New horizons in EMDR

This will be our sixth long-form EMDR & IFS training, running over 16 weeks, beginning August 30, 2024. We meet Fridays at 0730 if you’re in the UK and if there’s enough interest to run two groups, we’ll have a second cohort meeting at 0730 Syd/Melb time if you’re in Australia or Thursdays for those in the USA. This takes you beyond the EMDR standard protocol of basic training so that you can begin to explore the territory of EMDR psychotherapy. Thus addressing the full clinical picture of individual, relational and behavioural issues for clients, so that you’re able to treat any symptom that walks in the door from depression, anxiety, phobias, addiction, OCD, through to relationship and parenting problems. This is relational EMDR both within the client, the therapeutic relationship and the community outside. But this course takes you beyond skills and into the terrain of working with your own parts, the parts of us, the therapists that become overwhelmed by clients, feel over-responsible and sometimes feel frustrated that our clients won’t find that target. Watch my recent interview with Rotem Brayer on the Art & Science of EMDR podcast here.

A review in EMDR Therapy Quarterly of a recent Parts/IFS workshop I ran said: “I came away from the training full of new ideas about how to work with clients when in the past a session may have got stuck or when there was a lack of growth. Due to the way the course was designed and the material presented, I felt confident to begin utilising the new skills the very next day when I went back into my clinic. Since then, I have used the skills so often that now I barely recognise they are new. I would recommend this course unreservedly”.

Read my latest case study article on IFS-informed EMDR just published in the EMDR Therapy Quarterly here. And read the earlier first part of this article published here.

Harnessing the insights of parts & ego states by using an IFS-inspired approach to trauma healing.

Want to join us on the journey of blending EMDR & IFS?

EMDR and IFS are the most powerful therapies available for activating the brain’s natural healing mechanisms, which EMDR calls the Adaptive Information Processing Model or AIP and IFS calls unburdening. Both approaches bring about memory re-consolidation to change the way the brain stores memories and thus overcome debilitating symptoms such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, behavioural and substance addictions, physical conditions including chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, as well as severe illnesses such as borderline personality disorder, and suicidal thoughts.

Attachment-focused EMDR, also known as attachment-informed EMDR, brings you Laurel Parnell’s innovations in simplifying the standard EMDR protocol, rich imaginal resourcing and a truly brilliant bridging technique that allows you to tap into the root causes of today’s presenting problems and symptoms.

The IFS model brings a relational set of tools to EMDR that offer ways to work with the most stuck, resistant and avoidant of clients. Firstly there’s a whole new approach to understanding targets, which now become parts in the IFS model. Parts who can be dialogued with and appreciated for their positive intentions. As all the parts that drive the symptoms are carrying burdens and trauma, they can be assisted to unburden and integrate. Plus as well as dialoguing with the firefighters who drive addictive behaviours you’ll get to learn all the EMDR protocols for working with addiction too.

You can take the learning at your own pace, practise a new skill each week, share with the group how you’re getting on with clients and ask questions to take you further.

The number of participants is capped at 24: This is to ensure you always have space to ask questions and don’t feel like you’re lost in a sea of Zoom faces. Please note places fill quickly for this training.

There’s also a higher ratio of facilitators for the triads so you’ll frequently have a personal facilitator dedicated to supporting your practice, not just dropping in and out, interrupting your flow as a therapist and client. Many people name having supervised support during the practicums, from highly experienced EMDR consultants, as one of the most valuable parts of the training.

Also, we’re aware that some people are very experienced in working with parts and ego states so please tell us on the registration form about your IFS level of experience. That way we can put you in practice groups with other novices or advanced colleagues, as appropriate. We may even run a future course specifically aimed at advanced IFSers to stretch you.

Many in the EMDR community are curious about IFS and what it can add to EMDR trauma processing, in fact, there’s quite a buzz. However most IFS training courses, lasting eight full days (48 hours) are booked up, with long waiting lists of over a year, or places are even allocated via a lottery system. Then there’s the cost to contend with – usually around AUD $6,000 or Sterling £3,000. This 48-hour course is intended to fill that gap: to offer you the feel of IFS as it can be integrated with EMDR, along with the immersive supervised practice that’s central to IFS and intended to help you get to know your parts and your system in service of your clients.

