EMDRAA NEWSLETTER -AUGUST 2016

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1 EMDRAA NEWSLETTER -AUGUST 2016 President s message I'm currently in Minneapolis for the EMDRIA Conference. Having recovered from the 25 hours of plane time to get here, I have already lined up some of the best presenters to give webinars next year. And I m negotiating with Neurotek and other suppliers of EMDR to make their products available to members at a discount. I ve also approached the Australian distributor of Springer, which publishes the bulk of EMDR books, about getting discounted access to the Springer catalogue, but whether they can match the prices on major on-line booksellers remains to be seen. Many of the presentations this year are focusing on Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) and attachment, as there is more focus on Complex PTSD. This last few months has been a very busy time for the Association. Big Item No. 1 : Our new website is now live. That has taken far, far longer than I'd envisaged. At times it seemed to be one step forward, three steps backwards, but we now have a platform on which we can develop further. Check it out. If you spot any bugs or missing links please let me know. We have also been coping with a huge number of applications for Accredited Practitioner. The forms for all accreditations (Practitioner, Consultant, Trainer) are all on the new website. All forms have a payment link embedded in them so all payments can be made securely on-line. Please, if you have an old form, bin it. We are trying to eliminate members making direct payments into the EMDR bank account, as it adds hugely to the administrative load. Big Item No. 2: Our Conference in Melbourne on 19, 20 November, at the Jasper Hotel. Ad de Jongh from Holland presents a full day workshop on EMDR and Anxiety Disorders, and Marco Pagani from Rome presents a Keynote Address on what the latest developments on brain scanning tell us about how EMDR works. And we have practical presentations on EMDR with children, ways of being a more flexible EMDR therapist and EMDR for emotional eating. The link for registration should be on the website in a few days, and we'll also it to you. We are in a healthy financial position, so this conference will be priced very attractively. Up-coming events: We have been trying to pin down a date from our selected presenter for a webinar on EMDR and Eating Disorders in October, but I have secured an interview with Bessel van der Kolk, to be scheduled later in the year. At our planning day in June we discussed communications. It seems that many people don't read newsletters, as the Secretary and I both get plenty of s about items that have been previously listed in newsletters. We are looking at supplementing the Newsletter with the occasional message, drawing your attention to new material on the website. Till next time, Stay with that. Graham Taylor President

2 EMDRAA 2016 CONFERENCE Pencil in Saturday 19 / Sunday 20 November for our Conference at Jasper Hotel, CBD Melbourne. One day of brief, practical presentations on a range of topics followed by one day of in-depth training on EMDR and Anxiety Disorders by Ad de Jongh from Amsterdam. EMDRAA CONFERENCE 2016 ABSTRACTS TREATMENT OF FEARS AND OTHER ANXIETY-RELATED CONDITIONS WITH EMDR Ad de Jongh Over the recent years we have learned a great deal about how EMDR should be applied to get the best results in resolving disturbing memories and other mental representations that are critical in the development and maintenance of clients fears. This presentation focuses on EMDR as a treatment of fears, specific phobias and other anxiety-related conditions. Participants will learn to conceptualise cases in terms of how EMDR should be applied to make the treatments successful, and to use the flashforward strategy a relatively new treatment approach for anticipatory fears. This will be illustrated by video segments of treatment sessions using EMDR with a wide range of clients. EMDR AND NEUROBIOLOGY Jon Laugharne and Claire Kullack This presentation will outline a recent study in which 20 adult patients with PTSD (CAPS diagnosis) were randomly assigned 12 sessions of either EMDR or Prolonged Exposure (PE). Clinical ratings (CAPS, PCL, Ham A, Ham D) were administered before and after treatment and there was a six week wait list period for each patient prior to therapy. MRI brain scans were administered before and after treatment for both treatment groups. Initial structural analysis has focussed on the amygdala and indicates a significant increase in left amygdala (p<0.05) following EMDR but not following PE. To our knowledge this is the first study to compare structural brain changes following EMDR and PE and initial analysis of the amygdala changes indicates a possible difference in the biological effects of these two therapies. PTSD AND CO-MORBID DISORDERS Claire Kullack and Jon Laugharne This presentation reports cases of posttraumatic stress disorder, drawn from a secondary level care outpatient clinic, for which systematic clinical data was recorded using validated instruments, before and after treatment

