Certified Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples

14/07/2020

 Barbara Gabriel    The Work


Certified EFT Therapist by: International Center of Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples:  www.iceeft.com

Marital Distress is the single most common reason for seeking therapy. It undermines family functioning and is strongly associated with depression, anxiety disorders, and alcoholism. EFT for couples offers a comprehensive theory of adult love and attachment, as well as a process for healing distressed relationships. EFT recognizes that relationship distress results from a perceived threat to basic adult needs for safety, security, and closeness in intimate relationships. this experiential/systemic therapy focuses on helping partners restructure the emotional responses that maintain their negative patterns of interaction. Through a series of nine steps, the therapist leads the couple away from conflict deadlock into new bonding patterns. Over the past 30 years Dr. Sue Johnson and her colleagues have developed and rigorously researched this relatively short term approach in couples therapy. It is now one of the best delineated and empirically validated approaches in the field of couples therapy. –  (Taken from the brochure produced by ICEEFT)

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). We view the central problem in a distressed relationship as the loss of secure emotional connection and the pattern of negative interactions perpetuates this loss.

Emotional signals that are meant to pull a partner closer become distorted with criticism, anger and indifference. Negative patterns of interaction exacerbate each partner’s natural vulnerabilities and sense of isolation. EFT helps couples identify the negative cycle in which they engage that leaves them feeling distant, hurt or angry. EFT helps couples to break free of their negative patterns and reconnect with one another allowing the relationship to become a source of nurturance, pleasure and joy. A new emotional experience of secure connection, a sense that the other person can be accessible, responsive and engaged transforms love relationships.

Partners who are able to openly reach for and connect with each other can create the effective dependency that makes for a safe bond. This kind of bond promotes growth and love in both partners. EFT helps couples strengthen their attachment bonds. Having strong attachment bonds means couples feel secure together, know they are most important to their partner, are more flexible in problem solving and communication. The same old fight is finally resolved. The walls that kept you away from each other crumble away and the feelings that brought you together in the beginning revive and grow.

Research studies indicate that 70-75% of couples in Emotionally Focused Therapy move from distress to recovery in 15-20 sessions and 90% show significant improvement. Emotionally Focused Therapy is currently the best delineated and most empirically validated couple therapy of the past 25 years. EFT is used across the globe in diverse contexts and different cultures. EFT is used for individuals, couples of all kinds, and families.