Episode 31: Q&A Part 2
Listen in as we begin answering some questions that we have been sent by our Patreon members. In this episode we answer questions regarding EMDR Therapy as a top down vs bottom up approach. Is EMDR Therapy really a belief driven approach?
Q: I would appreciate hearing more about cognitive interweaves, common stuck places interventions, more in ego state work from an EMDR perspective.
A:
-Future series on Ego State to come!
-Ego state work happens on a spectrum
-Ego state is a kind of perspective shifting interweave
-Ego state can move toward developing relationships within the self
-The parts of the self that are characteristic of a behavior or symptom can also be the focus of Ego state work
-Ego state work is so creative
-Ego state work can be naturally integrated in all of the work that you do with EMDR, not just a single exercise
-Cognitive Interweaves can come from your therapeutic instincts, not just from a worksheet you received in training.
-Gently questioning can be a great format for a cognitive interweave
-Anything that is outside of the standard protocol is technically a cognitive interweave
-A cognitive interweave list vs the therapist as the instrument
-Look for what the missing piece is and offer a small piece to help shift the processing
Q: My main modality before learning EMDR has been emotionally focused therapy for couples and individuals which is more from a bottom up perspective. There are many places these modalities go together but I’m finding EMDR is more from a belief focused perspective and EFT is more from emotion up and running. Anything that helps merge these modalities would be so helpful.
A:
-EMDR does not have to be a top down approach. It does not have to be a belief focused approach
-EMDR can be the most valuable when it is utilized as a bottom up approach
-Why do some clinicians look at EMDR as a top down approach?
- We are looking to integrate a new concept into something that we already know
- The protocol highlights the positive and negative cognition as well as a tool to measure them
-Why do we believe that EMDR is actually a bottom up approach?
-How do you do EMDR as a bottom up approach?
-Utilize EFT as a tool for preparing and researching a client for EMDR Therapy
-Utilize bilateral to enhance the gains that they have with EFT
-EMDR with couples can be incredible, EFT can be another lens to view EMDR therapy