3 with EMDR and at 12 month follow-up. All patients improved significantly in terms of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. There were significant reductions in paranoid, depressive and borderline traits post treatment and at follow-up. There was a reduction in co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses and in personality disorder diagnoses post treatment and maintained at follow-up. These results suggest that EMDR may be effective in treating co-morbid disorders as well as PTSD. TREATING CHRONICALLY TRAUMATISED CHILDREN. DON T LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE! Arianne Struik Some chronically traumatised children are resistant and not motivated for trauma treatment. Within their families they often have witnessed violence, have been abused and neglected. Some haven been placed in foster families or residential facilities by Child Protection. These children can be avoidant or deny, forget or dissociate their traumatic memories. Trauma treatment does not seem to have an effect or trauma processing seems impossible. For these children the temptation to let sleeping dogs lie and not focus on processing the traumatic memories can be strong. But all children deserve a chance to heal and recover. If practitioners struggle how to, this workshop provides a method to analyse these cases and develop a phased treatment plan to help them process their traumatic memories. In this workshop the Sleeping Dogs method will be explained. The Sleeping Dogs model has been developed to motivate these children and their families and to help them prepare and process traumatic memories. Participants will learn to analyse cases by considering six items (safety, daily life, attachment, emotion regulation, cognitive shift and nutshell) to discover why the child is resistant and which interventions are needed. Then the trauma-processing phase with the use of EMDR and the integration phase will be demonstrated. Participants will get an understanding of how to set up interventions to support the families of these children to reconnect and heal from trauma. The presentation will be illustrated with case examples to enable to apply this method to their own practice. Learning objectives Participants will be able to: use the six tests of the Sleeping Dogs method; recognise the items that need to be worked on in stuck cases; and plan the outline of the stabilisation phase for the target group FROM PROTOCOL TO PROCESS : 15 WAYS TO BE A MORE FLEXIBLE EMDR THERAPIST Graham Taylor EMDR is based on an information processing model. Being clear about what both information and processing are enables the therapist to be more flexible in helping clients process information more effectively and efficiently. This experiential mini-workshop gives you the opportunity to practice 15 ways to be a more flexible EMDR therapist, whilst remaining true to the Adaptive Information Processing model underlying EMDR. Building a memory map. 10 questions you must know. Assessment issues: Imagery, schemas, questionnaires. Case Conceptualisation: Shall I use EMDR? is the LAST question to ask. What are the others? Stacking the Deck: positively biasing processing towards resolution before you start eye movements. Building (Resourcing) Positive Beliefs: Contributions from Schema Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Multiple memory desensitisation: Seeding the session.

4 Processing Memories with multiple Negative Beliefs: you have 3 options. BLS: Fast or Slow? When and Why. Implications of Orienting Response and Working Memory models. Interweaves for generalisation. What they are and When and When Not to use them. Working with Parts of Self: using ego states / modes in interweaves. Incomplete sessions: Should you always contain the unprocessed material? Future work: The Third Prong of EMDR. Doorstep therapy. EMDR THERAPY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVELOPMENTAL MODIFICATIONS FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. Sarah Schubert. EMDR is an evidence-based psychological therapy recommended by the World Health Organisation (2013) for the treatment of PTSD in children, adolescents, adults. EMDR is a therapy that has established its effectiveness for the treatment of children, adolescents, adults, and families who have experienced traumatic events (i.e. domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect) that have disrupted attachment, social, emotional and physical development, and impeded one s ability to grow, learn, and reach one s full potential. The aim of this workshop is to encourage participants to think flexibly and creatively about how to work with younger clients within an EMDR therapy framework. The workshop will involve teaching adaptations to the standard therapy protocol, with a focus on how to adapt language and techniques used in phases 1 3 of EMDR treatment to the child s developmental age and needs. Child development theory as it applies to the theory underlying EMDR therapy, and how to conceptualise simple and more complex case presentations from the adaptive information processing perspective is also discussed. This is an interactive workshop that includes videos, practicum and didactic material so participants can deepen their understanding and enhance skills in working with children and adolescents within as EMDR therapy framework. Handouts are provided that includes materials (i.e. instructions for therapists, scripts, worksheets) discussed throughout the workshop. Note. This presentation does not aim to provide participants with all the skills and knowledge required to begin incorporating EMDR into their clinical work with children and adolescents. Rather, the focus of this workshop is on adapting the EMDR protocol in the assessment and preparation phases of EMDR, with an overview of the adaptations needed to effectively process trauma memories in phases 4-8 provided in a summarised form. Learning objectives: Participants will be able to: Discuss theory underlying EMDR and evidence for its use with children and adolescents. Discuss with children, adolescents, and parents the rationale for trauma-focused work and the procedures involved in EMDR therapy. Conceptualise simple and more complex case presentations from the adaptive information processing perspective. Effectively assess trauma history and identify negative life events underlying symptoms. Identify indications and contraindications of EMDR therapy for children and adolescents. Develop a treatment plan and integrate EMDR into a comprehensive child treatment approach. Adjust phases 1-3 of the EMDR protocol (history, preparations, and assessment) to the developmental age and needs of the child. Participants will be provided with a summarised overview of the adaptations and developmental modifications for phases 4-8 of the EMDR protocol. Understand the role of parents in EMDR therapy for children and adolescents. Effectively use a Resource Development protocol. TREATING EMOTIONAL EATING AS AN ADDICTION WITH AN EMDR GROUP PROTOCOL

