EMDR, ego states and resilience

EMDR as well as Ego-State-Therapy are very helpful to enhance resilience and to provide tools to confront traumatic memories from the beginning of the treatment. The AIP model allows a wide variety of interventions which can be tailored to the needs of clients according to their stability. Ego-State Therapy (EST) and other parts models can also be used successfully on the whole spectrum of resource activation and trauma confrontation. The combination of both treatment methods is even more helpful, because therapists can adapt the treatment planning even more exactly in the interaction with the clients and their special needs at a given moment. The processing model which I developed helps clinicians to better conceptualize their treatment, from more “simple” to more complex cases. I will show and discuss how the tools of EMDR and EST can be combined to regulate the impact of trauma resolving treatment. For example, access to resourceful ego-states is helpful when clients need more safety. Access to touchstone events that will be confronted by using EMDR is facilitated when the history of traumatized Ego-States becomes clearer. EMDR therapists will be provided with first and easy EST interventions to work as well with resourceful as with fragile inner parts. A group exercise will be performed to get into touch with resourceful ego-states. Appropriate work sheets will be distributed. I will highlight the use of EST in EMDR’s eight phases, teaching how to develop a therapeutic sensitivity towards the appearance of ego-states while processing. The benefit of both approaches can be combined.

Conference

English

Susanne Leutner

Leutner, S. (2022, June). EMDR, ego states and resilience. Presentation at the 23rd EMDR Europe Conference, Valencia, Spain