What is Attachment Focused EMDR with Carol the Coach

Sexual Addiction:Strength/Hope/Recovery

Today, I would like to interview Aaron Tempel who is an CSAT who believes attachment focused EMDR really increases the effectiveness of treatment. He is going to discuss Attachment Focused EMDR, or AF-EMDR in its use for treating individuals struggling with sexual addiction or betrayal trauma. While trained to work with partners, my experience is largely working with sexual addiction/compulsivity. EMDR has long been used in the treatment of trauma and has diversified into the treatment of various disorders, primarily with the focus on traumatic experiences. AF-EMDR has been developed by Laurel Parnell of the Parnell Institute, to focus on treatment of attachment wounds and relational traumas. I focused on AF-EMDR because sex addicts typically have experienced attachment wounding/trauma that has not been addressed, which then can lead to unwanted sexual behaviors that bring them to my office. AF-EMDR utilities Resource Tapping to connect with attachment resources, improve coping skills for distress, and can be utilized with disclosure preparation and dealing with triggers. Additionally, AF-EMDR often uses a modified EMDR protocol in order to stay in the right brain processing and improve attachment repair.