Dr. Paulsen will review key assessment issues in which EMDR practitioners should be alert.  Additionally, the workshop will elaborate on the key phase of stabilization, before ever conducting EMDR for a dissociative client.  It will describe ways to increase affect tolerance, (employ somatic resourcing, and other somatic methods, for the second workshop), reconfigure ego states.   A key focus is on working directly perpetrator introjects or other “monstrous” disowned or shameful parts, to minimize resistance and internal conflict.  Leading Edge methods for resetting affective circuits and clearing very early attachment trauma will be touched upon.

The workshop will highlight how, once readiness for EMDR has been achieved, a clinician can use relevant ego state strategies and imagery to ensure that the client’s self-system is engaged and informed about the process, has sufficient internal resources to process through traumatic material while maintaining dual-attention awareness.  The workshop draws on hypnotic tradition for strategies for pacing and fractionating trauma work, and allowing consolidation of gains and synthesis between pieces of work.   Dissociative table (conference room) methods are discussed in the context of use within and outside of EMDR. Ego state, (somatic, for the second workshop) and Imaginal Interweaves are suggested for “looping” or stuck EMDR processes.  Pseudoseizures, headaches, and mutism are also discussed in terms of ego state work within EMDR.  Finally, we’ll touch on EMDR assisted skills building, integration and fusion methods in the later stages of the work.