Kesgrave Community Centre, Ipswich, Saturday Nov 11, 2017
Morning Presentation by Mark Brayne, EMDR Consultant, with clients MJ and GV.
Mark began his presentation – to a capacity audience of some 70 colleagues – by reiterating the basic tenets and structure of EMDR Therapy (the eight phases, BLS, Dual Attention and Past-Present-Future) and answering the question, “What is the Transpersonal?”
He described how a transpersonal approach goes deeper than the conditioned ego to a discovery of a more enduring and essential self, and this expands our understanding of the magic of EMDR by helping clients to “break the energetic spells” that have trapped them, like Sleeping Beauty, in the emotional dysfunctions of their past.
This, and other recent developments, such as Laurel Parnell’s Attachment-Focused EMDR, are contributing to the development and expansion of EMDR.
Transpersonal EMDR emphasises the development, with the client, of a “resource team” of archetypes and qualities which can play an important part in the processing itself, either spontaneously, or when called upon by the client, using active imagination.
Other techniques include target selection via bridging from present to past; the use of creative interweaves; the transfer of consciousness (e.g from Adult State to an apparently malevolent Ego State in order to discover its benevolent intention); dreamwork; an understanding of alchemy; and the impact and processing of trans-generational trauma.
Two of Mark’s clients attending as guests, MJ and GV, described their own experience of transpersonal EMDR, and their deep healing.
Their descriptions were interwoven with clarifications from Mark on how the work expanded and “petalled”, like a flower, but always within the container of the eight-phase process, so that he and the client return to all the targets that have emerged from the work, usually enabling an appropriate completion of each session, even when the target itself needs (sometimes much) further work in future sessions.
This presentation was enthusiastically received, and MJ and GV were applauded for their courage and openness.
Following questions, and lunch, the East Anglia Group held its AGM at which, with some 30 colleagues joining in, it was agreed that the Regional Steering Group would be reconstituted, with a Chair, a Chair Elect, and the Past Chair each holding that post for one year, serving therefore for three years in all in a specific role.
A new role is also envisaged, of Web Manager and Media Secretary, with responsibility both for the website and the Google group.
Specific roles will be voted on every two years – non-specific roles will be considered annually.
The Steering Committee will consist of no more than 10 members, and for the coming year is made up of the following colleagues:
Chair – Mark Brayne; Chair-Elect – James Thomas; Past Chair & Trauma Aid rep – Sonya Farrell; Secretary – Shirley Young; Treasurer – Joe Kearney; Richard Holborn; Morven Fyfe (new); Lauli Moschini (new – TA volunteer).
Janet Harvey and Balbindar Mann volunteered to be standby members for the committee.
Afternoon: Sonya Farrell gave a short talk about Trauma Aid, outlining its developing role in training EMDR therapists in troubled areas of Europe and the Middle East. Sonya encouraged us to join Trauma Aid (fee is only £15 a year).
She also referred to a sister organisation, the Trauma Response Network(TRN) recently set up to provide EMDR therapy following events in the UK such as the Manchester bombing and the Grenfell Tower disaster.
For more information about how to join Trauma Aid, or to volunteer for TRN, go to www.traumaaiduk.org (for TRN, click on “For Clinicians” then on “Volunteer for EMDR Trauma Response”.)
We then divided into six groups, to discuss issues such as mapping complex cases, working with disabilities, online therapy etc. A consultant or consultant-in-training, was present for each group.
This was followed by a very successful raffle for Trauma Aid, which raised £165, with prizes of a comprehensive library of EMDR books most generously donated by outgoing/retiring steering group member and co-founded of the regional group, Maeve Allison.
The day finished with our ever-popular consultants’ forum, which addressed details of consultants’ training; how EMDR could become more widely known; and Francine Shapiro’s latest book, due out in Feb 2018.
Dates and venues for Networking Days in 2018 were discussed, with Saturday April 28 earmarked for, it is hoped, a day with Derek Farrell on the Blind to Therapist Protocol, possibly in Ely (or Cambridge), with Saturday Nov 10 noted down for a meeting possibly in Chelmsford looking at EMDR and the military.
