Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an opportunity to re-process past trauma/distressing experiences that currently evoke negative emotions, thoughts, beliefs and somatic (felt-sense/body) responses.  Negative thoughts and feelings that you determine are no longer adaptive or are intruding into your dreams or daily-life undergo a memory re-consolidation that encourages adaptive behaviors, strong self-efficacy and increased perceived safety in social interactions: The work is directed toward developing a nervous system that is resilient and growth directed. Attachment-Focused EMDR therapy typically moves within the following therapeutic tasks:

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• History and Treatment Planning

• Preparation: Establish trust and explain the treatment format, expectations, pre-cuations and standard phases of technique.

• Assessment and Target Mapping: Identify negative cognitions, beliefs, emotions, somatic charge (Body's felt-sense). Example: sinking gut, tight chest, hunched shoulders, clenched jaw and fidgeting hands).

• Desensitization: Bilateral Stimulation (eye movement, tactile/pulsing, audio or other bi-lateral techniques)

• Installing / Weaving: Strengthen positive cognitions, beliefs, recourse-imagery, emotions, somatic charge (body's felt-sense : Example: calm gut, light easy breathe, relaxed shoulders, loose jaw and resting hands).

• Body Scan: Inquiry into the degree of residual charge (tension) present or activated in the felt-sense of muscles and viscera (lungs/stomach).

• Closure:  Bringing emotional state to adaptive baseline (Example: Containing / Distancing / Anchoring / Resourcing / Grounding / Belly-Breathing) at the end of session.

• Monitoring: During initial desensitazation process when formerly unrecalled images, emotions and thoughts are brought to the working memory state clients can experience increased irritability before the desensitization and reprocessing is resolved. Therapist touch base over the next few days following a session via text / call / teleconference / e-mail to inquire to status of client and offer increased support.

• Re-evaluation: Re-assessing targets and status of adaptive living and resilience at the beginning of session.

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The use of Attachment-Focused EMDR endorses the transformative value of the therapeutic relationship and the client's childhood attachment history. Positive inner ego states are integrated into the practice typically through resourcing components of the protective, nurturing and wise figures of real or imagined client experiences that when integrated /interweaved into the memory of the trauma, facilitate a healing of a ruptured childhood attachment formation .