Emotion-Focused Therapy for Complex Trauma: An Integrative Approach

by Sandra C. Paivio, Antonio Pascual-Leone

Psychotherapy clients with histories of childhood abuse and complex relational trauma are ubiquitous, and have notoriously high drop-out rates. These clients have been unable to heal past emotional injuries and often have difficulty handling exposure-based therapies, which usually are not designed for attachment related problems. Successful therapy requires helping clients access and explore painful feelings in order to modify maladaptive emotions. Emotion-Focused Therapy for Trauma (EFTT) is the only trauma therapy that is based on an empirically-verified model that identifies steps in the process of resolving past relational issues.

In this book, the authors plumb 15 years of research involving clinical trials, observation and analysis of therapy sessions, as well as their own extensive clinical experience to describe precisely how EFTT works to heal complex trauma. The book is organized into two main sections: Part I describes the EFTT treatment model and the theory behind it, while Part II examines clients' progress through the four phases of treatment, each of which can be revisited in a recursive fashion.

The authors focus on the typical progression, beginning with cultivating the therapeutic alliance, through modifying self-concept, resolution of attachment injuries, and termination. Throughout the text, the authors make comparisons with other treatment approaches, and provide clinical examples of different kinds of emotion and emotional processing difficulties.

This book will appeal to clinicians and researchers alike and is particularly suitable for use in outpatient trauma clinics and graduate programs that emphasize service and training in empirically-supported treatments.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

334 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this book. I just could't bring myself to read another textbook so, though the book is really informative and well written, I kept putting it on the back burner. If a practicing clinician/counselor is interested in Emotion Focused Therapy and how it can be utilized with individuals who've experienced trauma then this should tie the two worlds together for you (amazing, since that is the title). I really like EFT and even for those who aren't really familiar with the paradigm, this text could still work as the authors take time to ramp the reader up in regard to the theory. Chapter 7 is especially helpful as the authors present in both table and figure, the overall model of EFT applied to trauma. The research presented seems sound, the examples provided are illustrative and I believe that in today's world, a focus on emotions, emotional regulation, and balancing emotions with cognition, can be the most effective approach for individuals struggling with various difficulties.