Emotional Focused Therapy - Assignment Example

EFT ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS REGARDING THE USE OF EFT BY THERAPISTS EFT Abstract The answers to the questions regarding the use of Emotional focused Therapy by Therapists informs the theoretical aspect of relationships interwoven by emotional attachments in couples. It enlightens the essence of a strong relationship and its foundations in childhood. The understanding of these delicately hidden weft and weave of emotional fabric in a marital cocoon makes it easier for the therapist to use the EFT for therapeutic use in distressed couple relationships. The importance of involvement of the therapist in welfare of the couples makes her role vital for curing such distraught couples. The EFT has proven beneficial to stressed couples and therapists have found the skills very useful in their clinical therapies. EFT Answers To Questions Regarding The Use of E F T By Therapists Describe what you have learned about the “role of the therapist” or “use of self” in EFT with couples. Explain how the “use of self” fits EFT and your work with couples. The Emotional Focused Therapy contends that the desire for emotional comforts and security is an inert need of all, children and adults not withstanding those in wedlock. Since the essence of this therapy is emotional focus, the therapist plays a vital role in imparting emotional positivism in the couples in therapy. The therapist essentially uses emotional skills and hence needs to have abundant emotional resource for therapeutic use. The therapist is not just a medium of cure for the distressed couple relationships but he is the main component to build the broken bonds of the delicate threads of support in a long lasting and committed attachment called matrimony. Unless the ‘self ‘is used the emotional focused therapy practice may not yield results and may fail to coagulate the bleeding wounds of the couple. Utmost involvement of the therapist is necessary to recreate the damage of bygone years together. The use of the ‘self’ fits with EFT therapy with couples in the clinic when the therapist sheds the role of a professional but adorns the garb of a genuinely concerned human with ultimate intentions of healing the emotional scars borne by the couple in their marriage. Generous use of kindness, affection, non judgmental attitude, compassion, sympathy, tolerance and patience during therapy works wonders in blending lost feelings between the husband and wife. The therapist facilitates a harmonic platform to ooze woes of both and also offers protection, responsive emotional potions to soothe their ruffled hearts . EFT What is your opinion of the research support for EFT? Strengths and weaknesses. Research support for the EFT validates the therapeutic results of the empirical theory. The EFT therapy skills used in clinical research proved that it had healing effects in most couples on the verge of breaking down psychologically and socially. The strengths of the research support included the experiential response from the couples in therapy. It was the case studies of the EFT that gave evidence to practicing clinical psychologists about its vital effect on couples and made the EFT popular as a sure shot therapy for distraught couples in marriage. Research support for the EFT stressed on the emotional factors of the therapists thereby enhancing their own faculties of emotional healing and tuned their responses to the couples in the clinical research studies. Thus it is unarguably true that the research support for the EFT was a force to reckon with in all clinical therapies. The weaknesses of the research support for EFT can be enumerated in the misuse of its skills in clinics. The emotional inadequacy of the therapist, the scarcity of her theoretical knowledge and also the non involvement of the therapist in clinical studies weaken the research support. Non co operation of the couples and ineptitude of the EFT therapist in clinical cases contradicted the research results thereby distorting its panacea for troubles marriage relationships. Thus undermining the strength of the EFT and its positive proliferation in clinics by EFT Therapists. EFT Describe the process of achieving de-escalation (stage 1; steps 1-4) with couples. Creating an atmosphere of congeniality is the most difficult predicament for an EFT therapist. Burnt scars of infidelity, betrayal, abuse, and emotional frigidity are difficult to heal. But an adroit EFT therapist can use the therapy like a magic wand to rejuvenate dried up relationships in couples. The process of taking the couples on an unpleasant journey of their traumatic past in order to arouse their emotional ‘springs’ within is called de escalation. It is the reverse of negative acts to convert them into developmental therapy. Crisis situations which demanded emotional nourishment from each other resulted in misbehavior or sentimental callousness of either, results in irreparable damage in marital relationships. Assessment of the historical situation, building up of a patient hearing to both the members, burrowing into the innermost depths of emotions of each, through effective and deep emotional tuning by the therapist is the first step in the process of achieving de escalation Once this is achieved the second step rolls out easily. The convergence of questions and response of the therapist to access basic emotions of the person concerned via soothing music, words or caress or soft skills in EFT so as to mitigate the causes of negativity in their relationship is the second step to achieving de escalation in couples. One of the members is withdrawn in such situations. The victim undoubtedly is also the culprit in most de escalation stages. The husband who