TORONTO, November 2, 2004 -- A new, cutting-edge form of therapy is poised to change the course of treatment for women who experience emotional trauma and depression. York University Psychology Professor Leslie Greenberg is one of only a handful of researchers studying the benefits of emotion-focused therapy, or EFT – a treatment he pioneered.
EFT challenges conventional cognitive-behavioural or logic-based therapies by encouraging clients to “feel” their way to better mental health. It is particularly useful in treating women – many of whom do not respond to traditional forms of intervention.
“The cognitive-behavioural model, in being more rational, tends to be a more masculine mode of therapy. It aims, through logic and evidence, to change the way we think about our emotions,” says Greenberg. “These types of treatments are particularly ill-equipped to handle the specific needs of women, who, in processing complex emotional issues, are inclined to be more attuned to feelings.”
EFT, which proves beneficial in both individual and couples therapy, instead advocates exploring the range of emotions associated with traumatic events, and begins a process whereby one negative feeling is exchanged for another, often opposite emotion. The end result? A direct, positive alteration of clients’ feelings – not just logical processes that act as coping mechanisms.
As director of York U’s Psychotherapy Research Clinic, Greenberg has seen much first-hand evidence that traditional modes of treatment are not working. In fact, logic-based therapies, which tend to be focused on regulating or suppressing painful feelings, can actually cause more harm than good.
“One woman never cried. The message from society was that she was not to shed one tear over her broken relationship, and was simply to move on with her life. Ten years later, she had a panic attack while driving her car. People store all of these things inside and then suddenly, something happens in their lives – maybe the loss of a job, for example – and they totally break down. They simply crumble.”
Greenberg has completed a detailed study to determine how EFT can be used to create the most positive results. Hundreds of hours of videotape from participants’ therapy sessions –encompassing 40 individuals and 40 couples over a period of two years – were transcribed and analyzed for the most minute clues, including unspoken cues like facial expression. The clues combined lead to an explanation of how this change in emotion occurs.
Greenberg is currently devoting his attention to emotion-based therapies for depression and forgiveness – the topic of forthcoming books. His professional publications include 71 peer- reviewed papers, 55 book chapters, and 14 books. He is a founder of the Society of the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI), a founder of the Society for Constructivism in Psychotherapy (SCP), and a past president of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR). He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration and the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
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For further information, media should contact:
Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, 416 736 2100, ext. 22097 / mehughes@yorku.ca
