Creativity in EMDR Therapy
Pablo Picasso's saying, "Learn the rules like a pro so that you can break them like an artist," illustrates the essence of being an EMDR therapist. It highlights the balance between mastering EMDR’s foundational skills and adapting them flexibly to meet each client’s unique needs.
This blend of understanding and creative adaptation is key to effective EMDR practice. As EMDR therapists, we rely on a structured, evidence-based approach that provides a solid foundation for trauma treatment. However, our effectiveness also hinges on our ability to modify the standard EMDR protocol when necessary, addressing the unique needs of each client. This approach allows us to integrate EMDR Therapy into our broader therapeutic repertoire in a way that stays true to our personal style as therapists.
Balancing Fidelity with Flexibility
The journey of an EMDR therapist involves two key elements: mastering fundamental skills and embracing flexibility when needed. This duality within EMDR Therapy, a structured approach coupled with scope to innovate, is one of the things that I love most about this amazing therapy. The key is finding the 'sweet spot' - staying grounded in EMDR basics while allowing space for creative adaptation.
Striking a balance is necessary, as strict adherence to rules lends an impersonal, robotic quality to EMDR Therapy, diverging from a therapist’s natural therapeutic style. On the other hand, excessive flexibility can deviate from evidence-based principles, potentially compromising clinical outcomes.
Finding a middle ground involves first mastering foundational principles and then carefully adapting the standard protocol to fit your individual style and the unique needs of each client. This approach allows EMDR therapists to make confident adjustments, preserving the robustness of EMDR while applying it intuitively for better client outcomes and greater professional satisfaction.
Embracing Creativity within the EMDR Framework
As we advance in our EMDR clinical practice, it becomes increasingly important to refine our ability to integrate creativity with structured EMDR protocols. This integration is what sets apart a skilled therapist from a transformative one. It allows us to meet our clients where they are, with the full backing of EMDR's evidence-based framework, enhanced by our personalised touch that aligns with the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model.
The beauty of EMDR Therapy lies in its structured yet flexible framework, providing us with the tools to be both scientists and artists in our therapeutic approach. It's about using our knowledge and creativity to forge paths to healing that are as unique as the clients we serve.
Refresh Your EMDR Skills
If you would like to revisit the basics and strengthen your foundational EMDR skills, I invite you to purchase my 3-hour on-demand EMDR Therapy Refresher webinar. It is designed for therapists who have already completed basic training in EMDR Therapy but have not had an opportunity to utilise it skills regularly or need a ‘tune up’ to increase their confidence, knowledge and skills.
I'm Caroline Burrows, an Accredited EMDR Trainer and Consultant. I’m passionate about bridging the gap between EMDR training and clinical practice. If you're looking to learn EMDR Therapy for the first time, enhance your EMDR skills, or navigate challenges in your EMDR clinical work, I offer training workshops, on-demand webinars, and consultation. I would love to support your EMDR learning journey.
