Processing emotional pain using the expanded Emotion Focused Therapy task of Focusing: A single-session case study

ABSTRACT

In Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), the Focusing task normally involves processing an unclear felt sense. In earlier research, Harte (2012) proposed an expanded version of the Focusing task designed to reprocess emotional pain relating to unresolved painful/traumatic events. More recently, Harte used the discovery phase of task analysis to refine the proposed model and develop a method for bringing previously suppressed or incomplete memories of painful/traumatic events back into awareness so they can be successfully processed and integrated. In that study, 12 single therapy sessions were video recorded, transcribed, observed and analyzed by two investigators using the task analysis method. A successful outcome session was identified as a good demonstration of the task that led to a resolution, and had high scores on the Experiencing Scale, the Emotional Arousal Scale-III, and an amended Client Emotional Productivity Scale-Dimensional. In successful outcome sessions, clients described a felt shift. A sequential three-stage empirical model emerged from the analysis. This paper presents an in-depth qualitative account of the successful use of the expanded focusing model in a single session with a 53-year-old woman with a history of ‘small t’ trauma.

Durant la période mouvementée des années 60 et 70 en Europe et aux Etats-Unis, un bouleversement culturel principalement porté par la jeunesse a contesté les structures, les habitudes et les institutions qui étayent la vision du monde industriel dont l’origine se situe dans l’époque des Lumières. Alors qu’il s’opposait à l’establishment, le défi de ce mouvement contre-culturel a tout de même réussi à assouplir les contraintes de la conscience industrielle et a ouvert la voie à de nouvelles attitudes psychologiques et à de nouvelles manières d’être que Carl Rogers a suggéré de retenir comme balises pour le chemin des « personnes de demain ». Cet article est l’adaptation d’une présentation faite lors de la 13^e Conférence Mondiale de Psychothérapie Centrée sur la Personne et Expérientielle – « Facilitating Hope » - qui s’est tenue à Vienne en juillet 2018. Il décrit un revirement de conscience manifeste parmi les personnes engagées dans des projets de changements transformatifs au sein desquels la conscience moderniste est élargie en récupérant des manières de connaître et d’agir laissées pour compte par les Lumières. Des exemples de projets d’action transformatrice dans lesquels cette nouvelle conscience est à l’œuvre, et qui sont représentatifs du travail de l’International Futures Forum, sont proposés. De tels projets peuvent fonctionner comme des académies de l’espoir.

Diese Forschungsarbeit untersucht die Verarbeitung und Integration vergangener schmerzhafter/traumatischer Ereignisse unter Anwendung eines erweiterten Modells der Emotionsfokussierten Therapie (EFT)-Aufgabe des Focusing. Die Autoren (2012) gingen davon aus, dass die Verarbeitung emotionaler Verletzungen einem bestimmten Muster folgt, wenn man unvollständige Erinnerungen von früher zurück ins Bewusstsein bringt, indem man den Felt Sense aktiviert. Mit Hilfe der Entdeckungsphase der Aufgabenanalyse, einer Forschungs-Methodologie zur Theorieformulierung, entwickelten die Autoren ein detailliertes Modell, das die Schritte der Klienten-Veränderung ersichtlich macht. Zwei Gruppen von teilnehmenden Klient-Personen wurden rekrutiert. 1. Klienten, die berichteten, dass sie eine emotionale Verletzung erlebt hatten, die emotionalen Schmerz bedeutete; und sie waren einige Zeit in Therapie gewesen und 2. auszubildende Therapeut-Personen in der Rolle von Klienten (die ihre eigenen Erfahrungen brachten), die mit einer anderen auszubildenden Person arbeiteten. Ein Total von neun in EFT ausgebildeten Therapeut-Personen (26-57 Jahre alt, Durchschnitt = 44.25 Jahre, fünf Frauen und fünf Männer) arbeiteten mit elf Klient-Personen (26-53 Jahre alt, Durchschnitt = 38.50 Jahre, acht Frauen und drei Männer). Zwölf Einzelsitzungen wurden per Video aufgezeichnet, transkribiert und streng analysiert. Ein sequenzielles 3-Phasen-Empirie-Modell entstand aus der Entdeckungsphase der Aufgaben-Analyse. Das daraus resultierende empirische Modell beschreibt eine neu identifizierte EFT-Aufgabe zur Verarbeitung emotionaler Verletzungen in Reaktion auf einen Felt Sense von emotionalem Schmerz (dem Marker).

