BILATERAL  STIMULATION  AND  CREATIVITY  IN  COUNSELING

Yvonne  Castillo,  Ph.D.,  LPC-­‐S  

Mary  Alice  Fernandez,  Ph.D.,  LPC-­‐S  

Jodi  M.  Ochoa,  M.S.,  LPC-­‐intern

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Introduction• Eye  Movement  Desensitization  Reprocessing  (EMDR)  

• Bilateral  Stimulation  -­‐  part  of  EMDR  

• Resource  Tapping  -­‐  what  it  is,  how  to  do  it  

• Using  Resource  Tapping  in  treatment  

• EMDR  and  Resource  Tapping  

• Theories  about  Bilateral  Stimulation  

• Resource  Tapping  -­‐  Basic  Principles  

• Resource  Tapping  -­‐  The  Four  Main  Resources  

• Activities:  Create  a  sanctuary;  listening  to  music  

• Resource  Tapping  steps/demonstrations

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Eye  Movement  Desensitization  and  Reprocessing  (EMDR)• Used  to  help  resolve  traumatic  memories  with  the  help  of  trained  therapist  and  the  use  of  special  equipment.  

• A  powerful,  well-­‐researched  treatment  for  trauma  that  incorporates  alternating  bilateral  stimulation  in  a  structured  therapy.  

• Developed  by  psychologist  Francine  Shapiro  in  late  1980s.  

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• Shapiro  found  that  people  could  process  a  trauma  memory  at  an  accelerated  rate  when  it  was  paired  with  bilateral  stimulation.  

• Founded  on  the  premise  that  each  person  has  both  an  innate  tendency  to  move  toward  health  and  wholeness,  and  the  inner  capacity  to  achieve  it.

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Bilateral  Stimulation-­‐Part  of  EMDR• accomplished  by  moving  the  eyes  from  left  to  right,  by  tactile  pulsars  held  in  the  hands,  by  audible  sounds  in  each  ear,  or  by  hand  taps  on  the  left  and  right  side  of  the  body  (also  known  as  resource  tapping)  

• used  for  affect  management,  ego  strengthening,  emotion  regulation

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Theories  about  Bilateral  Stimulation• B/S  seems  to  be  activating  both  hemispheres  of  the  brain  

• It’s  similar  to  REM  sleep  

• Rhythm  -­‐  the  movement  of  the  eyes  going  back  and  forth  processing  information

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EMDR  and  Resource  Tapping

• Two  hands  working  together  

• EMDR  -­‐  uses  bilateral  stimulation  for  trauma  processing  (resource  installation)  

• Resource  tapping  -­‐  uses  bilateral  stimulation  to  strengthen  and  integrate  positive  resource  

• the  creation  of  a  peaceful  place,  real  or  imaginary  (evoking  a  positive  neuropath)  6  -­‐  12  bilateral  stimulations  seem  to  strengthen  the  image.  (A  house  with  many  rooms  -­‐  b/s  opens  doors  to  those  rooms) 7

Resource  Tapping:  What  it  is/                                                                      How  to  do  it• A  simple,  easily  learned  offshoot  of  EMDR  Therapy,  now  a  stand-­‐alone  technique  independent  of  EMDR.  

• Used  for  accessing  and  strengthening  one’s  own  innate  healing  resources.  

• A  tool  that  can  be  helpful  for  stress,  anxiety,  depression,  or  just  improving  one’s  overall  sense  of  well-­‐being.

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Resource  Tapping:  Basic  Principles

• We  are  essentially  whole.  This  wholeness  is  our  true  nature.  The  expression  of  our  wholeness  is  wisdom,  compassion,  equanimity,  power  and  joy.  (The  sun  is  always  shining  but  it’s  obstructed  by  clouds.)  

• Within  each  of  us  is  the  potential  to  realize  this  wholeness.  This  wholeness  wants  to  be  realized,  impels  us  to  realize  it.  (There’s  this  instinct  to  heal.)

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• We  also  have  within  us  a  reservoir  of  positive  stored  experiences  of  loving  and  being  loved;  feeling  comforted,  competent,  powerful,  happy,  joyful,  peaceful,  and  calm.  (These  are  part  of  our  neuronet  within  us.)  

