Trauma Aid UK (TAUK) – Current projects

The application and the success of the EMDR-AIP model has led to the understanding of how pervasive trauma is in a large number of emotional and mental disorders (Ross 2000), and the crucial role played by implicit pathogenic memories in development of psychopathology (Hoffman and Hase, 2012). This has also brought the understanding of what acute trauma shares with other types of trauma (specifically attachment trauma) and in what aspects it is different, forcing us to adapt certain aspects of the standard protocol to patients whose problems are related to attachment trauma implicit memories. Adult attachment trauma patients present certain problems for the application of standard protocol as: history taking is deregulating an evocative (Steele 2016), due to attachment blindness (Siegel 2012) they have difficulties relating present problems to past events and are unable to present targets for processing, they present highly defensive-controlling strategies or destabilized structures, with difficulties maintaining dual focus, being either too much in control or overwhelmed by memories.

Due to this, the application of EMDR in these patients requires certain modifications in the standard protocol. These patients also require specific interventions within the EMDR-AIP working model enriched by the findings of attachment theory and practice.

In this presentation, my aim is to present a systematic way of working with patients with adult attachment issues as well as to offer a number of specific interventions, with individuals and with couples, always within the EMDR-AIP working model.

Conference

English

Walid Abdul-Hamid
Sian Morgan

Abdul-Hamid, W., & Morgan, S. (2019, March). Trauma Aid UK (TAUK) – Current projects.  Keynote presented at the 17th EMDR Association UK & Ireland Annual Conference & AGM, Birmingham, UK