Presented By
Raquel Hoersting, Ph.D.
Credits
2 EMDRIA Credits
Learning Format
Online
Adapted from the Pillars of Life (Raimundo, 1999), the Tree of Life for EMDR Therapy (EMDR-ToL) incorporates elements from resource development installation and narrative therapy into a collective visual representation of a tree. Often used in the preparation phase of EMDR Therapy, the EMDR-ToL is a protocol that focuses only on positive autobiographical memories, associating them with a positive cognition, activating positive associative networks, and making salient the positive life narratives that might have been neglected. An overview of the background, development, and application of the EMDR-ToL are illustrated with step-by-step explanations and case examples. This protocol is easily adapted to working with children and adults, groups or dyads, and other visual variations can be interchanged. The preliminary results of a pre- and post-test study conducted with university students has shown EMDR-ToL to increase the number and quality of positive cognitions, lower levels of perceived academic burnout and appears to be effective for both in-person and online settings. This protocol serves as an additional resource that EMDR Therapy clinicians can use when working with clients from various cultural backgrounds, ages, and settings.