We’re thrilled with the feedback for our various EMDR Focus workshops, all with full-on, supervised practicum sessions to practice Attachment-Informed skills. A small selection of recent comments…
Of particular note was successfully processing a sexual abuse memory within a one-hour session. Thanks to the advice to check early on what is happening in the body, I realised almost immediately when the client began to dissociate. I was then able to ground them quickly and carry on in a way that felt safe and contained, until the target was fully resolved. The client felt empowered and able to let go of anger. It was just amazing!
Nic
Excellent and captivating content and training. Not many 3-day trainings can keep me engaged the way these trainings do!
Carolyn
I would highly recommend Mark’s excellent training. A combination of theory, live demonstrations and supported practice, this training will take your EMDR practice to the next level and give you the confidence to further enhance positive outcomes with your clients. Definitely one of the best PDs I have attended.
Nicola
The wealth of resources accessible is very helpful. It did feel like a ‘proper’ training and very useful. Your training was well managed, nice flow to the day, info, demo, practice, feedback- a useful structure.
Keely
An analogy would be the standard protocol although good feels like vanilla icecream whereas the attachement informed EMDR I have done with EMDR focus is like the Ferrero Rocher with all the sprinkles on.
Since starting I have practiced as much as I can and I have found that it has reached places that no talking therapy ever could.
People can often rationally understand it and get it but dont feel it.
This training has allowed me to be able to do that with patients at a true emotionally level and has truly transformed their lives too.
I have been using this approach since the training weekend with fabulous effects. It’s lovely to give the client more control & there’s no more ‘clunkyness’ going on! Which means the therapy flows more naturally.
Liz
Astonishing clearly presented. Inspirational training. Goes to the core, reaches the places that talking therapy just can’t reach. This will change my practice forever! Thank you SO much
Mark’s knowledge, facilitation style and passion for EMDR [have] transformed my EMDR overnight and reignited my passion for it after it was slowly draining away through being frustrated by the standard stuff. Bravo!
Superb. I loved the honesty the group achieved and the fear reduction this engendered.
Inspiring stuff ! It has shown me how to use EMDR in creative ways to help clients with processing difficulties.
Excellent training and incredibly practical and useful. Mark was very clear, compassionate and entertaining.
Esther
He has such a lovely, calm, respectful and compassionate manner that makes you feel safe.
I loved the slides (compliments to your illustrator!) They really brought the ideas to life.
And fantastic, insightful and supportive contributions from Jutta too.
The music back in from the break was genius and it was all managed and ran so well.
Kini
I am so pleased with the timing when I attended your workshop in London. Upon returning home, applying the techniques in person and online. It has been a streamline process for me, but having familiarity with zoom and online platforms made the transition much easier. #divinetiming
Sarah
Thank you, I think this is really going to make my practice so much more effective for my clients and patients.
Bella
A refresher training some years later opened me up to EMDR and it was from this point I started to use it.
However, I felt inspired by this training. I feel it’s given me permission to be more flexible and attend to nuances in the therapeutic process.
Jacq
Mark’s enthusiasm and depth of knowledge [about Dreams] inspires and lead us on a journey of exceptional learning. Dreams are indeed the royal road into our internal psyche and Mark makes an excellent tour guide of the royal road.
I am understanding bridging much more and using it again to great effect… Going back to target more frequently is also really working… I feel as if I have had an “advanced” EMDR course that has improved my knowledge. This is the only course I have been on and started using my learning straight away, so thank you once again.
Strangely I feel I have made more progress in these sessions than I would have had in-person with the same clients.
So far I have used your method 4 times on online and every time it has worked amazingly !!!! with the SUDs reducing to zero AND a VoC of 7.
I have done a bridge back to early childhood on 3 out of 4 and my most challenging client who has different parts ( I have worked with her for 5 years) made an amazing eureka moment at the end of processing.
I would never have imagined how powerful this work could be online and `I would say to others give it a go- build up your confidence in online work. The EMDR community has been really supportive and I am humbled by all the contributions when we are all under such pressure.
Helen
For context I’ve had the chance to use the training some now and am starting to get more of a feel for it and have been able to see and hear feedback about the impact on clients. I’m amazed how much can be done in an hour and how contained it all is, even though it’s such core stuff. The relief for clients appears to be huge. I am starting to appreciate how important the petalling is (and why Mark emphasises that aspect) to the work remaining focused and containable and being able to complete so much so quickly. Also how well the resource team process appears to prime clients for being able to find helpful resolutions during the processing. I don’t use this with all my clients as not all are ready yet; for those who are ready this is like magic. I am kicking myself for not doing the training in 2010 when I first wanted to as life happened and then I didn’t follow it up. Big mistake!
“I’m so glad I did the part 1 – 3 days. The training was very clear and educational as well as fun; one of the best trainings I’ve done. I’ve been using the AI EMDR and IG emdr with a few clients now and the outcomes are truly amazing. Very powerful and deep transformation for the client within an hour with everything wrapped up and completed by the end of the session. That’s really something when the session can cover for example a present trigger, a 2 year old self, a 7 year old self, a parent of the 2 year old self, and that parent’s younger self, all 8 phases for each part of the work, all targets completed to 0/10, 7/7, and a clear body scan in an hour. This is a game changing protocol. A most heartfelt thank you from me and my clients.”
