Ode to Our Mentors, Gratitude and Our Favorite Deviations from Standard Protocol and WHY
Reflecting back on this month's article post EMDRIA I felt compelled to rewrite this month's newsletter and focus more on gratitude.
The EMDR community really is a unique and uplifting one. There are consultants and supports at every turn with so many areas of specialization. It really is a modality that can help all humans heal, regardless of their history or trauma. One thing we know as EMDR clinicians is that standard protocol is always the best place to start. With some clients this will work seamlessly and our clients will respond well to that structure. We also know that not everyone has the capacity to engage in standard protocol right away. We deviate from this out of mastery.
Meaning, we make a clinical judgment to deviate based on our knowledge and the symptoms showing up in front of us. We take what we know and adapt standard protocol to meet our clients where they are at. This is one of the biggest takeaways from EMDRIA listening to all the amazing presenters. Whether you're working with complex trauma, dissociation, neurodivergent clients, children or veterans, we deviate from mastery.
Takeaways from our mentors:
Don't wait until you're a specialist to work with a population: use what you know and consult when needed. There are consultants worldwide who can help guide you through making deviations from standard protocol, if needed
Pay attention to the state of arousal of the client: Pay attention to what the client’s nervous system is communicating to you.
Look through a Polyvagal lens: Begin to understand the language. Notice the differences between states with how your clients show up: ventral vagal, sympathetic, dorsal vagal. For more guidance on this we recommend looking toto Rebecca Kase’s book, Polyvagal-Informed EMDR or Deb Dana’s trainings.
Celebrate the differences: Our clients show up in our office or online and each one is unique. We can work with their differences and celebrate their neurodiversity. One thing to keep in mind as we celebrate the differences is that Shame is maladaptive.
Stay connected: if you liked how something was presented or information became salient, stay connected to that person, we are all in this together. Being an EMDR therapist means continuing to learn and grow as more research becomes available.
It is all just information: everything in front of us is information from a nervous system. Pay attention to the cues of safety and cues of danger that are being outlined in front of you both internally and externally.
Trust your clinical intuition: you have so much knowledge coming out of basic training, it is dense material and you are capable.
You have to play: whether working with children or adults, there is an innate desire and need for play based approaches, get creative and have fun!
How are you and your environment enhancing safety: Pay attention to those cues of safety, from your physical environments to policies at your office.
Understand the brain, even on a small scale: try to develop an understanding of how EMDR works on a neuroscience level across development. We recommend looking into Porges body of work and Chamberlin, 2019.
EMDR forms a community, you are not alone. Be sure to reach out and connect to those you respect and can learn from