• We  become  unhappy  when  we  are  not  able  to  access  our  wholeness,  reservoir  of  positive  experiences,  or  when  we  are  out  of  balance.

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• We  have  a  natural  healing  system  that  when  accessed  and  activated  by  using  B/S  (tapping)  can  restore  us  to  balance.  

• We  can  access,  strengthen,  and  integrate  our  wholeness  and  reservoir  of  resources  through  tapping  in  our  resources.

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Using  Resource  Tapping  in                      Treatment  of  Trauma  Work• prepares  clients    

• safety  net    

• assessment  tool  for  readiness  

• regulates  intensity,  integrates  positive  information,  and  strengthens  clients  during  treatment  

• multiple  applications:  regulates  affect,  reduces  anxiety,  aids  in  ego  strengthening  and  supports  recovery  from  addiction  

• can  be  taught  to  clients  as  a  self-­‐help  tools 12

“Tapping  In”  Peace  and  Calm

• Find  a  comfortable  place  to  sit  or  lie,  where  you  will  not  be  disturbed.  

• Close  your  eyes.  Bring  your  attention  to  a  quiet,  still  place  inside  yourself.  You  might  begin  by  taking  long  deep  breaths  and  slowing  exhaling.  

• Imagine  a  peaceful,  calm  place.  This  can  be  someplace  you  have  been  or  someplace  in  your  imagination,  like  a  beach  or  a  meadow.  Once  you  have  a  location,  bring  up  as  much  sensory  detail  of  the  place  as  you  can.  

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• Notice  what  you  are  seeing.  Notice  what  you  are  hearing.  Notice  what  you  are  smelling.  What  sensations  do  you  feel  on  your  skin?  What  do  you  taste?  What  do  you  feel  inside?    

• You  might  imagine  the  time  of  year,  the  time  of  day,  and  what  you  are  wearing.  

• Take  the  time  you  need  to  elicit  this  information  and  fill  out  the  resource.

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• When  you  have  a  strong  sense  of  the  place,  when  you  can  feel  its  quality,  begin  to  tap  on  your  knees,  right-­‐left,  right-­‐left,  or  do  the  butterfly  hug,  crossing  your  arms  in  front  of  your  chest  and  tapping  on  either  shoulder.  Tap  six  to  12  times,  then  stop  and  check  in  with  yourself.  If  it  feels  good  and  the  resource  is  strengthening,  you  can  tap  some  more.  

• The  taps  can  be  quick  or  slow,  just  find  a  speed  that  a  feels  best  to  you. 15

• Tap  as  long  as  it  feels  positive.  If  other  memories  come  to  mind  that  feel  good,  you  can  tap  them  in  also.  

• Begin  to  tap  at  a  slow  rhythmic  pace,  and  then  find  the  pace  that  feels  best  to  you.  While  you  tap,  focus  on  the  whole  feeling  the  resource  evokes  in  you,  allowing  the  feeling  to  increase.  At  first,  tap  for  only  a  short  Ame  -­‐  alternaAng  right-­‐leC,  right-­‐leC,  approximately  six  to  12  Ames.

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• After  one  round  of  tapping,  stop  and  check  in  with  yourself.  What  are  you  experiencing?  If  the  resource  is  strengthened,  tap  some  more.  You  may  continue  tapping  as  long  as  it  remains  positive.  Some  people  prefer  longer  rounds  of  tapping.  This  is  fine  as  long  as  the  place  remains  positive.  

• Many  people  can  only  do  a  few  right-­‐left  taps  before  they  begin  to  commence  free-­‐associative  processing. 17

• For  example,  sometimes  a  positive  memory  resource  will  flip  to  the  negative.  In  the  middle  of  tapping  in  the  memory  of  a  loving  interaction  with  your  grandfather,  your  mind  might  flash  on  a  loved  one  who  is  angry  with  you.  For  this  reason,  it  is  best  to  do  short  sets  and  check  in  to  see  how  you  are  feeling.

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If  you  find  yourself  tapping  a  resource  that  is  not  entirely  positive,  you  should  stop  tapping  immediately  and  try  one  of  these  techniques.  

