EMDR Therapy in a Catholic Context – interweaving applications of inner healing prayer. On Demand

Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Pastoral Ministers

Course Level: Advanced

Learning Objectives: 

• Compare and contrast the ways in which EMDR therapy and inner healing prayer conceptualize the
  relationship between current symptoms and past experience.
• Describe three interventions within standard EMDR therapy that can be adapted to include elements of inner healing prayer while still maintaining fidelity the EMDR protocol.
• List three examples of interweaves drawn from the language of inner healing prayer that may be
  applied in Phases IV-VI of EMDR therapy.
• Identify 3 prerequisites for clinicians to be able to ethically and effectively integrate EMDR and inner healing approaches in psychotherapy.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an evidence-based treatment approach for posttraumatic stress disorder and other issues proceeding from adverse and unprocessed or maladaptively processed experience. Culturally-sensitive adaptations of EMDR therapy have been reported to increase the comfort-level for clients and positive treatment outcomes in recent years; similarly, active and attuned adaptations of psychotherapy to fit the religious beliefs of the client have been shown to be highly effective.

Several approaches to inner healing prayer as an avenue to spiritual and psychological healing have gained both popularity and credibility among the Catholic population. The approach offered by the John Paul II Healing Center has been previously illustrated to correspond closely to the steps and elements of the standard protocol of EMDR therapy.

This workshop will offer a conceptual overview of EMDR therapy and inner healing prayer, followed by a discussion of elements, phases, and interventions within EMDR therapy that lend themselves to integration of language and elements of inner healing prayer. Please note: Content included in this workshop presumes that participants have completed an accredited EMDR therapy training. While participants who are not yet trained in EMDR may benefit from the material presented, the presenters advise completion of said training before the contents of this workshop can be ethically employed.

The Catholic Psychotherapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Catholic Psychotherapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.