Course Description

This workshop introduces ego state therapy concepts and interventions from the Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS) for stabilizing dysregulated, dissociative, attachment-wounded clients in EMDR Phase 2. It shows how to mobilize loving, attuned, vetted, internal Resources. It describes how to talk directly to triggered wounded child parts to get them in a dialogue with Resources who help them feel safe as they meet emotional needs. After wounded parts tell their story, we orient them to present time and reassure them that their perception of “reliving” an old trauma is just a harmless recording playing back. These interventions can stabilize wounded child parts—bringing them out of trance and into the safety of the present. As more and more wounded parts get stabilized, dysregulated clients develop the emotion management skills needed for EMDR success. Issues of diversity and equity in the context of DNMS, are also addressed.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe how childhood trauma and attachment wounds affect the development of foundational stability and the emotion regulation skills clients need before beginning EMDR.
2. Participants will be able to describe how to guide clients to mobilize a team of vetted Resources.
3. Participants will be able to describe ego state therapy interventions for stabilizing wounded child parts.

Presenter(s)

Shirley Jean Schmidt, MA, LPC

Shirley Jean Schmidt, MA, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor near Portland, Oregon. She was trained in EMDR in 1995. She’s a former EMDRIA-Approved Consultant. She began integrating EMDR with ego state therapy in the late 90s – inspiring her to develop a complementary therapy approach, the Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS). She’s trained hundreds of therapists in the DNMS over the last 20 years. She recently expanded her model to include interventions for preparing dissociative clients for EMDR. She’s published articles and webinars about integrating EMDR with ego state therapy. She holds the patent on the TheraTapper, an EMDR tapping device.