EMDR Therapy and Addictions: Developing the Pocket of Trust

Treating Addictions With EMDR Therapy and the Stages of Change

After many years of practicing EMDR Therapy and working with addictions, I have noticed that there are key moments in therapy where the therapeutic alliance is necessary to support the client’s ability to have successful treatment, which I call the Pocket of Trust. The Pocket of Trust is an emotional…

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Somatic Interventions in EMDR Therapy

"The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma" by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

Somatic Therapy engages body awareness as an intervention in psychotherapy and addresses the connections between the brain, the mind, and behavior. EMDR Therapists with training in somatic interventions have advanced tools to work with the dysregulation of the nervous system associated with post traumatic stress. Modern day somatic psychotherapies such…

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Books on Working with Somatic Interventions and EMDR Therapy

1503 Connections of the Parasympathetic Nervous System

Many EMDR Therapists receive training in body-centered ways of working with trauma to learn how to see trauma in the body and have interventions that will help the client move through and integrate the trauma more completely. If you are an EMDR Therapist interested reading more about how trauma impacts the…

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The Role of Resourcing in Complex PTSD

The following post was written by guest blogger, Katie Asmus, MA, LPC, BMP Complex PTSD is so very. . . well. . . complex! Those who have experienced ongoing stressful (and perhaps even abusive) life circumstances know that the impact of such a chronic state of stress is long-lasting. Our…

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Proxemics and Nonverbal Communication in EMDR Therapy

Diagram representation of personal space limits. Inspired by Reaction-bubble.png by Libb Thims (WikiCommons - CC0)

In the field of somatic psychology, nonverbal communication is a key element. Nonverbal communication is the ability to read and understand people’s nonverbal signals. Have you heard the phrase “actions speak louder then words”? Well, it’s true! 60 – 70% of our communication is nonverbal while only 30 – 40…

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Working with Complex PTSD, Dissociation, and EMDR Therapy

Bahasa Indonesia: Ini adalah ilustrasi abstrak menggambarkan individu dengan gangguan identitas disosiatif. by 04Mukti

We often hear in the news about trauma and PTSD, but very little on Complex PTSD. So what is Complex PTSD? Here is what Wikipedia defines as Complex PTSD: “Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) also known as developmental trauma disorder (DTD) or complex trauma is a psychological injury that results…

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Books on How to Work with Addictions and EMDR Therapy

"PET_-_Human_Addiction" by Nora Volkow via Wikipedia (CC- CreativeCommons)

Therapists interested in learning more about working with addictions through the lens of trauma, and  how to stabilize clients using EMDR Therapy to give clients ease in their body and mind might be interested in the following sample of the books that Barb Maiberger and John Gray recommend in their EMDR Advanced…

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EMDR Treatment for Addictions

This blog post is a collaboration between Barb Maiberger, MA, LPC and guest blogger John Gray, MA, LPC, CACIII. See below for information about their EMDR Advanced Workshop, “EMDR Therapy Tools for Addictions“ EMDR therapy is best known for helping people heal from traumatic events. The use of EMDR is expanding and…

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Polyvagal Theory and EMDR Therapy

cranial_nerves

As an EMDRIA Approved EMDR Consultant and co-developer of several EMDR Advanced Workshops at the Maiberger institute I have had many opportunities to present on the work of Dr. Stephen Porges and the Polyvagal Theory.  Seeing Dr. Porges at the 2012 EMDRIA Conference was an opportunity to refine my own understanding…

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