Working with Neurodiversity in EFT

Presenters:

Hamed Fatahian (LMFT Advanced EFT Therapist)

Summary:

In this presentation, we will explore the world of neurodiverse people to gain an understanding of how to work with neurodiverse couples using both the attachment framework and the EFT Tango.

Participants will:

1. Get an in-depth feel and understanding of the world of neurodiverse people.
2. Learn about the different sorts of trauma neurodiverse people can carry as a result of being atypical.
3. Gain an understanding of how to work with neurodiverse clients using the EFT model.

Individual Hold Me Tight

Presenters:

Emilia Malavassi (EFT Certified Theapist), Itziar Arana (EFT Certified Supervisor and therapist)

Summary:

We are in the process of developing a Hold me Tight workshop for individuals, with the assistance of Trainer Ali Barbosa. We have communicated this initiative to Sue Johnson, and we have already met with John Douglas, who referred us to engage in discussions with several other trainers. We would like to share this innovative idea, aiming to provide EFIT (Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy) in an alternative manner through a psychoeducational process like Hold me Tight. This approach enables individuals to gain a deeper understanding of their own negative cycles and facilitates the creation of corrective emotional experiences.

Do therapists change personally while learning Emotionally Focused Therapy?

Presenters:

Szabolcs Török (Certified EFT therapist, EFT supervisor-in-training) and Zsuzsa Somsák (Advanced training in EFT)

Summary:

Research suggests that EFT training impacts the development of therapists not only in professional/methodological but also in personal aspects (Bell et al., 2017; Sandberg et al., 2013). Previous qualitative and quantitative research found changes in emotion-related perceptual and behavioral processes and in attachment style (Levenson et al. 2009; Montagno et al. 2011), along which therapists have also experienced positive changes in their own relationships (Sandberg & Knestel, 2011).

Our presentation will discuss the effects of EFT Externship & Core Skills training done in Hungary over the past years, focusing not only on the changes in perceived EFT-related knowledge and competency (measured by the Hungarian version of the EFT Knowledge and Competency Scale (Koren et al. 2021)) but on the changes regarding the therapists’ relationship beliefs, relationship satisfaction, and attachment-related anxiety and avoidance. We used a longitudinal study design with three measuring points: pre-, post, and 6-month follow-up. The No. of participants was: n=254 (pre/post, study 1) and n=182 (pre/post, study 2). The presentation will address the observed changes in the Relationship Assessment Scale (Hendrick, 1988), the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Scale (Brennan, et al. 1998), and all five dimensions of the Relationship Beliefs Inventory (Eidelson & Epstein, 1982).

The findings of our research help us to maintain our hope that our training really has an impact on the participating therapists and through them many families will benefit from EFT – in the midst of the world full of uncertainty around us.

Healing Hearts Together: A Relationship Education Program for Couples Facing Heart Disease

Presenters:

Paul Samuel Greenman (EFT Therapist, Supervisor, and Trainer)

Summary:

There is a robust link in the scientific literature between the quality of a person’s couple relationship and their physical health, including their cardiac health. People who are satisfied with their relationship are less likely to develop a cardiac condition and more likely to recover from one if they do than are people who are not satisfied with their relationship. Despite this fact, most cardiac rehabilitation programs do not include life partners and if they do, it is mostly to support patients as they make lifestyle changes and manage medications. We developed the Healing Hearts Together (HHT) program to address this gap.

In this presentation, we will outline the content of the HHT relationship education program for couples facing cardiac disease and discuss the results from the HHT pilot investigation, which revealed statistically and clinically significant changes in variables related to participants’ mental health and relationship functioning. Then, we will introduce the randomized, controlled trial (RCT) of HHT currently being conducted at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Ottawa, Canada. Preliminary results from the RCT indicate significant improvements in dyadic adjustment over time in patients with heart disease, improvement in mental health and quality of life, and decreases in cholesterol and blood pressure.