Curriculum

Please note the plan is to run two groups, depending on numbers. This means both the Australians and the Brits will start @ 7.30 am but in two separate groups. The 0730 Australian group is timed to include those in the USA at 1730 Thursday. With clock changes moves to 1530 midway through.

1. Aug 30 UK & AUS (Aug 29 USA) Module 1 part 1. Introduction to IFS i-EMDR: Welcome. Intro to Parts & ego states via IFS model. Self & Parts. Meditation & brief demo. Ways to access Self-energy (more than clients, us as therapists). Times Fridays: 0730-1030 UK & Australia EDT time. Thursdays 1730-2030 USA EST.
2. Sept 6 UK & AUS (Sept 5 USA): Module 1 part 2. Deepening understanding with Q& A plus practising practising in pairs part to Self-connection & unblending.
3. Sept 13 UK & AUS (Sept 12 USA) Module 1 part 3: Teaching. Befriending protectors. No bad parts. Dialoguing with protectors. Knowing your parts. Map your parts (homework in wk 1).
4. Sept 20 UK & AUS (Sept 18 USA) Module 1 part 4. Q & A. Deepening understanding with Q& A plus practising in pairs 6 F’s of IFS, Level of Urge to Avoid & unbending,
5. Sept 27 UK & AUS (Sept 26 USA) Module 2 part 1. Integrating the two models IFS & AI-EMDR. Teaching: Therapist’s parts & Self-like parts.
6. Oct 4 UK & AUS (Oct 3 USA) Module 2 part 2. Integrating the two models IFS & AI-EMDR with a full IFS-informed AI-EMDR protocol. Working with exiles. Demo of IFS informed AI-EMDR protocol.
7. Oct 11 UK & AUS (Oct 10 USA) Module 2 part 3: Integrating the two models IFS & AI-EMDR.Triads with facilitators to practise IFS-informed AI-EMDR protocol.
8. Oct 18 UK & AUS (Oct 17 USA) Module 2 part 3 Integrating the two models: Triads with facilitators to practise IFS-informed AI-EMDR protocol.
9. Oct 25 UK & AUS (Oct 24 USA) Module 3 part 1. Extra stuff. Teaching: Accessing self-energy via Preverbal trauma. Demo of IFS informed Preverbal protocol.
10. Nov 1 UK & AUS (Oct 31 USA) Module 3 part 2. Extra stuff. Practise Preverbal trauma protocol in triads with a facilitator.
11. Nov 8 UK & AUS (Nov 7 USA) Module 3 part 3. Extra stuff. Teaching: Closure tips plus Rescue & repair protocol.
12. Nov 15 UK & AUS (Nov 14 USA) Module 3 part 4. Extra stuff: Practice Rescue & repair protocol in triads with a facilitator.
13. Nov 22 UK & AUS (Nov 21 USA) Module 4 part 1 Teaching. Dialoguing with polarised protectors plus an introduction to working with addiction & compulsive behaviours. (Extra recorded lecture available on using IFS i-EMDR with addiction for those already working in the field).
14. Nov 29 UK & AUS (Nov 28 USA) Module 4 part 2 Practising dialoguing with polarised protectors in triads with facilitators. Returning to any other protocols from the course for further guidance.
15. Dec 6 UK & AUS (Dec 5 USA) Module 4 part 3 Practising dialoguing with polarised protectors in triads with facilitators. Returning to any other protocols from the course for further guidance.
16. Dec 13 UK & AUS (Dec 12 USA) Closure. The whole group together to ask hanging questions, clinical cases etc.

36 hours of CPD with EMDR Association UK have been awarded. 16 hours of EMDRIA CPD have been awarded.

Cost in sterling £1,400 please email for an invoice. AUD $2,692 + GST = $2,961.

Spaces are available for both Friday mornings in the UK & AUS/Thursdays (USA) cohorts. Places limited to 24 for each group.

The first payment button will charge you $395 in Australian dollars (payment button will auto-convert to US dollars & UK pound sterling). This is to pay your deposit.

This second button is to pay over six months at a 10% supplement.