As trauma therapists located here in Cincinnati, we often use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to help individuals process traumatic experiences and heal from emotional distress. EMDR is a powerful therapeutic technique that helps people reprocess their traumatic memories, reducing the intensity of the distress associated with them.
People often ask about IFS/parts work, and if that type of therapy can be used with EMDR. As we will discuss, not only does parts work/IFS work well with EMDR, when you are working with a therapist who incorporates parts work/IFS into EMDR, it’s a sign that you are working with a therapist who has advanced training in EMDR and treating trauma.
Let’s first define what parts work and IFS is. Parts work is a broader approach to understanding the different parts of an individual's personality, while IFS is a specific therapeutic approach that focuses on working with the different parts to achieve greater self-awareness and healing.
While there are some differences between the 2 approaches, they both are based on the idea that individuals have different parts or aspects to their personality that represent different emotions or beliefs. This includes understanding how different parts relate to each other, how they affect behavior and emotions, and how they can be integrated. Parts work and IFS can help individuals understand and integrate these different aspects of themselves, leading to greater self-awareness and healing.
EMDR and parts work/IFS can work together in a number of ways. Here are some ways that we have found to be particularly effective:
Identifying And Naming Parts
During the preparation phase of EMDR therapy, we often ask our clients to identify the different parts of themselves that are involved in their trauma or emotional distress. For example, a client who has experienced childhood abuse may have a part that feels angry, a part that feels helpless, and a part that feels guilty. By identifying and naming these parts, clients can start to understand the different emotions and beliefs that are associated with their trauma.
Mapping Out Parts
Once we have identified the different parts, we can then map them out to understand how they relate to each other. This mapping can be done visually, using diagrams or drawings, or verbally, by discussing the relationships between the different parts. Mapping out parts can help clients understand how their different emotions and beliefs are interconnected, and how they contribute to their current emotional distress.
Working With Parts in EMDR Processing
During the processing phase of EMDR therapy, we can work with the different parts that have been identified and mapped out. For example, we might focus on a part that feels angry, and use EMDR techniques to help the client reprocess the traumatic memories associated with that anger. By working with individual parts, we can reduce the intensity of the emotional distress associated with each part, leading to greater overall healing.
Working With Blocking Parts
When we are helping a client who has severe or complex trauma, it’s very common that blocking parts show up. Blocking parts are parts that don’t want things to change, even though a person may want things to be different. A great example of this is anxiety. Often when we are working with someone who has trauma, there can be a part of them that is anxious but that part doesn’t want to step away and be quieter. This is true even though the person themselves may want to have less anxiety.
The reasons for why this part may not want to change can range from “I need to be able to protect her in case something bad happens again”, to “I’ve been here for so long I can’t imagine just stepping away and not being so loud”. If a therapist doesn’t know how to use parts work, the EMDR therapy may get stuck at this point. In our experience, this is a major reason why sometimes people come to us and tell us that the EMDR they did with a previous therapist didn’t work.
Integrating Parts
Finally, in the integration phase of EMDR therapy, we work to integrate the different parts of the client's personality. This integration can involve identifying the strengths and positive aspects of each part, and helping clients understand how they can work together in a more balanced way. By integrating the different parts, clients can achieve a greater sense of wholeness and self-awareness.
Summary
Overall, the combination of EMDR and parts work can be a powerful approach to healing emotional distress. By helping clients identify and understand their different parts, and using EMDR techniques to reprocess traumatic memories associated with each part, we can achieve deeper levels of healing and integration. If you are struggling with emotional distress or trauma, we encourage you to consider working with a mental health professional who is trained in EMDR and parts work. While there aren’t that many therapists in the Cincinnati area with this training, we at Therapy Cincinnati are fortunate to have 2 therapists with this specialized training. With the right therapist, you can heal from your past and move towards a more positive and fulfilling future.