Approved for 12 EMDRIA Credits

“What are you noticing now?” is often a difficult question for clients to answer during EMDR reprocessing and an easy question for therapists to neglect in phases one and two of EMDR. This workshop will explore ways of enhancing all eight phases of EMDR using an approach to therapy called Constructed Awareness. According to Constructed Awareness, our conscious experience is made of three building blocks—thoughts, sensations, and external stimuli—and most people are naturally more oriented to one of these building blocks. Some people are mentally oriented, spending more time in their minds. Some are sensation oriented, focusing more on sensations in their bodies. And others are externally oriented, focusing more on what’s happening in their external environment. Such a limited perspective often restricts the client’s ability to connect with their full experience and report what they are noticing during EMDR reprocessing. Participants will learn the Constructed Awareness typology and resources to help clients respond more confidently when asked what they are noticing now, as well as how to nonviolently bring awareness to the client’s experience in a way that fosters a more gentle and effortless style of reprocessing.

Presenter: Tyler Orr, LPC