Energy Psychology and EMDR: Combining Forces to Optimize Treatment

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and energy psychology (EP) continue to grow in popularity because they can produce deep and lasting psychological healing. Using the two methods together creates a unique opportunity to increase the effectiveness and applicability of both. This text begins by comparing EMDR and EP. It then describes the training models that have been used to teach these treatments in ten countries, to professionals and paraprofessionals alike. EMDR clinicians should learn new strategies not taught in traditional EMDR seminars. EP practitioners should find a simple and effective format for teaching meridian-based therapies. Using case studies from clinical practices, the authors of this work demonstrate how EMDR and EP in combination can be used with greater impact to meet various therapy challenges: transference and countertransference, severe trauma, abreactions, dissociation, dilemmas, looping and blocking, so-called client resistance, and the problem of maintaining treatment effects. Special attention is given to cross-cultural applications of the methods. The authors describe a research project with an offender population where trauma, abreaction, dissacociation and "resistance" converge, and they discuss their experiences as executive coaches where the focus is on using EMDR and EP to enhance performance. Other clients discussed include victims of natural disaster, domestic violence and civil war. Innovative interventions are discussed within the context of the therapy realtionship and references are made to reserach findings that suggest EMDR and EP are much more than mere techniques.