Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy
Are you curious about improving your sense of self and overall emotional well-being?
Do you have a hard time understanding or expressing your emotions?
Have you experienced trauma and are wanting to work through it?
Do you struggle with a negative self-view or have a hard time trusting yourself?
Do relationships with others feel difficult to navigate because of your own emotional experience?
Do you have trouble regulating your emotions and feel you get stuck over and over again in the same pattern?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, the therapists at Colorado Therapy Collective can help you get clarity and start to navigate these struggles. It is normal to have a hard time understanding or effectively communicating your emotions, especially if this was not modeled for you growing up. As humans we thrive in connection with others, and it can feel isolating when you have a hard time communicating your experience or opening up to others. Through Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy, we can help you gain clarity and confidence in your relationship with yourself and others.
What is Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)?
Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy, developed by Dr. Sue Johnson, is a type of therapy designed to help you understand and shift your behavioral patterns through the lens of understanding underlying emotions. EFIT is based on Attachment Theory, which asserts that we all have an innate desire for connection with loved ones. In EFIT, we explore aspects that contribute to your overall distress like fears, insecurities, and the way that your upbringing and worldview impacts your relationships with others. The goal is to help you understand how your past experiences have shaped your sense of self and perpetuated a narrative that makes you feel stuck. We will help you rewrite this narrative about yourself and your relationships through learning how to let your emotions be a helpful and effective guide for action.
When important relationships feel under threat, it is a normal human response to become upset or distressed. This is our attachment system’s way of letting us know that this person matters to us and we want to stay in connection with them! People typically have tendencies towards one response or another when the availability of closeness or connection feels threatened: anxiety or avoidance. Those who typically respond with anxiety tend to pursue a partner and their emotions become more externally heightened as they make an effort to get a response from their partner. Those who tend toward avoidance are more likely to withdraw and suppress their emotions, both from themselves and others. They don’t want to feel the pain of relationship distress, or might fear that action will only make things worse. You might even find that you have anxious tendencies in some situations and avoidant tendencies in others. In EFIT, a therapist will help you understand your tendencies and patterns, as well as explore what messages you have received throughout life that contribute to the use of these patterns.
EFIT is made up of three different stages which a therapist will guide you through, always with your individual experiences and context in mind. The first stage is focused on bringing stuck patterns and underlying emotions into awareness and then stabilizing your distress. The second stage focuses on understanding core emotions and attachment needs, promoting validation and acceptance of them. Finally, in the third stage, the therapist supports the creation of a new narrative about your sense of self and helps to prepare you for future challenges.
Evidence-Based Individual Therapy
Emotionally Focused Therapy is one of the most effective forms of couples therapy. Although EFT was originally designed for couples, researchers have found a similar process can be utilized with individuals outside of their relationships to help facilitate changes to their internal narrative. We believe that all humans have the innate capacity to cultivate healthy relationships. By exploring your view of self and emotions in relation to others, we can work towards acceptance of your needs for connection and improve the way they are communicated to others. This ultimately results in improved relationship quality with both yourself and loved ones.
At Colorado Therapy Collective, all of our therapists are trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (individual, couples, and family) and participate in on-going training to continue our learning and professional development. The team is headed by EFT Supervisor and leader in the field, Nancy Brittain, LCSW. Our therapists are experts when it comes to relationships and connection. We have a track record of providing effective, evidence-based services and helping individuals break free from emotional patterns that no longer serve them.
Can talking about emotions really ease depression or anxiety?
Yes! Many times depression and anxiety can show up as hyper self-reliance, self-criticism, fear of abandonment, and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Research has shown that emotional security and stability helps to create a better sense of self - meaning more confidence, attunement to your emotions, and clear communication about your experience. Being able to understand and communicate your inner emotional experience will help ease those feelings that become overwhelming and turn into depression or anxiety.
Does EFIT take previous trauma into account?
Absolutely. Using the EFIT model, we will meet you where you’re at in your process of healing and understanding trauma. We view previous relationships and life experiences as a guide for understanding your mental and emotional struggles - emotional blocks are often the result of strained or high conflict family relationships, traumatic experiences, or past abuse. Relationships throughout our life shape our view of ourselves and emotions, so we take a deep dive into messages you’ve received about yourself and your emotional experiences to understand where you get stuck. More often than not, experiences of trauma send our bodies and brains into a perpetual state of “fight, flight or freeze”. A CTC therapist will help you explore previous trauma and what it has taught you about managing emotions. Usually we find that individuals develop emotional coping mechanisms that protect them during and from trauma but do not serve them in creating closeness with others. This is where we identify how you relate to your own emotions and where you get stuck again and again in patterns that lead to isolation instead of connection.
Will EFIT help me with my relationships with others?
Improving your relationship with yourself and others is the core goal of Emotionally-Focused therapies. As you explore your relationship with yourself and your emotions, you will develop a clearer narrative about yourself and your internal experiences. As you become more aware of these things, we will explore how you communicate them with others to create a deeper sense of connection.
Oftentimes we find ourselves in relationships that match the perception we have of ourselves - the relationships reinforce our own view of self. As we work to change negative narratives, your views of yourself will become more positive - you will start to accept and validate your own emotional experience and ask that others recognize this as well. This can lead to finding yourself in healthier, more emotionally supportive relationships.
Take the first step today
We know that starting therapy can feel daunting and the process of finding a therapist that feels like a good fit for you can feel even more overwhelming. That’s why we’re happy to offer a complimentary 20-minute consultation to provide more information about our services and talk about who in the practice might be a good fit for you. To schedule your complimentary consultation or initial session with one of our therapists, please click here. For more information please call us at 720-204-8589 or reach out to us here and we’d be happy to answer any questions you have!
