How Are Emotions Processed in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)?

I have been writing about emotions lately (see links to the prior articles at the end of this article).

As I have written in prior articles, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) was developed by Diana Fosha, an American psychologist based in New York City.

How Emotions Are Processed in AEDP

AEDP is one of several types of therapy that fall under the umbrella of Experiential Therapy (see my article: Why is Experiential Therapy More Effective Than Traditional Talk Therapy to Heal Trauma?).

The other therapy modalities that fall under this category of Experiential Therapy include:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

• Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy)

• Somatic Experiencing

If you haven't read my more detailed articles about AEDP, I recommend that you read these articles first:

What is AEDP? - Part 1 and Part 2

How Does AEDP Work?

How Are Emotions Processed in AEDP?

In AEDP emotions are processed by:

• Here-and-Now Focus: Focusing on the here-and-now of the therapeutic relationship

How Emotions Are Processed in AEDP

• Somatic Awareness: Focusing on bodily sensations or somatic awareness

• Developing Secure Attachment: Working through painful emotions actively in a secure and supportive environment with a deeply attuned therapist

An AEDP therapist helps clients to move from a state of defensiveness or emotional numbness to an experience of transformation.

Creating a "Safe Container" For the Client to Process Emotions: 

The foundation of AEDP is helping the client to experience a secure attachment in the therapeutic relationship:

• The Therapeutic Relationship: Developing a trusting and validating therapeutic relationship

• Undoing Aloneness: Helping the client to undo the feeling of aloneness

A Here-and-Now Experiential Focus 

The AEDP therapist has a here-and-now experiential focus including:

• Therapeutic Attunement: Attunement that tracks the client's moment-to-moment experience

• Slowing Down: An AEDP therapist will often ask a client to "slow down" to catch the subtle shifts in emotion that might otherwise be overlooked.

Processing Core Emotions

The AEDP therapist helps the client to process emotions by:

• Getting Past Defenses: The therapist asks the client to identify and soften defense mechanisms (e.g., anxiety, intellectualizing, rationalizing, denial, numbing) to reach the underlying core emotions.

How Emotions Are Processed in AEDP

• Accessing Core Emotions: Once defense mechanisms soften, the client can work through deep core emotions. like sadness, grief, fear, anger or shame, which allows the client to feel the full wave of emotions (see my article: Getting Out of Your Head With Experiential Therapy).

• Facilitating Transformational Affects: By fully experiencing emotions in a safe therapeutic environment, the client can move from feeling trapped or broken to a safe of relief, self compassion and emotional resilience (see my article: Riding the Waves of Transformation)

Metaprocessing (Reflecting on the Experience)

The AEDP therapist facilitates metaprocessing by:

• Discussing the Therapy Process: A key component of AEDP is metaprocessing where the client and therapist talk about what it's like to share these emotions in the room:
• "What was it like to share that with me?"

• Cementing the Change: Reflecting on the experience helps to solidify the healing, deepen self awareness and strengthen the client's capacity for emotional regulation.

A Corrective Emotional Experience

AEDP helps to bring about a corrective emotional experience by:

• Reorganizing the Brain: By having a new positive experience of being seen, heard and understood while being in emotional pain, the brains neural pathways are reorganized which promotes neuroplasticity.

AEDP and Neuroplasticity

• Shifting From Avoidance to Connection: The process transforms shame into self compassion and changes habitual avoidance of feelings into a capacity for emotional awareness.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles: 

Managing Emotions: What is the Life Cycle of Emotions?  

What's the Difference Between Emotional Regulation and Controlling Your Emotions?  

Coping With Alexithymia - Also Known as Emotional Blindness 

Emotional Regulation: How Do You Know What You Need When You're Distressed? 

What is Emotional Co-regulation? 

What's the Difference Between Emotional Co-regulation and Emotional Self Regulation?