Ann
I was absolutely exhausted after 3 days of training & never felt more inspired in a long time in my work.
Linda
This weekend has been the most significant training I have attended in my career! The possibilities for healing old wounds in my clients are endless, the best part is this can be achieved safely and at great speed. I feel invigorated with new passion for my work with others. A million thanks. Absolutely BRILLIANT.
I think anyone working with EMDR and complexity should do this training (Jan 2020).
The training was intense and enlightening in ways I could not have imagined when I booked and at last I have a way to work effectively and without scaring the s**t out of my clients using the effective techniques learnt. Blew my knickers off!!! I was enchanted from start to finish!
It was just the most incredible weekend, absolutely life changing personally and professionally. It has changed and shaped my EMDR practice for ever more. Thank you!
Nigel
Relatively basic innovation of getting the couple to tap each other is so effective, helps promote empathy, demonstrates and encourages self-regulation on the part of the witnessing, tapping partner, again accords beautifully with fundamental principles of Imago-type couple therapy. I appreciated the many rich references and pithy quotes which really helped to encapsulate and drive home crucial points: in order to be understood, first seek to understand, surviving the experience of the other’s internal reality etc. Appreciated the light touch/humour of : marriage allows you to annoy one special person for the rest of your life, appropriate gentle humour makes difficult messages palatable for many couples. Valuable new phrasing for me : EARNED secure attachment, haven’t come across that handy description before. Really liked the bridging back from a simple interaction between M & T at start of session, working with what’s in the room. Many thanks, can’t wait to try this with couples !
This method has totally transformed my practice. My clients are truly astonished at how well they can process. I am super grateful to you all – it has really helped to slow my practice and totally re-connect to my clients. Tapping may seem simple, but, you so helped when you told me to “really commit” to my client, Mark. I was also advised to be more gentle from other instructors, (and) again my clients have responded so, so well to this.
Huge, huge thanks. Keep doing what you’re doing, because you have no idea how many lives you are actually changing for the better!
Maria
I am not going to lie, the level 2 training sounded a little far fetched but, given the success I had post level 1, I was game.
However, after experiencing the intergenerational trauma work personally during the sessions I am 100% in. I had been working on a personal issue in standard EMDR for over 2 years and had little resolution with it and, in just 30 minutes of a practice session, I could feel my internal body changing.
It was as if, for the first time in 20 years, my body allowed itself to let go of the grief it had been holding and truly relaxed.
Mark should move to Australia and run the training here. Nothing beats in-person training.
Even in one week the benefits I am seeing are amazing. Using the nurturing, protector and wise figures really helps the clients and they are reporting spontaneous “appearances” of the figures when needed in their lives. I’ve also felt at ease with myself to interact with the clients differently and use their imaginations more to great effect.
Julie (March 2023)
And I’m surprised at how much I like your “scripts” and am absolutely grateful that you’ve shown how it’s possible to focus in on what’s critical and get really significant change happening in a 1 hour appointment.
I love how your approach allows us to be creative and enjoy the art & science of EMDR. It’s so much more than a protocol.
I also like you including the word magic as it’s often considered ignorant in psychotherapy circles.
Maria
EMDR really wasn’t working well for me before (well, I liked it, but my clients didn’t), and then once I introduced AI-EMDR to my clients, literally every single one of them preferred my new method of EMDR.
Whereas I was seeing little progress in my clients previously, basically every client I use EMDR for is now seeing quite amazing growth.
Thank you so much for all that you do!
Stuart
Blew my knickers off!!
Maria
The PowerPoint was very well-done, informative, and engaging; the content itself was extraordinary. I don’t think I ever once zoned out – you had my full attention the whole time!
I believe the Attachment-Informed version of EMDR is a game-changer, and I think if I had been using it earlier with some of my clients, I would have seen better results much sooner. I look back on some “flopped” EMDR attempts with clients and think AI-EMDR is just what I needed, so I’m grateful to have it now.
The role plays were amazing and inspiring. They helped bring all of the information together, solidify it, and show nuances. The volunteers were also so vulnerable and courageous, which really helped with the learning process.
Sharon
What you’ve taught me has transformed my therapy structure and depth and my clients are healing and transforming so fast I can’t quite believe it and have to pinch myself that it’s true! I can barely wait to learn more AI-EMDR.
Deborah
I experience Mark’s facilitation style as one of life’s great treats. He appeals to my inner child and my inner nutty professor, both of whom are inwardly squealing with delight at his use of rich metaphor and imagery to illustrate key concepts.
Mark’s embodiment, passion and articulation of AI-EMDR has the capacity to switch my nervous system into a bright, energised and open learning state that feels deeply joyful and receptive.
As an experiential learner, Mark’s great skill, intuitive capacity and dual attention (self, client and audience) with the live therapy demonstrations brings yet another dimension to the gravitas of Mark’s training in support of integrating the learning and illustrating the potential of the AI-EMDR approach.
