what is AEDP™ psychotherapy?
A daisy coming out of the concrete is a symbol of AEDP™ and represents the motivational force that we all have within. This is our capacity for healing, self-righting and flourishing. In AEDP™, it’s called transformance.
In an AEDP™ session, the therapist becomes a detective to look for transformance within clients from the get-go while making every effort to build a sense of safety through the undoing of aloneness. In the core belief of AEDP™, the symptoms that clients have been suffering originate from their past experience(s) of facing the overwhelming emotions without appropriate support from others in the midst of trauma. Life can be quite challenging if we don’t feel or know that there’s someone who sees/hears/understands us.
A primary goal of an AEDP™ therapist is to help clients have a different experience, which is different from being overwhelmed by strong emotions and feeling them alone. The clients will be encouraged to receive the therapist’s support while facing the intense emotions (both positive and negative). At the beginning, this could be a daunting exercise, but with repetition, it will be easier and often empowering.
Many clients express “feeling weird and positive” after processing these intense emotions. When we understand that it’s not scary, we become more curious and able to take a risk to work on our emotional difficulties. The therapist helps clients to build their ‘emotional muscles’ and have corrective emotional and relational experiences.
The therapeutic work will build on a tool box with various skills and resources, which clients can apply to their daily lives. So they get better at regulating their emotions while they connect to others. After all, we humans are social creatures and we not just survive but thrive when we feel supported, connected and belong. Developing our capacity to create a meaningful connection helps us flourish and feel whole.
If you’re more interested in AEDP™, please visit AEDP™ Institute.
If you are curious and would like to try AEDP™ psychotherapy, contact me.