“In EFT, I found my Own Healing…” Transformational Experiences of
Ugandan Practitioners in Learning EFT

Presenters:

Ronald Asiimwe (PhD., trained in EFT) and Elmien Lesch (PhD. Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology. Certified EFT trainer and Supervisor)

Summary:

It is well established that the personal histories, lives, and contexts of mental health professionals play a critical role in their training, practice, and inform the theories and modalities they are drawn to. Despite the immense success of trainings and practice in emotionally focused therapy (EFT) in North American contexts and in some diverse cultural contexts around the world, there are no studies exploring the impact of learning EFT on the personal and professional lives of mental health professionals from diverse cultural settings in Africa. Similarly, there are no studies exploring practitioners’ perceptions on the fit of EFT within the African cultural contexts in which they practice.

We, therefore, utilized data from the first ever four-day EFT externship training in Kampala, Uganda to qualitatively assess (1) the impact of learning EFT on the professionals’ personal and professional lives which we will refer to as self-of-the-therapist (SOT). Second, our study also sought to explore the cultural fit of attachment theory and the EFT approach in the Ugandan cultural setting. We will present on important themes related to SOT as described by the Ugandan professionals in our study alongside perceptions of professionals regarding aspects of EFT that fit/do not fit in Uganda. Our study offers initial insights on the transformational power of the EFT approach for professionals in international contexts.

The might of metaphors

Presenters:

Daniel Hafner (experienced couples therapist)

Summary:

As a published and quite successful writer I learned early on that I do not write what i think, but through the act of writing I discover my actual thinking. Couples often told me that the sessions felt so relieving and helpful, but that they would forget important insights they would like to take away. I started a project of ending the sessions five minutes earlier in order to reflect upon the session through writing into a logbook. One special exercise was to describe feelings with an image, or perhaps an analogy. It turned out that the metaphors the individual used were of great help in understanding the cycle and furthermore to connect their protective strategies to unmet needs.

Panel Discussion Introducing Stepping into EFT (2nd ed) and Workouts for Stepping into EFT

Presenters:

Lorrie Brubacher (EFT Trainer, author of Stepping into Emotionally Focused couple therapy), Ali Barbosa (EFT Trainer), Dimitrij Samoilow (EFT Trainer), Caroline Gasparetto (EFT Supervisor), Christiaan Rhodius (palliative physician)

Summary:

Introducing two new publications, via a panel discussion of esteemed colleagues sharing their impressions. The publications: A revised and expanded second edition of Stepping into Emotionally Focused Therapy: Key Ingredients of Change, by Lorrie L Brubacher, and its companion exercise book, Workouts for Stepping into EFT: Exercises to Strengthen your Practice. Both books detail EFCT and EFIT. The 2nd edition addresses recent developments in EFT, including theoretical advances, updates to the pedagogy and formulation of EFT interventions, and a focus on responding to minority stress and racial and cultural differences.

Detailed case examples of three couples and 2 individuals represent racial and cultural diversity and different attachment strategies and patterns for engaging. Common challenges – working with addiction and the repair of attachment injuries are addressed. Congruent with the themes of diversity and EFIT throughout this book, two extended examples of attachment injury repair shows EFT’s AIRM as a culturally informed couple healing modality and an effective map for transforming injuries from abusive or neglectful others in individual therapy (EFIT).
Tools for facilitating client change are extended in the companion exercise volume Workouts for Stepping into EFT. In athletics, workouts are a period of physical exercise to improve fitness, ability, or performance. Similarly, EFT workouts are repetitive practice to develop skill and excellence in EFT micro-skills, in EFT Tango moves through the Stages of change in EFCT and EFIT, and in applications to the self of the therapist personally and professionally.

