Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma

Laurel Parnell, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and international EMDR trainer and consultant, just published Attachment Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR) in late 2013. It brings together the culmination of her years of experience, evolved thinking and insights in doing, demonstrating and teaching EMDR and now AF-EMDR. Her book is an invaluable must for EMDR therapists who want to take their work to the next level. It is a clear, well organized, in depth, compassionate exposition of how to do AF-EMDR with clients who suffer early attachment wounds. She draws on Mary Main's, Ph.D. research on secure, ambivalent, avoidant and disorganized attachment styles. Dr. Parnell describes characteristic deficits in the sense of self and relationships of people who may fall into the latter three attachment styles and what they need in terms of AF-EMDR. She presents evidence that AF-EMDR changes the brain through laying down integrative and positive neural pathways. She inspires us with evidence that clients with traumatic childhoods can heal and develop what she calls "earned secure attachment" through the therapist's skillful empathic attunement to them and the neural network processing of AF-EMDR work.Dr. Parnell explains how to proceed doing AF-EMDR sessions utilizing the Modified EMDR Protocol. Each session begins with positive resource installation before identifying the client's disturbing image, emotions, body sensations and negative cognition. Then it proceeds to the desentization phase--processing (with bilateral stimulation) the activated trauma memory networks until reaching a SUDS of 0 or 1 (with body scanning to check that processing is complete). It follows to installation of the positive cognition that arises spontaneously with the evolved picture, and ends with closure and debriefing. She explains how the Modified (simplified) Protocol that she teaches allows the client to freely process memory networks and how the more complicated Standard Protocol disrupts processing.Dr. Parnell addresses the importance of assessing the client's capacity to process trauma and of installing positive protective resources before proceeding with processing. She explains how to identify the "target" and the technique of "bridging" that often takes the client from present to childhood trauma. She discusses how to bring attachment focus to the desensitazation phase of AF-EMDR and to navigate the client's processing of memory networks and when to return to "target". She elaborates on the use of "interweaves" to unblock processing and to faciliate integration of the adult with the child's perspective. She describes techniques to manage overwhelming abreactions, flooding and looping in the client's processing of traumatic memories and to maintain their sense of safety. She highlights the technique of guiding the client to develop a reparative "new mother or father" and filling in their developmental deficits with their imagined nurturing parent. Her book is filled with cases and examples of AF-EMDR sessions carried out by herself and EMDR therapists she has trained. The cases and sessions are poignantly illustrative of the specific techniques she teaches in each chapter. She advocates that doing AF-EMDR with clients who have early attachment wounds be done with consultation by a certified EMDR trainer.

In the ever growing world of mental health, many psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists ostensibly operate with the intention to help those in need. But is them having good intentions enough? No. Many walk away from psychiatrists' and therapists' offices with deeper attachment wounds and more confusion with unequivocally dangerous psych meds in their bodies and inefficient and more distressing thought patterns brought on by the use of CBT, DBT, talk therapy, neurofeedback, yoga, and other short-term solutions to complex problems. Many even walk away from EMDR therapy with more confusion and a sense of hopelessness because the modality didn't work in it's standard protocol.Alas, we are introduced to the psychologist, Laurel Parnell, who unlike most psychologists has focused her time on developing efficacious solutions to complex problems rather than just researching on the effect histamines have on mental health or how a buddhist monk's brain looks under an MRI. This book helps those who have sought the most cutting edge trauma therapy, EMDR, and still failed to find relief. The mere existence of her book with such a mission to refuse to give up on people with more complex traumas is beautiful in it's own right. The fact that this book actually helps people with seemingly impossible to overcome issues is the empirical conviction to change the world and remove the REAL stigma of mental illness: that it can't be overcome and that it's roots are genetic.The book piggybacks on her previous books' ideas and practices with "Tapping In" and modified protocols re-weaved into the book. The book pulled me in when it started to list the important characteristics of a therapist. These 5-10 page in themself are fascinating. The book then gets down to business and talks about the "ideal parent" exercise, an earth shattering technique that can rip away many of the problems client's seek to be done with. The book continues with many clear descriptions of how to apply techniques and case examples make this all the more possible!

As a long-time EMDR therapist, this book is a breath of fresh air. She says a lot of things I have found to be true, mainly about how the standard EMDR protocol pulls the client out of processing if it is applied blindly. She gives excellent suggestions on how to customize EMDR To the needs of the individual client.Some of the most difficult clients are those who suffered attachment wounds in early childhood. I've used the techniques from this book and had good results. The Modified EMDR protocol Dr. Parnell identifies is rapidly becoming my standard protocol.BTW, I emailed her company with a question about one of her distance-learning programs. She replied personally.

If you are EMDR Trained and are working on EMDR Certification, this is an exceptional emdr resource. It is like having a conversation with the author. She answers every question you start to think to ask and responds to questions you will need answers to. It's very detailed, specific examples, resourcing scripts, and I really like the case study examples. Her use of EMDR attachment techniques are insightful, beneficial and practical.

I am in awe of Parnell’s ability to make EMDR so easy to understand, but also provide so many adaptations that work! I wish I found her work before I read Francine Shapiro’s (although her books are a helpful as well. I read them all). Buy Parnell's books NOW. Her books made all the pieces come together for me.

A must for EMDR therapists

This is a great resource for EMDR practitioners working with attachment issues. I am really finding the practice of tapping in resource figures with the client helpful.

É necessário conhecer ter o conhecimento básico de EMDR para ler e compreender o protocolo proposto por Parnell. O livro é bem didático, penso ser indicado para profissionais da área.

This is one of the best professional books I've read in years! Laurel Parnell describes her strategies and her thought processes so clearly that the reader feels "tutored" in her technique. I love her deep understanding of the inner processes of both client and therapist and her compassionate guide for healing. She shows us how to safely guide a client from the very beginning of therapy all the way through complete healing, carefully building and utilizing internal resources to replace the gaping deficits left by relationship trauma. Parnell gives her own suggestions for modifications to the standard EMDR protocols - validating the observations and experiences of all of us who have used EMDR with this population. This book will help any therapist who works with adults who have experienced emotional wounding in childhood (which is every therapist) and particularly those who are trained in EMDR.Sarah Chana Radcliffe, author "Raise Your Kids without Raising Your Voice," and "The Fear Fix."

Praticienne EMDR, j'ai trouvé ce livre très utile pour le traitement des cas complexes. La partie concernant les ressources m'a semblé tout particulièrement utile. Un très bon complément à la formation de base en EMDR. L'anglais utilisé est simple, le langage de l'auteur est clair, mais c'est tout de même en anglais... A quand la traduction?

Muy bueno. Lleno de ideas y variaciones sobre el protocolo estandar. Muy util para trabajar con personas con deficits de apego. Lectura fresca.

Laurel Parnell brings heart and soul to EMDR and I eagerly awaited this her latest book which has at last arrived. It describes in wonderful detail how to work through the trauma of disrupted attachment so that we and clients can feel safe enough to heal the later traumas of our lives. She addresses so well the need to help clients feel safe enough to do the healing work which may involve just "tapping in" many resources or may progress to EMDR processing which can be safely adapted for the client with attachment wounds. An essential book for any therapist using EMDR given that 40% of us have experienced disrupted attachment.