I am an integrative therapist which means I use a variety of modalities and tools which I tailor to the individual needs of the client.
Imago Relationship Therapy
Imago Relationship Therapy was created by Dr Harville Hendrix, author of Getting the Love you want: A guide for couples (1988). Imago is the Latin word for image. Our adult relationships have a tendency to reflect the image of love we have from childhood, and as such there tends to be a connection between the frustrations experienced in adult relationships and our early childhood experiences. For example: if you felt frequently criticised as a child most likely you will be sensitive to criticism in relationship. If you felt controlled, abandoned, shamed, minimised, etc., these feelings will show up in long term committed relationships.
We tend to have a few ‘core issues’ which keep coming up. This can leave us feeling alone and questioning if we have chosen the right partner. Once we can recognise the pattern or wounding, and our adapted strategies for coping, we can start to move to a more conscious relationship.
In Imago, through the “Imago Dialogue”, we move from reactivity and blame to validation and empathy which allows us to have deeper connection and safety in a relationship.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference.
EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR is a set of detailed protocols and procedures which the practitioner uses to help the client activate their natural healing processes.
I use EMDR for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sexual trauma, physical trauma, pain, phobias and anxiety.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT):
EFT, originally developed by American therapist Gary Craig, is an ‘energy psychology’. It is based on the principles of acupuncture and the Eastern view of the body as having a flow of energy, or chi. When we have bad experiences or traumas, the energy flow is disrupted in the system.
We tap on specific parts of the body pairing with carefully crafted phases relevant to the condition we want to change. In doing so we gradually restore the negative disruption in the bodies energy system. Clinical trials have shown that EFT is able to rapidly reduce the emotional impact of memories and incidents that trigger emotional distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, the body can often rebalance itself, and accelerate healing.
Over 20 clinical trials published in peer-reviewed medical and psychology journals have demonstrated that EFT is effective for phobias, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, pain, and other problems.
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP):
NLP is a collection of tools and techniques for understanding how people experience the world and how they think. It originated in the early 1970's, and was born out of Richard Bandler and John Grinder's study of human psychology and behaviour in three areas:
Neuro: our brain and neurological systems. We experience the world through our senses and our experiences get stored in our brains and bodies both consciously and unconsciously. These experiences affect our thoughts and our neurological systems, which in turn affect our behaviour. Our behaviour affects the way others respond to us, and hence the way in which we experience the world.
Linguistic: we use language to help us to communicate with ourselves and each other. How we do this, and the words that we use, affect our relationships with other people and with ourselves.
Programming: comes from learning theory and from other areas of psychological research. Our programming comes from our experiences and from the thinking patterns that we habitually use because of the programming we receive from others, from society and from ourselves.