Emotionally focused therapy (EFT), is designed to help people understand, regulate, and cope with negative emotions. It can change the way you perceive your emotions and make it easier to develop healthy, positive narratives that can make an impact on your relationships.
People seek out EFT for themselves, but it’s also become popular for couples and families. It’s great for breaking negative patterns and cycles within relationships. Those patterns can stem from childhood or become commonplace in relationships where emotional regulation is a problem.
While EFT is backed by research, it’s the therapist who can really make a difference in the success of each session. So, what exactly does an EFT practitioner do?
Gaining Awareness
A trained EFT practitioner will have a goal of helping you gain more awareness of your emotions. It’s not always easy for people to understand what they’re feeling, and it’s the job of an EFT therapist to help you make sense of it, so you can improve your emotional regulation.
What could happen when you don’t have an understanding of your emotions? It might hinder your ability to process them. That can end up being harmful when it comes to decision-making, as well as relationships.
Coping Strategies
Once you have a better understanding of your emotions, an EFT practitioner will help you develop coping strategies to make it easier to manage those emotions.
As you might expect, becoming more aware of your emotions can be exciting and freeing, but it can also be a little overwhelming if you’ve had problems recognizing them in the past. Collaborating with your therapist will make it easier to understand your emotions as helpful, informational tools that can increase positive outcomes.
It’s the job of the practitioner to be compassionate as they listen. You’re more likely to open up if you feel comfortable and understood by your therapist. When they ask questions, they should take a reflective approach, rather than speaking with a judgmental tone.
What Will Your Practitioner Help With?
In addition to helping you better understand your emotions, an EFT therapist will help you welcome them. It’s important to make sure you’re not ignoring negative emotions. That will result in pushing them down and can make things worse.
Your practitioner will guide you in accepting all emotions with no restrictions. That’s important when it comes to being able to accomplish regulation. Even when negative emotions start to flow, you’ll eventually be able to work through them in healthy and effective ways.
Your practitioner will also guide you in describing how you feel. When you’re living your day-to-day life, being able to describe how you feel, even to yourself, can make it easier to fully understand where your emotions are coming from so you can work through them without letting them overwhelm you.
Finally, an EFT therapist will help you understand the “why” behind what you’re feeling. Emotions demand to be felt, no matter what. But, understanding where they’re coming from and why you are feeling them can help you make sense of them quickly. Often, getting to the root of those issues can make it easier to fight back against negative emotions.
Is EFT Right for You?
Emotionally focused therapy is a great option for anyone struggling with emotional regulation or those who have difficulties understanding what they might be feeling. As you might expect, it’s important to find the right practitioner for something this sensitive. Working with someone you can trust and someone you’re comfortable opening up to will make a big difference.
If you’re interested in learning more about EFT or the services I can provide as a therapist, feel free to contact me for information.