EFIT in Group Therapy

Presenters:

Andrea Pagani (EFT Trainer and Supervisor)

Summary:

Group psychotherapy is characterized by a wide range of interventions that differ in history and application. The use of a clinical approach based on the attachment perspective such as EFT allows the therapeutic interventions to be given a clear and flexible direction with respect to the existential issues presented by clients. The use of EFT in this setting is a very fruitful possibility for developing new therapeutic opportunities. The proposed group modality has roots in humanistic psychotherapy, Gestalt and experiential psychotherapy, It is therefore an intervention that proposes that individual participants address their personal issues within a context where other clients are present, who can be involved in the experiential work. In this sense, it is fair to speak of EFIT in groups, as it involves working individually using other people as evocative actors of their experience.

In the group setting it is possible to help people interact in new ways with themselves and the people who matter most in their lives. By enacting new dialogues with the people within the groups and experiencing the sharing of their vulnerability.

Group therapy by its very nature allows for observation of others and experiences of connection by increasing the sense of hope in human existence through the sharing of vulnerability. This innovative application of EFIT in groups, will be shown through a brief theoretical presentation and a piece of a video of an EFIT group therapy session.

Using Relentless Empathy with Difficult Clients to Shape Secure Therapeutic Alliances

Presenters:

Anabelle Bugatti (Certified EFT Supervisor/Therapist) and Scott Woolley (Certified EFT Trainer, Supervisor and Therapist)

Summary:

All mental health clinicians work with clients that feel challenging or difficult. Therapists often resort to labeling difficult clients with a diagnosis to explain problematic behaviors through pathological lenses. This can create blocks to therapeutic alliances that don’t allow for a safe therapeutic experience where these types of challenging behaviors can be explored, confronted and changed. Empathy is a relationship-building skill that can be honed in a way to help clinicians shape positive therapeutic alliances with their most challenging and resistant clients. At the heart of it, empathy is always about the other person and serves relationships.

This workshop will help therapists incorporate current research, training and interventions from Neuroscience, Attachment Science, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in working with their most difficult clients. It will help therapists master relentless empathy in a way that directly benefits the therapeutic alliance without taking sides to help therapists achieve effective change with their most challenging clients.

EFT with Cancer Patients; EFT Therapist Perspectives

Presenters:

Dr. Kore Brown (PsyD, AMFT)

Summary:

The theme of this summit is maintaining hope in a world of uncertainty. Maintaining hope is particularly challenging for people coping with chronic illnesses, such as cancer. Cancer is the second most common cause of death globally, and every diagnosis profoundly impacts not only the individual, but also their closest relationships.

Couples experience cancer relationally, and there is a need for interventions that are targeted toward helping this population cope. While EFT with cancer patients has been researched and shows promising results, little attention has been paid to the clinician’s experiences of working with this population. Clinicians’ lived experiences hold rich information that provide insights into parts of the therapeutic process that may not be captured in outcome focused studies. As such, Kore Brown has dedicated her dissertation to this topic and hopes to share her findings at the EFT World Summit as a scientific presentation. Kore’s dissertation is titled “EFT with Cancer Patients; EFT Therapist Perspectives” and is Chaired by Dr. Scott Woolley.

This phenomenological study explores how clinicians have applied EFT with couples experiencing cancer, how they modified or adapted therapeutic processes, their self of therapist experiences, and a discussion of what resources or training they may need to feel more confident serving this population. Kore is a therapist at Renova San Diego, a nonprofit founded by Dr. Lisa Palmer-Olsen and Kathryn de Bruin that partners with Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health to provide EFT to couples experiencing cancer.

Tango 2.5: Bringing Identity and Culture to the Heart of EFT

Presenters:

Elana Katz (EFT Trainer)

Summary:

In EFT we embrace the social essence of being a human being. In our complex and polarized world, therapists are encouraged to include the cultural contexts of our clients and the cross-cultural elements of cultural ideals and negative appraisals. These contexts impact both the internal world and the interpersonal relationships. For the EFT therapist it has not always been clear when and how to bring these multi-cultural and powerful emotional handles into the treatment.

