We are open for in-person or online counselling. | Book online or call us today (905) 962-2220
As the name implies, Emotionally Focused Therapy is a type of therapy that focuses on healing emotions.
However, it can also be used to treat other problems, such as marital issues, depression, anger, and anxiety.
By focusing on how the client feels about themselves, Emotionally Focused Therapy can help people resolve conflicts and improve their relationships.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), not to be confused with the Emotional Freedom Technique, is a therapy model pioneered in the 1980s and developed alongside the science of adult attachment.
EFT is a humanistic approach to psychotherapy that expands our understanding of individual dysfunction and health along with the nature of family bonds and love relationships.
In attachment theory, human beings are considered to be innately relational, social, and wired for intimate bonds.
EFT is a cutting-edge therapy model that is used in couples therapy as well as individual therapy to address depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
It can also be used to repair family bonds.
Emotionally Focused Therapy operates on several fundamental principles, such as emotional awareness, emotional expression, reflection, regulation, corrective emotional experiences, and transformation.
During an EFT session, your therapist will help you feel safe so that you can openly express your feelings by validating your experiences and helping you process those emotions.
They will then walk you through three stages that involve assessing and de-escalating deep-seated attachment needs before restructuring your bond and helping you develop new skills that you can apply to any lingering issues.
The main purpose of Emotionally Focused Therapy is to help people see their emotions as valuable sources of information instead of painful states to deal with.
The frequency of sessions with your therapist depends entirely on your individual needs and how quickly you want to see results.
EFT typically starts with weekly sessions, but this can change as needed.
The length of the sessions can also vary. Discussing your unique needs with your therapist is the best way to determine the optimal session length.
It’s normal to want to feel securely attached to another being and struggle with emotions when we don’t feel that way. This is why EFT also focuses on attachment bonds between partners.
These attachment needs and emotions are often labeled through the traditional psychoanalytical lens as enmeshment, lack of healthy differentiation, or healthy ego identity.
However, Attachment Theory disagrees. Much research has shown that having attachment needs and emotional needs is normal and good – our brains are wired to have these needs!
EFT helps people make sense of how their emotions and subsequent behaviors come from the need to attach securely.
When this need is not expressed, accepted, and met, we naturally take on unhealthy behaviors to protest against the lack of secure attachment.
Emotionally Focused Therapy has been shown to be highly effective for couples, but it can also be used to help individuals and families.
In couples therapy, EFT does not focus on solving problems or teaching skills. Instead, it focuses on using emerging emotions in therapy to form new patterns of interaction between partners.
These new patterns will eventually override old negative patterns.
EFT works by shifting the common enemy away from each other and works towards developing an interactive cycle that they need to defeat as a team.
Through Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, each partner forms new beliefs about self, others, and the relationship.
Research has shown that Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy is superior to other non-experiential couple therapy modalities.
Even childhood attachment neglect or wounds can be healed through this new corrective experience or having an attachment figure who is available, responsive, and engaged.
EFT can be applied to individual therapy to use suppressed emotions to organize different parts of the self.
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy can effectively treat depression, anxiety, anger issues, and trauma
EFT is also an effective therapeutic modality for families and can help parents support their child’s attachment needs and emotions so that the child can form secure attachment styles.
It can also help family members who desire a secure bond among themselves.
There are three stages of Emotionally Focused Therapy that are used to guide the individual or couple:
This step focuses on identifying negative thought patterns and emotions that may be contributing to conflict. Identifying these pain points will help you develop skills that will help you engage with your partner and other people, positively impacting your relationships.
By sharing your emotions during this phase, you will become more compassionate toward your partner and other people. This can involve allowing yourself to become vulnerable and asking for what you need.
The final phase of EFT focuses on new communication strategies to replace your old patterns. These new strategies will reform the dynamic of the relationship and create a positive healing environment.
While there are many different types of therapy that can help couples, individuals, and families, EFT has proven to be just as effective as traditional modalities such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).
While CBT focuses on thoughts, which can be effective in many situations, EFT focuses on feelings and underlying emotional problems in order to find new ways of bonding and communicating.
This can lead to a lasting change in a relationship and provide many other benefits:
Because EFT provides a language for healthy dependency between partners, it can help define key moments that define an adult love relationship.
From there, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy can support you in expanding and reorganizing your emotional responses.
One of the most effective tools couples can learn from EFT is how to communicate more effectively.
Better communication is a keystone to healthy conflict resolution and improved intimacy and results from a better understanding of your emotions and the emotions of your partner.
By using Attachment Theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy can help you create a stronger attachment with people in order to find comfort, security, and a buffer against stress.
EFT helps people become more aware of their own needs and the needs of their partners.
This awareness helps them listen and discuss problems that arise from a place of empathy instead of a place of anger or defensiveness.
Emotionally Focused Therapy helps individuals and couples identify the root cause of significant issues instead of simply focusing on symptoms.
Symptoms are only signs that something is wrong, and they do not signify the actual cause of problems within a relationship.
By addressing the root cause, couples can expect more profound healing and long-lasting results.
Research has shown that, even in a limited time frame, EFT therapy has a higher rate of success than other forms of couples therapy – and the results last!
EFT changes the way that people’s brains respond to perceived threats from their partners in order to reduce the intensity of that response. This leads to increased feelings of security and connection in the relationship.
This improved functioning within the relationship is long-lasting, helping couples maintain a stronger bond well into the future.
If you’re ready to improve your relationships and strengthen your emotional function, Empire is here to help.
Book your appointment at our Hamilton, Ontario, location, or contact us for more information.
Interested in psilocybin therapy? Check out our experienced team of therapists and find the perfect fit for you.
Empire Psychotherapy Corporation is a Hamilton based provider of counselling, couples therapy, and psychotherapy services.
Copyright 2022 Empire Psychotherapy Corp - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Sitemap