5 Carolyn Sullivan This workshop will: Describe Robert Miller s Feeling State Theory of Impulse Control Disorders (ICD). Explain the reasons for treating emotional eating to address the obesity epidemic. Define what is meant by the cycle of emotional eating being an ICD. Demonstrate use of the Impulse Control Disorder EMDR protocol with an individual. Explore how the unconscious factors that lead to emotional eating can be identified. Describe briefly the importance of using multiple means of dealing with affect regulation and expression. Experience the success of the EMDR ICD protocol within the group setting. Understand the rationale for setting up groups to treat emotional eating. Describe the successes of the group protocol in workshops held in Canberra in PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT All past webinars are now accessible through the member s area on our website. Past webinars include: Dr Robbie Adler-Tapia on Reverse Protocol Roy Kiessling on the Processing Continuum Larissa Meysner on EMDR and Grief Graham Taylor on EMDR and Schema Therapy Dr Chris Lee on Recent Research Future Webinars/Interviews EMDR and eating Disorders: Dalene Forester, President of EMDRIA, will be presenting a 3 hour webinar on EMDR and Eating Disorders. Bessel van der Kolk: EMDR and Trauma RECENT AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH For many years Australia has lifted above it s weight when it comes to publishing EMDR research. Here are some recent publications. If you have published something recently and I ve missed it, my apologies. Please send it in for the next Newsletter. Amygdala Volumetric Change Following Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Jonathan Laugharne, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.Psych., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., Claire Kullack, B.Sc., Christopher W. Lee, Ph.D., Tracy McGuire, M.Sc., Simone Brockman, B.Sc. (Hons.), Peter D Drummond, Ph.D., Sergio Starkstein, M.D., Ph.D. Abstract

6 The authors investigated the impact of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and prolonged exposure (PE) on the volumes of the amygdala and hippocampus, structures known to be important in fear conditioning, in 20 patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patients were randomly allocated to either EMDR or PE. Volumes were assessed before and after treatment via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both groups showed significant improvements in PTSD symptoms. Left amygdala mean volume increased significantly following EMDR treatment only. No significant volumetric changes were found for the hippocampus. CONTACTING THE ASSOCIATION We now have three address: goes to Graham Taylor, our President. goes directly to our Secretary Claire Kullack, and goes directly Phil Nottingham for all matters related to Accreditation and Standards. When you contact the Association please do not use private addresses tied to specific individuals. In the past some messages sent to individual Board members did not get to where they needed to go. As an organisation we need to keep on top of our communications, and so our addresses are now linked to a particular office, rather than a specific person. You are welcome to talk at any time about any Association matters by calling Pres. Graham on , but please remember the time difference between you and Perth. Next Newsletter is due in December. Please send any contributions to Graham Taylor at admin@emdraa.org EMDR Assn Australia, 2016 Compiled by Graham Taylor and Claire Kullack

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