We offer a way to put culture and cultural identity squarely in the EFT map. We can enhance the EFT Tango by expanding Move 2 (Assembly of Emotion) as an entry point to inquire, develop and connect key aspects of identity that can inform and deepen the treatment. We can also reflect dimensions of identity and culture when they are offered in Move 1, and they can later be celebrated in Move 5. As our clients feel seen and understood in the fullness of their humanity, we honor both an expanded sense of self and the pathways for a richer and more developed sense of thriving, balance, and belonging.

Using the Cycle Creatively: Connecting the dots between functionality and romance

Presenters:

Diana Eidelman (EFT Certified Couples Therapist)

Summary:

The country I live in (Israel) has always experienced a high degree of turmoil and stress and with our new right-wing, messianic government, for many, it feels like its getting worse. More and more clients feel a constant sense of loss of control over their environment and national safety . This situation makes our work more important than ever. I often try to encourage clients by saying : “In this room we can improve on something you HAVE control over: your home , your relationship and how you foster well-being in the one place you can always really make a difference, regardless of what’s happening outside”. I honestly believe it.

As I have worked with many young families (see my TEDx talk enclosed), I have often witnessed a connection between logistical stress and relationship stress in families and have placed importance in connecting the dots between the two of them. After psycho-educating couples on the topic of their relationship cycle and helping them become closer and more self-aware in order to induce change, I often work with couples using the model of THE CYCLE creatively. If usually we look at “HIM’ and “HER” , in this cycle we look at “Logistic Stress” in its interaction with “Connection Stress” . While the underlying attachment primary need is replaced with the question: ” What is HOME for you?” I don’t know if our beloved Sue Johnson will love it or hate it, but I do believe it is worth teaching.

Reconstructing intimacy when painful sex occurs in a relationship:
a male support group perspective: understood through the lens of EFT

Presenters:

Ronnie Burke (social worker, sex therapist, individual and couples therapist) and Nomi Pitch (art, sex, marriage and
family therapist)

Summary:

Many women have painful intercourse at some point in their lives. The impact of female genital pain on the partner can be overwhelming and there is a strong need to renegotiate intimacy (focus on withdrawer and pursuer within the relationship) when painful sex occurs in a relationship. While there is much known support and literature for women who experience pain during sexual intercourse, minimal information exists regarding their partners, and how the lack of support impacts that relationship.

At the Sex Therapy Clinic at Reut Rehabilitation hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, two sex therapists led a support group for men in a relationship with women who struggle with painful sexual intercourse. This was the first male partners group of its kind in Israel. The following examines the process of this support group through the lens of EFT. It will consider the concepts of the withdrawer vs pursuer via the data received from the group. 

Often, men are encouraged from a young age to hide their emotions. This then begs the question; does this in itself lend to their being the withdrawer, or is the idea more complex? Does the group in itself impact the nature of the withdrawer, or pursuer in comparison to how they might present in their intimate relationships? Does the group framework contain withdrawers and pursuers, or does the group hold a specific withdrawer or pursuer voice as a whole? More broadly, what are the benefits of using EFT with group-based work?

A transdiagnostic and emotion-focused perspective on family therapy;
a meeting between science and practice

Presenters:

Lenny Rodenburg (clinical psychologist, systemic therapist, trainer, supervisor and therapist NVRG and certified EFT therapist) and Henk Jan Conradi (ast. professor, EFT therapist and VGCt cognitive behavioral therapist)

Summary:

Psychological and behavioral problems of adolescents can be caused and exacerbated by intense arguments or the absence of contact between children and their parents. An important underlying transdiagnostic process is dysfunctional emotion regulation and stress management that is associated with insecure attachment relationships within the family. In this workshop, participants are introduced to the transdiagnostic background and interventions of structured Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (structured EFFT). Interventions shown are enactments in which the restoration of secure attachment and functional emotion regulation between child and parents are central.