• After  you  have  stopped  tapping,  see  if  you  can  think  of  another,  different  place  or  resource  that  is  fully  positive.  It  is  important  that  the  resource  feel  completely  positive.  If  you  can  find  another  one,  tap  it  in,  this  time  tapping  for  a  shorter  duration.

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• If  a  distressing  memory  has  arisen,  you  can  imagine  placing  it  in  a  container  that  can  hold  it  for  you.  You  might  imagine  a  safe,  a  vault  or  a  treasure  chest  that  has  a  good  lock.  It  is  important  that  the  container  have  a  strong  lid.  This  imagery  can  help  you  consciously  compartmentalize  information  that  is  too  much  to  integrate  in  the  moment.  It  is  a  skillful  way  to  handle  material  that  does  not  feel  manageable.  (Later,  if  you  choose,  you  can  take  the  material  out  of  the  container  and  work  on  it.)  Once  you  feel  the  memory  is  sufficiently  contained,  you  can  return  to  the  original  work.20

!

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Tapping  steps  taken  from  psychologist  Laurel  Parnell’s  Tapping  In:  A  Step-­‐by-­‐Step  Guide  to  Activating  Your  Healing  Resources  Through  Bilateral  Stimulation.

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Resource  Tapping:  The  4  main  resources• Peaceful,  safe,  calm  place  or  sanctuary  

• Nurturing  Figures  

• Protector  Figures  

• Inner  Wisdom  Figures  

!

• Circle  of  Inner  Helper  (Team)  

Some  people  have  never  had  these  figures  and  it’ll  take  some  work!

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Activities

• Create  a  Sanctuary/Peaceful  Place  -­‐  then  tap  image  in  

• Bilateral  Stimulation  with  Music  

• Conflict  reimage  -­‐  petting  cat,  taking  dog  for  a  walk,  sitting  having  breakfast

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Resource  Tapping  Steps

• Demonstrations  for  

• a  peaceful/calm  place  

• nurturing  figures  

• protective  figures  

• inner  wisdom  figures  

• circle  of  inner  helpers

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Nurturing  Figures

• These  can  be  real  or  imaginary  

• Spiritual  

• Animals  

• their  adult  self  as  nurturing  

• figures  from  movies  or  books  

!

Brainstorm  to  come  up  with  possibilities;  it’s  best  to  have  more  than  one.

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Protective  Figures

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Inner  Wisdom  Figures

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Circle  of  Inner  Helpers  (Team)

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References  &  Resources• Parnell,  L.  (2013).  Resource  Tapping:  Activating  Your  Healing  Resources  Through  Bilateral  Stimulation  

• Christrup,  J.  (2012).  Resource  Tapping  for  Emotional  Healing  

• Shapiro,  F.  (2001).  Eye  Movement  Desensitization  and  Reprocessing:  Basic  Principles,  Protocols  and  Procedures.  (2nd  Ed.),  NY:          The  Guilford  Press.  

• Luber,  M.  (Ed.)  (2010).  Eye  Movement  Desensitization  Reprocessing  (EMDR)  Scripted  Protocols  -­‐  Special  Populations.  NY:  Springer  Publishing  Company.  

!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k2HMSIxK0k  Music  with  bilateral  stimulation  Jorge  H.  Collazo  !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KG7mTTTqSk  Bilateral  Stimulation    Jorge  H.  Collazo  !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNuoGeD9Qeo  Cognition Enhancer For Clearer and Faster Thinking - Isochronic Tones  !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPHp1ielut0  Paperboats  Guided  EMDR  meditation  !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVi7yX9X35A  EMDR  plus  bilateral  sound  for  racing  thoughts  !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYJdekjiAog  How  your  brain  can  turn  anxiety  into  calmness  !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9bZkCNnppM  EMDR  Guided  Meditation  “The  Tree”  !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZUi3XShdqA  Dr. Henry Grayson Teachs A Simple Technique to Create New Neuro Pathways !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5IRwMqZSMg&list=PL1BB9BE00722EC4AE  EMDR  Be  Positive  2  

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