if the issue is trauma related. See Tapas' excellent website for free information on the TAT trauma protocol.

What is the Enneagram?
Under construction - stay tuned!