Throughout my career, my practice has become informed by three major concepts within the field of Psychiatry and Therapy. These are Systems theory, Attachment Theory and the Neuroscience of Emotion. Together, these areas have a inspired a wide range of different types of therapies over the past 30-40 years. It is these on these therapies that I largely base my work.
SYSTEMS THEORY
Systems Theory is based on the idea that our behaviours are shaped by the systems around us. This idea has had a large effect on the way that Family Therapists think of families when they come to work with them. Systems theory was initially applied to family therapy, but its concepts are still very much applicable to individual therapy. Here are three especially important ideas from Systems Theory.
ATTACHMENT THEORY
Attachment theory considers that the earliest bonds that a child has with their parents has a critical effect on how they will learn to think about themselves, on their on going relationships with others, and on their mental health.
THE NEUROSCIENCE OF EMOTION
Throughout the last 30 years, there has been a lot of research on how the brain processes and deals with emotions. Here are 3 especially important concepts.
THERAPIES USING THESE PRINCIPALS
Here follows examples of some therapies that have been informed by the principals mentioned above.
INDIVIDUAL THERAPIES
My work with individuals is informed by the therapies below, which have either fully or partly been informed by the principals listed above.
INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY
Internal Family Systems Therapy is based on the assumption that we all have different parts, and works to repair the attachment between each part and the self. It has been used it with the principals of Poly Vagal Theory and with Memory Reconsolidation.
EMDR
EMDR helps clients to transform the emotions associated with the painful memories that keep effecting the present. It has been used to heal attachment wounds, and has been integrated with polyvagal theory.
EFT
The acronym EFT applies to three similar but distinct therapies which work directly at the level of emotion. The first two are Emotion- Focused Therapy, and it's cousin Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy which is highly informed by Attachment Theory. The third is Sydney's own Emotion - Focused Work by the Annandale Institue. Of the three, the third has the most influence on my work.
Family Therapies
These therapies focus specifically on the attachment bond between the caregiver and child.It is my view that they are especially powerful as they use the caregiver to change the memory circuits in the child's brain that are associated with attachment. In doing so, they use memory reconsolidation in a very profound way. I do most of my family therapy work in my rooms in Calliope and Family Talks Clinic.
DYADIC DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOTHERAPY (DDP)
DDP was developed to use the attachment bond to resource caregivers to look after their children. It was originally applied to traumatised children in care, and is now also used with intact families. It's theoretical framework is highlty informed by the neuroscience of attachment.