Mark’s facilitation team are an awesome group of skilled and committed therapists whose presence and input is another key feature of the training. The ratio of facilitator to participants is extremely generous and is invaluable during the small group practice sessions.
The on-going post training support and CPD enables me to connect with a sense of belonging and to have a trusted developmental pathway. As an independent practitioner, this feels invaluable.
Marie
I have been using everything I’ve learned and already am starting to see this make an incredible difference to three clients in particular. This is exactly what they needed. It also reinforced for me that as a learner I really need that experiential element to consolidate what I learn by reading.
As an individual, I felt completely held by the process. I appreciated your gentle but completely focused approach. I’m sure you can imagine that this consistent challenge in my life goes through peaks and flows.
As a mother it is a real challenge and I know I have this familial legacy of ploughing through and just getting on with things. It’s easy to get into a groove of doing everything myself and this experience really reminded me that others have lots to offer me that it’s not helpful for me to go it alone psychologically.
The experience was so healing. When we finished that day, I went downstairs and hugged my son for a long time, it felt so different as so much of my anger had just melted away. My heart felt so much more open.
Things have been calmer since we did the workshop and I firmly believe that EMDR session has contributed to that.
Deborah
My ability to conceptualise and validate the adaptive/maladaptive attachment strategies of younger traumatised parts, surviving in the only way they knew, greatly supports the flow of compassionate witnessing within and between couples.
Mark is a brilliant and engaging speaker. He held my interest and I really respected his level of knowledge and experience (I am an experienced, senior clinical psychologist). The practicums really help consolidate the teaching.
Alma (Bosnia)
I want to express my gratitude for allowing us to follow this excellent presentation.
Mark managed to integrate, in a very condensed content, all the necessary tools for the application of this protocol. I really liked his way of presentation, which is characterized by exceptional intuitiveness and understanding of the places where ambiguities can arise, which he explained very clearly and succinctly. I don’t know that I have ever attended a lecture before that approached students with such sensitivity.
There just wasn’t a place of misunderstanding because Mark clarify it before I had a question. His presentation was full of stimulating slides, extremely interesting and which easily engaged me to follow along without any problems.
I was especially delighted by the comparison of the standard protocol and the modified protocol in relation to the activation of the cerebral hemispheres – it was just a moment of pure pleasure. Although I previously used the bridging technique, the reason and meaning of using it is much clearer to me.
Considering that I am also a gestalt psychotherapist, Mark’s presentation on EMDR working on dreams, which is very similar to gestalt work, particularly intrigued me.
We are really lucky to have such a teacher in EMDR.
Roger
It’s been the most useful and well presented training I have undertaken for some time. I enjoyed it , even with the early start. It was also great to work online with people from across the world . Thanks for the opportunity. (Part 1 Aug 2021)
The ability to use both this protocol & the standard one has been so incredibly useful & I wish I had done this training several years ago.
I saw seven clients today, and I have to say that I brought so much of the training into the day and with really great effect.
Soraia
This training is the missing link between EMDR standard protocol training and the intricacies of complex trauma EMDR practice. Evolution happens and trying to deny it just delays our illusion that we are in control!
Annette
A fabulous combination of theory and practice, professionalism and warmth, seriousness and humour … all of which made for a brilliant learning environment. Skillfully done, thank you!
Sean
I cannot recall how many years it has been since I last felt this degree of excitement! Thank you all so much!
This really has reinforced my understanding and experience of EMDR: the power and potential of its application; how creatively and intuitively it can be applied; and how breaking free of certain limitations regarding the standard protocol is the next step in EMDR’s evolution.
I now feel I am considerably better equipped and informed than before the training, and can say, with a good deal of confidence, that I will be incorporating all that I have learned into my practice. The brilliant resourcing tools and revelatory application of the bridging back technique will become standard practice.
These three days were brilliantly conceived and presented, with just the right balance of teaching and practicum. I also think that spreading the training over three days broke it down into readily digestible, bite size, chunks, promoting the assimilation and retention of information…………superb!
What can I say! The humility and generosity of heart with which you laid yourself bare, identifying the two small t events, involving the video and momentary lapse of concentration when treating (volunteer demo client), were deeply moving, and served only to illustrate your humanity, and the robustness, resilience and wisdom, demanded of training of the quality provided by yourself and your team over the last three days.
Thank you all, I feel truly honoured and privileged to have been a participant and to have witnessed all that I have…………remarkable!
Utsa
With intergenerational work, I was able to take a client who felt unsupported by mom back to her great grandmother. Clearing out her stress and that of the grandmother and mother, was so beneficial for the client, that she remains amazed.
So just a big thank you for helping me expand my EMDR capacity to help the client even deeper.
Anyway within 10 days I had taken on 12 clients and really haven’t looked back. […] I know as a therapy I have something special to offer people now and isn’t it funny how incidents that talking therapy cannot resolve disappear so quickly with this AF-EMDR. I know I’m on to something here. I’m up to 18 clients now…