Video 002 Targeting trauma held by one part of the personality

Use this solution 

To undertake a Phase 3 Assessment and Phase 4 Desensitisation when the trauma is held by a part of the personality, and the parts of the personality are clearly distinguishable from one another.

Originator

Dr Jim Knipe.

Video production

Matthew Davies Media Ltd, Llanidloes, Powys.
www.matthewmedia.com

What this covers

Case of woman with history of childhood physical and emotional abuse.  Video shows a Phase 3 Assessment with a dissociative client, stabilised with CIPOS and BHS, when the trauma is held by a part of the personality.  Both the adult part (called the Apparently Normal Part or ANP) and the child part (called the Emotional Part or EP) contribute to the assessment.  Following this, it shows how to start the Phase 4 Desensitisation.  In both situations the therapist is shown initiating communication between parts.

How long?

9.45 minutes

Related videos

See Video 001 and Video 003.

Go to ‘Take-away’?

For Aide mémoire to use in a client session.


Take-Away Section

+ Wrap up

  • One may ask the client to allow the child part to ‘see’ the BLS through the client’s eyes (or ‘feel’ the buzzers through the client’s hands if this is the form of BLS being used)
  • Even when the process proceeds without problems to resolution, it sometimes leaves the client adult-self feeling detached or even a bit hesitant about the ego state and the latter still holding some negative emotion. How to resolve this and other potential blockages between ‘parts’, see ‘Loving eyes’ Video 003.

+ Aide-mémoire for targeting trauma held by one part of the personality

You can copy and paste this text into a Word document, and can edit it, adding any additional text you might find helpful.

  1. Make sure client is able to hold dual attention, then ask the client (adult) to identify the traumatic memory
  2. Have the child part identify the negative visual image or other sensory aspect of the worst moment

  3. The child part identifies the negative cognition

  4. The adult part identifies the positive cognition
  5. The child part gives the VOC (scale 1-7 or if the part is very young, using descriptive language like ‘not true, or somewhat true, or very true’)
  6. The adult part names the emotion(s)
  7. The child part identifies the intensity of the emotion (scale 0-10 or using descriptive language as for the VOC)
  8. Either the child part or adult part tells the location of body sensations.

The normal EMDR processing can begin once this is done. Usually the therapist asks the adult to notice the child’s responses to questions about the VOC and the intensity of emotions reflected in the SUDs measurement.