EMDR (Which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an integrative approach first discovered and developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro in 1987. The approach makes use of bilateral stimulation (visual, auditory, or tactile) and dual attention (to the past and to the present, at the same time) to facilitate the processing of information in the brain. Originally developed to resolve trauma, it is now used for many other purposes as well; for instance, it is very helpful for moving through and integrating childhood memories, reducing intense emotion, clearing belief patterns, strengthening internal resources, enhancing performance, and inviting inspiration and deeper spiritual awareness.
All that the client has to do is attend to whatever is in his or her awareness, and notice what comes up while the therapist uses alternating taps, sounds, or visual stimuli. There is no way to do it wrong! The processing of memories, thoughts, images, and body sensations takes place naturally, and new insights emerge and "take root" in the person's life. While I do not treat trauma, many of the other uses of EMDR are gentle and effective and can be very helpful. I particularly like the emphasis on awareness (similar to mindfulness) and on integrating the imagination, beliefs, emotions, and the body.
Brainspotting is a technique developed by David Grand Ph.D. out of his extensive experience with EMDR. It is an integrated body/mind approach that engages the brain in a way that helps process thoughts and feelings through neurophysiological channels. Called BSP for short, Brainspotting can be used to process all kinds of emotional and physical blockages or "knots" by locating, activating, processing and releasing experiences that have been held in the body.
It is a collaborative process between client and therapist, involving the location of a "brainspot" based on eye position; bilateral sound (a CD of music and nature sounds) is often used to enhance processing. I find this to be a powerful way of working with people.
A more detailed description follows.
Brainspotting works with the deep brain and the body through its direct access to the autonomic and limbic systems within the body's central nervous system. Brainspotting is a physiological tool which has profound psychological, emotional, and physical consequences. Brainspotting appears to stimulate, focus, and activate the body's inherent capacity to heal itself.
A "Brainspot" is the eye position which is related to the energetic/emotional activation of a traumatic/emotionally charged issue within the brain, most likely in the amygdala, the hippocampus, or the orbitofrontal cortex of the limbic system. Located by eye position, paired with externally observed and internally experienced reflexive responses, a Brainspot is actually a physiological subsystem holding emotional experience in memory form.
The therapist and client participate together to locate points of visual focus (Brainspots) through the client's felt sense of the experience of the highest intensity of affect/body distress or alternatively, the experience of relief: Brainspotting can be directed at distress and can also be directed at establishing and strengthening inner resources. These resources allow the therapist and patient, where necessary, to move back and forth between resource or positive states and trauma states during BSP, to enable more gradual processing.
Brainspotting is most powerful and effective when done with the enhancement of BioLateral Sound CDs. Biolateral sound enhances the brain's processing abilities by alternately stimulating each cerebral hemisphere. If the addition of the sound is too much, it can be added later when the client is ready.
David Grand, Ph.D., the developer and trainer of Brainspotting, is an internationally recognized trauma expert. He has devoted his life to advancing, expanding and communicating about state-of-the-art tools available for healing trauma and enhancing performance. Dr. Grand trains health care professionals and lectures on trauma healing and enhancing performance around the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and South America. He is the author of Emotional Healing at Warp Speed: the Power of EMDR. Dr. Grand has also been part of a research team using fMRI scans to study the effects of trauma on the brain. Committed to the worldwide use of trauma healing as a tool to ease human suffering, Grand is the former chairman of the EMDR-Humanitarian Assistance Program. He has coordinated pro bono trainings of trauma therapists in Northern Ireland and inner city Brooklyn, N.Y. Dr. Grand has been featured on NBC Nightly News, Dateline, CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Newsday and O Magazine.
I have completed Levels I and II of training in both EMDR and Brainspotting, along with additional training in EMDR.
What is Energy Psychology?
Energy Psychology is a name that has been chosen to refer to a wide range of mind/body techniques.The underlying premise is that the root cause of many psychological and emotional difficulties is an imbalance in the body’s energy system.
This approach to addressing and resolving emotional distress has been emerging nationally from the creative minds of psychologists and psychotherapists. Since the end of 1998, the concept of a comprehensive energy psychology is gaining recognition and acceptance by therapists. We now see the emergence of a growing discipline that incorporates an understanding of the three major aspects of the human energy system:
• Energy pathways (meridians and related acupoints) • Energy centers (chakras) • Human biofield (systems of energy that envelop the body)
Clinical observations show that these approaches can help with a wide range of psychological conditions, such as stress and negative core beliefs. More and more people are becoming familiar with EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques; I primarily use a related approach called TFT, or Thought Field Therapy. When someone has a difficult experience, an imbalance is created in the energy system.Later, if the person encounters a similar situation or thinks about what happened, that thought field activates the energy system to reproduce the imbalance and the person experiences emotional, physiological, and cognitive distress. The process includes energy testing (sometimes called muscle testing, or applied kinesiology) to check for imbalances, and tapping of specific meridian points to reinstate balance and free up the flow of energy. These techniques can also be helpful in promoting high-level mind-body health and peak performance in the physical, mental and creative arenas of life.
Note: Several concepts, grounded in experience and research, supporta comprehensive energy psychology: 1) the reality of mind/body interactions, 2) twenty-five years of research about interventions with the human biofield and chakras from the Therapeutic Touch literature, 3) increased awareness of the meridians due to acceptance of acupuncture into mainstream healthcare, and 4) clinical recognition that strongly-held thought patterns can create repetitive forms of emotional distress, or looping.
What is Transpersonal Hypnotherapy?
Transpersonal hypnotherapy is an approach to counseling that allows us to explore beneath the surface layers of the everyday self and gain a deeper and life-changing awareness of who we really are. In the words of one client, "it's as if my own soul were talking to me." Touching these deeper places within us and coming to recognize ourselves as expressions of a larger mysterious reality, we find the most meaningful and enduring healing and empowerment of the human spirit. This is truly "soul work."
Hypnotic states are not as foreign and strange as we might think. We naturally move in and out of trance states throughout the day - when we watch television or listen to music, drive the car or daydream. Understanding the commonness of trance experiences gives us a way to move past the misconceptions about hypnotherapy. Many people have seen television shows in which subjects are put into a state of sleep and commanded to perform actions without conscious control. This is an image that evokes anxiety rather than trust. Alternatively, the idea of overriding conscious control leads to an exclusive focus on projects such as weight loss and quitting smoking. While the latter involve more realistic images than the former, they barely touch the surface of what is possible.
When hypnosis is induced in a therapeutic context, first and foremost it allows for deep physical and mental relaxation. In this state, our critical left-brain function is reduced so that we can more readily access our memories, feelings, and even creative thoughts. While we are more open to suggestions, the choice is always ours; we remain conscious and ultimately in control throughout. Sometimes clients may feel as if they were watching themselves go through certain memories or emotions, as if two aspects were present at the same time.
In this heightened state of awareness, where the verbal left brain and the image-oriented right brain are in open communication with each other, many creative options become available. We can reach a deeper level of our own being, which allows us to work more easily and effectively in the following arenas:
managing stress and fostering self-care
clearing out old belief/response patterns that no longer serve, and creating new ones
completing unfinished business with other people, particularly in relation to grief
consciously accessing aspects of our psyche and integrating them in healthy ways
imagining and creating desired futures
working with the body to increase self-awareness and promote well-being
getting in touch with inner wisdom and guidance, growing and developing spiritually
Transpersonal hypnotherapy has profound opportunities and gifts to offer.