In addition, attention is paid to the question of the origin of sometimes strong or absent reactions of parents to their children come from and why it is important to pay attention to the intergenerational roots of insecure parental attachment. Participants are invited to discuss the usefulness and limitations of a transdiagnostic perspective on psychopathology in children and adolescents. Since September 2021, a scientific study has been conducted by the University of Amsterdam in collaboration with Utrecht University into the effectiveness and feasibility of structured EFFT.

Discovering spirituality in EFT

Presenters:

April Holten (Certified EFT therapist)

Summary:

Spirituality is not an obvious theme in clinical practice; however, many people attest to its role in meaning-making. In fact, for many, spirituality is often part of finding strength amid challenges, and hope in uncertain times. Could we be missing a vital source of connection in many people’s lives if we do not include spirituality and existential thoughts in our sessions?

In this workshop we want to explore how to create space for spirituality and existential questions during the EFT process. We want to offer an experiential meeting where we explore ideas and possible implications for clinical practice together. We hope to co-create a space to share thoughts and understandings that can help us be aware of the multiple ways that various forms of spirituality can impact our clients´ lives. With experiential and reflexive exercises, we aim for an open and respectful atmosphere to incorporate spirituality in the EFT process with our clients – and ourselves.

It might very well be that all of us leave the workshop with new questions to ponder. Hopefully, our curiosity will be piqued to explore this theme further in our own lives, with colleagues and with our clients.

Best practice in the Netherlands

Presenters:

Pieter Dingemanse (EFT therapist and board member of the Dutch EFT Foundation)

Summary:

In this seminar we will show the Dutch HmT material that we have developed during the last years. The videoportal for couples and therapists with deeply emotional couples video’s. The Dutch ‘workbook for couples’ as a helpful handout to use in the HmT training, also available for ‘parents with young children’ and for the ‘Hold me Tight/Let me Go’ program.

Recently we developed the Dutch online (and blended) HmT. Several Dutch city councils bought the (online) HmT for their citizens. Our 2-day train-the-trainer program helps the therapist how to start with HmT. During this seminar we will show all the materials, and hopefully inspire others.

‘Pleased to meet you’: dealing with our fears and shame when
our identity meets unfamiliar others

Presenters:

Lotte van Hoorn – ten Hoeve (EFT trainer)

Summary:

Spoiler-alert: I am a white, heterosexual, able bodied, neurotypical, monogamous, CIS gender woman. I welcome everyone in my EFT practice. No matter what they identify as or what their experiences are. As I am sure so do you. I see people who are autistic, who have ADHD, who suffer from substance abuse, have different cultural traditions, identify differently than I do, have a different skin-color, live different lifestyles and have sex lives different from my own. I strongly believe Emotionally Focused Therapy is for everyone. Besides, tons of research support this, we are all wired for connection. So whoever we meet, we can just do our EFT-magic, right?

But. Reality is, that when I meet people who’s experiences and identity feel very different from my own, I get shy. The unfamiliarity makes me worry that I say the wrong thing and offend someone. I tend to focus on what I am not familiar with and judge myself for not knowing enough. I feel out of my depth and question myself whether I am the right therapist for them. It scares me to think that I might accidentally hurt someone by not truly understanding what it is like to live their lives. Especially when that someone knows that feeling of being different, misrepresented or left out all too well.  If I am not careful, my insecurities block my attunement to my clients. It has happened.

In this presentation about diversity, we will take a closer look at identity and how to manage our own insecurities and shame when meeting people who seem so very different from us. We figure out what our diverse clients need from us and what we might need from ourselves to stay present and attuned.

This is a presentation about my feelings of insecurity in working with people, in all their diversity. It might be about some of your insecurities too. Let’s see how we can be brave together so we can keep doing our EFT-magic for everyone who walks into our office.

Psychedelic-Assisted Emotionally Focused Therapy

Presenters:

David Avruch (Certified EFT Therapist)

Summary:

This interactive workshop – mix of lecture with small and large group discussions – will serve as a gathering space for EFT practitioners who are interested in the use of psychedelic medicines.

