| The term "dissociation" can apply to many diverse clinical presentations from daydreaming, to depersonalization, to identity switching in DID. With such a broad term, clinicians easily become confused about when it is appropriate to proceed with EMDR treatment, or when clients’ dissociation scores are “normal” versus “pathological.”
In this half-day webinar, I will use a neuro-affirming approach to explore the diversity of experiences related to dissociation to help you become more confident in your clinical understanding. We will start with an overview of 3 broad categories of dissociation: PTSD-related dissociation, dissociative identity systems (DID/OSDD), and dissociative experiences in conditions not specifically related to trauma (such as depersonalization disorder, immersive daydreaming, and absorption). We will discuss the importance of using a screening process to understand your clients’ dissociative abilities during the treatment planning and preparation phases of EMDR.
We will look at four screening tools: the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), the 60-Item Version of the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID-60), the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES), and the Child Dissociative Checklist (CDC). You will learn how each might be useful in your practice, including how to administer and score them.
We will discuss specific types of dissociative symptoms and explore how items on the different screening tools can elicit useful information to help you and your clients understand their experiences through clinical interview and psychoeducation.
Finally, you will learn how you might modify your EMDR process to be safer and more effective without delaying treatment unnecessarily due to our own confusion or misconceptions about dissociation. You may be surprised to learn that some of the dissociation that your clients report is actually a tremendously resourceful ability that will enhance their EMDR experience!
Learning Objectives
1. Discuss at least 3 different types of dissociative experiences. 2. Compare the basic properties and intended uses of at least 2 screening tools. 3. Identify ways to elicit information about clients’ personal experiences with dissociation and provide psychoeducation to clients. 4. Discuss how clients’ unique dissociative experiences affect EMDR treatment planning and identify approaches that can be useful for various dissociative presentations.
Bio: Katy (Kathryn) Gelinas, LPC is an EMDRIA Certified EMDR therapist and CIT working with Farnsworth Lobenstine LICSW. She has a private practice offering psychotherapy and clinical consultation in Waterbury, CT. She holds an Advanced Certificate in Complex Trauma and Dissociation from the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation Professional Training Program. Katy is a facilitator and moderator for Farnsworth’s and Paula Merucci’s “Weekend Webinar: EMDR, Polyvagal, and Parts Work” practicum-based training for EMDR therapists and has co-taught trainings about dissociative identities with Farnsworth and colleagues. Katy believes in amplifying the perspectives of survivors with lived experience in learning about trauma and dissociation and celebrating the diversity of human experience in a neuro-affirming approach.
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