Emdr Therapy and Mindfulness for Trauma-Focused Care

The MET(T)A Protocol: Mindfulness and EMDR Treatment Template for Agencies

“…This is further advocated by the fact that in 2014, the late creator of EMDR therapy, Dr. Francine Shapiro, requested that EMDR be referred to as EMDR therapy, acknowledging EMDR therapy as a complete system of healing. 40 …”

“…While research supporting the role of mindfulness in EMDR therapy is insufficient, EMDR therapy is still viewed by many clinicians in the trauma-focused field as a mindfulness-based therapy. 40 Mindfulness is inherent in EMDR therapy in phase 2, (preparing and stabilizing clients for EMDR reprocessing) phase 4, (desensitization, reducing the level of distress associated with the adverse life experience) and phase 5, (installation). Fundamental mindfulness components of phase 2 include: resourcing, which helps clients to regulate distress through accessing internal and external experiences and grounding, which unites clients to the present moment.…”

“…The framework of the MET(T)A Protocol guides both individual and group sessions. Characteristics of the application of the protocol that serve as the structure for all individual and group sessions are: trauma-focused care (providing trauma education, assuming that unhealed trauma plays a role in presenting issues, greater action in delivery of treatment services, and proactive treatment planning 40 ), the AIP model (awareness that presenting issues have a foundation in maladaptively stored memories), and Janet’s Three Stage Model of Trauma Treatment (ensuring that Stage 1, stabilization of symptoms and preparation for trauma work, is always occurring). The protocol creates a cohesive narrative for clients to relate to one another during group sessions and fosters a unifying platform.…”

“…Research indicates that mindfulness for the clinician can lead to a more effective therapeutic relationship. 97 , 121 - 125 Marich and Dansiger 40 provide the following approaches to implement a mindful phase 1: be genuine and build rapport from the first greeting; do not retraumatize; ask open-ended questions; consider that getting an exact, chronological trauma history may be unsafe or impractical because of how the memories are stored in the limbic brain; be nonjudgmental; assure clients that they may not be alone in their experiences; do make use of the stop sign when appropriate; be mindful of how you give screening tools or devices to clients; have closure strategies ready; consider that evaluating a client is an ongoing process.…”

“…Mindfulness training in phase 2 augments the client’s coping skills, develops internal resources and self-efficacy, and expands their affective window of tolerance. 40 Mindfulness skills developed and practiced by clients can transform their capacity to heal by providing them with the capacity to tolerate distressing states. In phase 2, the MET(T)A Protocol assists clients with connecting to the present moment through Mindfulness of Body and Mindfulness of Mind practices, helps clients to balance and simplify extreme emotions by tolerating them as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, and provides access to resources such as lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity.…”