We will learn about the historical use of these medicines in individual and couple therapy, the current state of research on the use of psychedelic medicines, and the potential synergy between EFT and medicines such as MDMA and ketamine.

We seek to facilitate a conversation about how the EFT community can prepare to serve clients who will, increasingly, seek to tap into the healing power of psychedelics. In particular, we will focus on the role of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in creating new opportunities for clients impacted by trauma to access secure attachment through corrective emotional experience.

Relationships in transition: Resilience and change during stressful times

Presenters:

Esther Kluwer (professor by special appointment, supported by EFT Netherlands)

Summary:

Most relationships encounter events during the life course that are stressful and change the course and stability of the relationship. Chronic illness, unemployment, infidelity, child birth, and even natural disasters and pandemics can initiate or exacerbate processes that contribute to relationship instability. From a stress perspective, life events—desired as well as undesired—are viewed as a stressor that significantly disturbs daily routines. Stress is associated with poorer communication and increased domestic violence.

From a developmental perspective, life events are viewed as transitions—a change from one stable mode to another during a restricted period of time—that require adaptation. A consistent finding is that relationship satisfaction declines over time, especially after stressful life events. However, recent evidence shows that not all couples experience instability and change to the same extent. What determines whether couples are resilient and adjust relatively easy or whether they are at risk of negative change and relationship deterioration? In the proposed presentation, I provide new insights into the psychological and relational factors that affect the coping capacity of couples during stressful life events. Specifically, I will address my own research on relationship change across the transition to parenthood and research on how couples and families coped with COVID-19. Finally, I will address help seeking behavior: what is necessary to help vulnerable couples? This presentation is relevant to practitioners, researchers, and policy makers interested in understanding the challenges of stressful life events.

Playing around Pain: Finding Hope in Families of Hurting Children

Presenters:

Kathryn de Bruin (EFT Trainer) and Jim Furrow (EFT Trainer)

Summary:

Play is a source and sign of secure attachment in families young and old. From our earliest interactions play aids in providing relationships that effectively respond to our needs for care and contact which lead to dependable, stable environments, where a world can be trusted and hopeful future nurtured.

Play is also a key clinical resource that invites both therapist and caregivers to access and explore the unique language of a child at their own developmental level. Moreover, the increasing risk of mental health crisis among young families underscore the importance of early intervention directed toward increasing caregiver resources and expanding responsive caregiving through on target interventions found in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy. Through restoring parental availability and engaging attachment behaviors EFFT promotes corrective experiences that reset a child’s developmental trajectories toward secure bonds that promote goal-directed thought and hopefulness into adulthood.

This workshop focuses on EFFT intervention with our most tender-aged children, from birth to ten. Clinical examples illustrate the power of incorporating play therapy practices into EFFT change process including specific examples of play-based strategies for promoting emotional balance and resourcing parent child attunement through the EFT Tango. The workshop provides didactic instruction, experiential exercises and two video case examples of different ages from birth to six years of age. From this interactive workshop, you will leave with three Play Therapy techniques to facilitate accessing and engaging attachment related affect. EFFT strategies to bring hope to families with young children. Come play with us.

Reflective Group Supervision: expanding therapist’s reflective capacities and use of self

Presenters:

Christine Reynolds (LCSW)

Summary:

Our Reflective Group Supervision / Consultation (RGS-C) training model was developed by the Center for the Developing Child and Family at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. It is an approach that emphasizes the self of the therapist and reflective supervision practices while incorporating emotion-focused and attachment-based therapy processes. In today’s world, supervisors must be able to help clinicians understand how their and their clients’ experiences are embedded in and shaped by the larger systems associated with race, class, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity, to name a few.

Unlike traditional supervision, RGS-C does not focus on premature hypothesizing, problem-solving, or giving advice. Instead, it focuses on the emotional experience of clinicians in their work with their clients. It is a collaborative process that encourages clinicians to reflect on their social identities and experiences before addressing their clients’ clinical needs. By guiding clinicians to access their deeper emotions and lived experiences, supervisors help clinicians gain insight into the meaning they make and the actions they take. Through guided experiential exercises and role plays within a small group setting, participants experience a parallel process of being seen and held, leading them to better access themselves with increased self-awareness and self-compassion and to attuned interventions with their clients.

