Would it surprise you to know that being a safe practitioner also correlates with being more effective? When clients feel well cared for by a trauma-trained or trauma-informed practitioner, they are more likely to feel safe and trust both the practitioner and the process. This trust often leads to the surfacing of long-suppressed memories or forgotten events, allowing the practitioner to navigate them effectively.
To enhance your proficiency in working with clients safely and effectively, consider the following strategies:
1. Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment
EFT practitioners should aim to establish a therapeutic environment that promotes trust, transparency, and emotional safety. This may involve ensuring physical comfort during in-person sessions, maintaining confidentiality, and setting clear boundaries. Even small gestures, such as letting clients choose their seating arrangement, can significantly enhance their comfort levels. Additionally, practitioners should use trauma-sensitive language and avoid triggers that could re-traumatize clients. Contrary to the belief that clients must "feel it to heal it," forcing clients to experience emotions or bodily sensations during certain techniques can hinder healing. Therefore, it's crucial to employ distancing techniques when necessary.
2. Empowerment of Clients
Adopting a trauma-informed approach entails empowering clients and involving them in the therapeutic process. Practitioners should prioritize client autonomy, choice, and collaboration by allowing them to actively participate in setting SMARTER goals (Small, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluate, Readjust), making decisions, and expressing preferences regarding their healing journey. This can involve conducting client-led sessions and teaching self-regulation techniques, including basic EFT skills. However, practitioners must avoid the common mistake of allowing clients to speak uninterrupted (which can lead to re-traumatization), rushing into childhood events prematurely (particularly in initial sessions), or reframing without proof that the client has actually had significant shifts.
3. Self-Reflection and Awareness
EFT practitioners should engage in ongoing self-reflection and awareness-building exercises to examine their biases, assumptions, and reactions related to trauma. This may entail exploring personal experiences with trauma, seeking regular mentoring, and continuing to utilize EFT on themselves, with guidance from others, even after certification. It's essential to recognize signs such as feeling drained after sessions, dwelling on client issues, or attracting clients with whom you struggle, as these may indicate the need for introspection and personal growth.
4. Utilize The Most Current Standards of Trauma-Informed EFT
Asking for the “worst time” or the “first time” is again a very outdated strategy that is not trauma-informed. There are many ways that EFT done correctly can help the client work through layers and layers of emotional distress without going into freeze or worse. One small example is asking a client keep their eyes open in the first session while you get to know their processing style and pace and this simple act can keep them from being retraumatized during a session. When you’ve established rapport, connection, safety and trust with a client the “flow” that happens in a session can be profound. Conversely when a practitioner pushes the client, disregulation can happen in an instant. This can look like what was once called a “healing peak” but is really a client whose practitioner went too fast too soon. It can also look like a client discontinuing sessions and coming up with all sorts of reasons why they can’t see you.
5. Continuing Education and Training
Trauma-trained EFT practitioners can notice the smallest differences in affect in their clients and know when to use their tools skilfully to create distancing and regulation. There’s nothing like a well-timed Chasing the Pain, Tearless Trauma, or Orienting Tapping round or two to bring a client back into their own window of tolerance. Undergoing specialized training and continuing education courses focused on trauma-informed care is part of our requirements for certification because these courses can cover topics such as understanding the neurobiology of trauma, recognizing trauma symptoms, and implementing trauma-specific interventions.
By prioritizing safety and fostering trust, EFT practitioners can enhance the effectiveness of their work, facilitate clients' healing journeys, and also allows for them to spread the word that EFT is a viable, safe, and easy to use modality.
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Alina Frank is an EFT Master Trainer of Trainers, training and mentoring practitioners since 2006. She is a contributing author of 8 EFT books.
Photo by Mark König on Unsplash
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