Esta investigación investigó el procesamiento y la integración de eventos dolorosos/traumáticos pasados mediante el uso de un modelo expandido de la tarea de Enfoque basado en la Emoción Enfocada (EFT). El autor (2012) propuso que el procesamiento de las lesiones emocionales traiga a la memoria recuerdos previamente incompletos a través de la activación de la sensación percibida, siguiendo una secuencia particular. La fase de descubrimiento del análisis de tareas, una teoría de la metodología de investigación de construcción, se utilizó para

SLdevelop y un modelo detallado que reveló los pasos del cambio de cliente. Se reclutaron dos grupos de participantes clientes. (1) Clientes que informaron que habían sufrido una lesión emocional que resultó en dolor emocional y que habían estado involucrados en terapia durante algún tiempo y (2) terapeutas en prácticas en el rol del cliente (que aportan sus propias experiencias) que trabajan con otro participante. Un total de nueve terapeutas capacitados en EFT (26-57 años, media = 44.25 años, cinco mujeres y cuatro hombres) trabajaron con once clientes (26-53 años, media = 38.50 años, ocho mujeres y tres hombres). Doce sesiones individuales fueron grabadas visualmente, transcritas y analizadas rigurosamente. Un modelo empírico secuencial de tres etapas emergió de la fase de descubrimiento del análisis de tareas. El modelo empírico resultante describe una tarea de EFT recién identificada para procesar lesiones emocionales en respuesta a una sensación sentida de dolor emocional (el marcador).

Esta pesquisa investigou o processamento e integração de acontecimentos passados dolorosos/traumáticos, usando um modelo expandido da tarefa de Focusing na Terapia Focada na Emoção (TFE). O autor (2012) propôs que o processamento de ferida emocionais trazendo de volta à consciência memórias incompletas, através da ativação do sentimento sentido, seguia uma determinada sequência. A fase de descoberta da análise da tarefa, uma metodologia de pesquisa para a construção de uma teoria, foi usada para desenvolver um modelo pormenorizado que revelou os passos da mudança no cliente. Dois grupos de clientes foram recrutados para participar: 1- Clientes que relatavam ter vivenciado uma ferida emocional que resultara em dor emocional e que estavam em terapia há algum tempo; 2- psicoterapeutas em formação no papel de clientes (trazendo as suas próprias experiências) e que trabalhavam com outro formando. Um total de nove terapeutas treinados em TFE (26-57 anos, média 44,25 anos, cinco mulheres e quatro homens) trabalharam com onze clientes (26-53 anos, média 38,5 anos, oito mulheres e três homens). Foram gravadas em vídeo doze sessões individuais, que foram transcritas e rigorosamente analisadas. Um modelo sequencial em três estádios emergiu da fase de descoberta da análise de tarefa. O modelo empírico resultante descreve uma tarefa recém-identificada da TFE para o processamento das feridas emocionais em resposta a um sentimento sentido de dor emocional (o marcador).

KEYWORDS:

• Emotion focused therapy
• focusing
• emotions
• emotional pain
• trauma

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

There is no financial interest or benefit that has arisen from the direct application of this research.

Notes on contributors

Melissa Harte

Melissa Harte [B. App. Sci. (Med. Lab. Sci.), Grad. Dip. (Psych), B. Sci. (Hons) Psych, DPsych (Couns). MPsych (Clin)] is a Counselling Psychologist who supports and assists people to improve their lives. Her diverse range of services includes; face-to-face counselling, training, supervision and professional development within an Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) framework. She is an Internationally Accredited Trainer in EFT with the isEFT and the Training and Program Director of the newly formed Australian Institute for Emotion Focused Therapy (AIEFT). Melissa’s uniquely structured workshops are personally transformational for therapists and are designed to assist those therapists to deliver more comprehensive services for their clients.

In her clinical work and documented in her Doctoral research she extended Gendlin’s Focusing therapeutic intervention to assist individuals to work with painful and traumatic experiences. This proven method of reprocessing emotionally painful past events liberates her clients by breaking old patterns of behaviour and, in doing so, aids the process of true healing. Her current research using Task Analysis has explored the expansion of the Focusing Task to include assisting people to process unresolved painful past events.

Barry Strmelj

Barry Strmelj is a counselling psychologist working in private practice since 2012. Barry trained in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) in 2011 with the principle author and has built a private practice based predominantly on this approach. He is certified by the International Society of EFT as an EFT supervisor and along with the provision of supervision he supports the provision of EFT training. Barry is the Executive Director of the Australian Institute of EFT and he is committed to building a community around the practice of EFT in Melbourne, Australia.

Stephen Theiler

Stephen Theiler has been teaching at Swinburne since 1996. At present he is the Deputy Director of the Swinburne Psychology Clinic. He teaches counselling in the Postgraduate area and supervises a full load of Masters and PhD students in their research and clinical work. His teaching achievements include National Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning and Vice-Chancellor Excellent Teaching Awards. He is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and is a counselling and clinical psychologist. He has over 30 publications in areas such as Education; Mindfulness; Hypnosis; Gestalt; Cyber-Bullying; Early Childhood Memories and Schema Therapy.