Exploring the Impact of A Hold Me Tight Workshop for Couples Where one Partner has a Cancer Diagnosis

Presenters:

Suzie Trepanier (EFT trained therapist)

Summary:

Cancer, according to the Center for Disease Control and The National Cancer Institute (NCI), is the second leading cause of death in the United States. For people who have cancer, low marital quality is related to slower recovery and poorer outcomes. The diagnosis of cancer is laden with stressors such as a sense of helplessness, uncertainty about outcomes, and feelings of isolation and financial strain. Outcome research which investigates specific interventions geared towards couple’s facing cancer provides valuable information and therapeutic directions for this vulnerable population.

Hold Me Tight is a couple workshop based on Emotionally Focused Therapy and has been found to be effective in improving couple satisfaction. Versions of it have been used with cancer couples with promising results. However, high dropout rates limit the generalizability of the research as well as its practical application. Consequently, Suzie Trepanier has developed a shortened format of the Hold Me workshop for specific use with couples coping with cancer. This study will investigate the effects of this shortened version of the Hold Me Tight workshop on couple satisfaction, attachment functioning, and the impact of cancer.

Earning Secure Attachment in Adulthood: Pathways to Security for
Adults, Men, and People of the Global Majority

Presenters:

Rachael A. Dansby Olufowote (EFT therapist)

Summary:

How does one earn attachment security? What are the specific conditions necessary for earning security? These questions shaped the presenter’s grounded theory research from 2019 that aimed to delineate a micro-theory of positive attachment change for adults with histories of insecure caregiver attachment in the United States.

The 30-minute presentation will delineate a visual process model of earning secure attachment for both single adults and those in intimate partnerships, reveal the major themes from the study, and discuss aspects of earning security specific to men. Results indicated becoming more secure was possible despite adverse and traumatic childhood experiences with caregivers, a deeply hopeful finding. Additionally, in response to cultural critiques of attachment theory, specifically its cross-cultural applicability, and by extension, the cross-cultural applicability of EFT with non-white, non-western people, the presentation will also highlight recent, preliminary results from a cultural expansion of the earning security model for people of the global majority.

Utilizing Ketamine Assisted Therapy to enhance and deepen Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy

Presenters:

BethJaeger-Skigen (Certified EFT Therapist and Supervisor)

Summary:

This presentation showcases Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) as an innovative tool for EFT. Even the most skilled EFT clinicians can experience EFT treatment resistant couples. These couples often appear frozen in their historical intrapsychic and interpersonal narrative; this is likely unconscious (possibly pre-verbal) attachment-related wounding.

Ketamine is FDA approved in the US; literature indicates a 70% response rate to ketamine of patients with treatment resistant depression and anxiety.Through KAP, I witness remarkable improvement for clients with treatment resistant issues.

However, EFT and attachment theory teaches us that our attachment to ourselves is most profoundly shaped by our attachments to others. Ketamine promotes increased neuroplasticity-the brain’s ability to create new connections and pathways which makes it easier to adopt new habits. I have merged EFT and KAP which assists in unblocking unconscious barriers that perpetuates the couples’ negative cycle. This makes space to further understand the primary emotions and attachment related needs and longings that underly couples’ negative cycle. The ketamine’s increased neuroplasticity also facilitates a smoother and more lasting transition into stage two.

Through case studies and videos, I will highlight the promising potential of merging these two empirically validated modalities. I will discuss contraindications for KAP and EFT, couples most likely to benefit from KAP and explain the difference between psycholytic and psychedelic KAP couples’ sessions. I will demonstrate how to integrate the KAP session into the EFT MAP. This cutting-edge tool can offer a renewed sense of hope for EFT therapists.