The Parnell Institute, which is internationally renowned for its innovations in treating attachment trauma and developmental deficits, will offer specialized Attachment-Focused EMDR Basic Trainings beginning in January of 2022.
WHY CHANGE NOW?
Over the years, the Parnell Institute’s EMDR Basic Training and that of EMDRIA have evolved along different paths. We believe that respectfully adapting what we do to the needs of each client is essential to creating safety and that a strong, supportive, attuned therapeutic relationship between therapist and client is foundational to doing deep, reparative work. We also know that more resourcing is needed than is taught in standard EMDR trainings, not only for stabilization in work with early childhood trauma but also for the repair of developmental deficits. We also recognize that the EMDR protocol must be adapted to meet the individual needs of clients. Attachment-Focused EMDR has evolved and grown from standard EMDR.
EMDRIA has most recently informed all trainers who conduct EMDR Virtual Basic Training that no modifications of the standard protocol and procedures are allowed or can be taught. This new rule has brought to the forefront what has been increasingly clear to us: we have developed something different from standard EMDR. From 25+ years training therapists nationally and internationally in EMDR, consulting to clinicians and treating clients, Laurel Parnell and her faculty have found that our adaptations are necessary for therapists utilizing EMDR with a wide range of clients. We at the Parnell Institute believe we must teach therapists how to use and adapt EMDR in order to better help the diverse populations of clients they treat.
HOW IS AF-EMDR DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD EMDR?
Attachment-Focused EMDR has 5 basic principles which guide the work. We stress the importance of creating safety for the client; we recognize the therapeutic relationship as the foundation of the work and as important for developmental repair; we understand and respect the complexity and the diversity of clients who present in therapy and the need to be flexible and adapt what we do according to their needs. We also teach modifications of the standard EMDR protocol and resourcing for stabilization, ego strengthening, and the repair of developmental deficits. We use advanced techniques to find EMDR targets, unblock blocked processing, and repair early childhood neglect and trauma. We teach how to work with complex trauma as an integral part of our training. We believe that AF-EMDR is an art, not a technique to be used with everyone the same way. Attunement to the needs of each person and collaboratively co-creating with the client how to meet their needs is a hallmark of our approach to EMDR. We also bring the use of imagination and a multi-dimensional approach that recognizes the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.