has hit his wife most often is the victim of her emotional neglect .Hence using EFT inclined towards the wife may not EFT Bring out therapeutic effects but may even boomerang them on the therapists. High skills of working with emotions are needed with special attention to the one who believes himself or herself to be the sufferer is the third step to achieve de escalation. Since the emotional pyre has taken many months and many years to burn down bonds of the relationship it takes equally long duration of time and expertise to de escalate couples with bleeding marriages. Despite their wishes to keep the family under one roof the individuals have succumbed to contempt, loath and distrust in each other. It is a challenge for the EFT Therapist to continue with her de escalation process and soften the member who is attacking the other. The primary emotions of both members has to be uncoiled enough to make way for fresh emotional reinforcements to reach within them. The fourth step is to unleash the tyrant within without allowing the other to feel a grimace about torn apart moments and lost confidence in the other. The EFT therapist uses her emotional eruditeness to unfold the layers of negativity buried underneath the couple relationship and helps them loosen their redundant emotional baggage so that there can be space to replenish renewed bonds of attachment in them. To replace the unpleasant events in life with memories of good ones and to rekindle hope in the future of togetherness in distressed unhappy couples. “We all want a lifetime of love, support, and companionship, but sometimes we need a little help” (Johnson, 1). De escalation cleanses the emotional blemishes that tarnish the beauty of marital relationships. EFT therapists act as beauticians for all faces of marriage. EFT Describe your way of addressing attachment injuries. Attachment injuries occur when married members break the tacit rules of their commitments. The marriage vows of ‘In sickness and in health... for better or worse’ dystrophy into ‘worst of all’ and the negative superlatives kill the remnants of affection between the couple. Analysis of the attachment injury wounds is an important step of addressing it. Once the root cause is known the EFT can be used on the sick partner first and the other one soon after. Giving attention to the one who has been forlorn by an infidel husband can soothe the scars while the other one cools his hot heels under guilt, frustration and negative outlets on his partner. The EFT therapist acts as a fire extinguisher to prevent relationships turning into ashes in emotional remorse of both. The essence of any matrimonial knot is the security of the home and hearth. The comforts of a loving partner and the warmth of bare bodies in bed. Children add tensile strength to marriage. But attachment injury shakes up these basic fundamentals in a marriage, irrespective of the partners who are at fault. The best way to address these morbid experiences is to provide ample emotional cushion to the couple so that their fears are dissolved for ever. The EFT therapist can play the role of the caring person the partners feel deprived of in order to address the attachment injury of the couple at mental loggerhead. Social neglect, physical abuse, mental torture, mercenary companionship, childhood traumas, impoverished partners signify attachment injuries which can only be addressed through my personal role of heart to heart talks with the couple. EFT Explanation of attachment theory as a way of understanding intimate adult relationships. “Love is our Bulwark, designed to provide emotional protection so we can cope with the ups and downs of existence” (Johnson, 15). No matter how much we deny the supremacy of love in our lives it is undoubtedly proved that the topmost priority of our lives is to attain some one and some moments of pure love for ourselves in a lifetime. Although relationships are an intangible asset they are unarguably the most important wealth we can ever possess. We are born with an inert desire to be loved and we own an eternal resource of emotional wealth within us. From childhood to adult hood relationships bind us to lead a life full of aims, aspirations and achievements in order to have someone to share with, our joys, sorrows and tribulations in life. The most important aspect of our life is relationships. Marriage partners illustrate physically close and mentally intimate relationships. The attachment theory supersedes all other rules of life. It is the living proof that we need each other for survival. The interdependence of our actions is demonstrated in none other than the attachment theory. No man can exist, procreate, enjoy and toil alone. It is our genetic need to have relationships of love. Attachment is the name for ultimate freedom from negative emotions. Adult relationships nurture healthy interaction through marriage couples secure not just financial, social support but also an invaluable investment into a safe mental and physical well being of the self, the partner and the children they bring into the world as parents. We are nothing but a complicated complex mesh of relationships embroidered to make a beautiful personality as a result of none other but the attachment theory which can be only be darned with the EFT and the EFT therapist. EFT References Johnson, Susan. (2008). Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations For a Lifetime of Love. Little, Brown and Company. Johnson, Susan. (2005). Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy With Trauma Survivors. Strengthening Attachment Bonds. Guilford Publications. Johnson, Susan. (2004). The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creative Connection. Taylor and Francis. Read More