CIAM STUDENT: Dr. Timothy Rowe, MD

Psychiatrist and Director of Psychiatric Services at
St. Christopher’s Inn Addiction Treatment & Recovery Community
“Wonderful work! The EMDR portion of Accessing Somatic and Emotional Experiences is immediately useful and applicable to my EMDR practice.”

Now you can more easily...

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Neuro-auricular Modulation for EMDR

Move Beyond
Defense Mechanisms

While EMDR is among the main treatments for clients with issues ranging from lack of sufficient dual attention to dissociation,[1-5] these issues remain challenges facing the EMDR therapist.[6-15] Using neuro-auricular methods, therapists can bypass pre-frontal cortex involvement and facilitate the restoration of dual attention and self-regulation[11-14] — all while avoiding the risks of proceeding with EMDR when a client is not ready.
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Neuro-auricular Modulation for EMDR

Gain Insight for Target Identification & Priority

Even without cognitive input from the client, active points on the microsystem of the ear, especially limbic system and pain memory points,[16] can be helpful in offering clues to useful targets.
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Neuro-auricular Modulation for EMDR:

Support Processing

In some cases, the client simply is “blocked,” in a “processing loop,” or “resistant” during BLS — no decrease in SUDs. Neuro-auricular modulation helps move beyond client defense mechanisms or other blocks without the need for pre-frontal cortex. It activates the mechanisms of action to support engagement, plasticity, healing and processing.[15,17-20]

CIAM introduces neuro-auricular modulation
at  EMDRIA Conference

The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), whose membership practices Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), represents leadership in the field of psychology — especially in psychology’s shift from purely cognitive to incorporated somatic approaches. The association comprises forward-thinking professionals in the field of psychology who understand the improvement of psychotherapy outcomes through skilled use of multi-modal approaches.

At the EMDRIA 2021 Virtual Conference, the Canadian Institute of Auricular Medicine (CIAM) shared opportunity for discussion, consultation, and Q&A on neuro-auricular modulation techniques to prime the nervous system to be able to receive therapy. Techniques that also provide objective measures of neural disturbance with insight on the specific neural states that will benefit from modulation — all to help move complex cases forward when preparation, targeting, or processing have otherwise become “stuck.”

EMDRIA attendees amazed!

I am going to start training right away.”

This makes so much sense!”

I have used auricular methods before
and now plan to learn more.”

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See neuro-auricular modulation for EMDR
in actual psychotherapy practice

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How to access the somatic and emotional experience mapped by the brain

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References:
[1] Haour F, Dobbelaere E, de Beaurepaire C. Scientific Evaluation of EMDR Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Psychological Trauma Summary: Scientific evaluation of EMDR psychotherapy. L'encephale. 2016 Jun;42(3):284-288. DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2016.02.012. PMID: 27017321.
[2] Diseth TH, Christie HJ. Trauma-related dissociative (conversion) disorders in children and adolescents--an overview of assessment tools and treatment principles. Nord J Psychiatry. 2005;59(4):278. doi: 10.1080/08039480500213683. PMID: 16195132.
[3] EMDR and Dissociative Disorders. EMDRIA website. 2011. Accessed September 30, 2021. https://www.emdria.org/group/emdr-and-dissociative-disorders/
[4] Bufka, L. Et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Adults. American Psychological Association website. February 24, 2017. Accessed September 30, 2021. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/ptsd.pdf
[5] de Jong, et al. Guidelines for the Management of Conditions Specifically Related to Stress. World Health Organization website. 2013. p37. Accessed September 30, 2021. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85119/9789241505406_eng.pdf ISBN 978 92 4 150540 6
[6] Hart O, et.al. Dissociation of the Personality and EMDR Therapy in Complex Trauma-Related Disorders: Applications in Phases 2 and 3 Treatment. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 2014; 8(1): 33
[7] Forgash C, Knipe J. Integrating EMDR and Ego State Treatment for Clients With Trauma Disorders. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 2012; 6(3): 121
[8] Dunne T, Farrell D. An Investigation Into Clinicians’ Experiences of Integrating EMDR Into Their Clinical Practice. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 2011; 5(4):177-188. DOI:10.1891/1933-3196.5.4.177
[9] L Royle, & C Kerr. (2010). Integrating EMDR into your practice. New York, NY:Springer Publishing.
[10] Stacy R. 4 Big Challenges for EMDR Therapists — Part 3. Stacy Ruse Counseling Group website. Accessed August 6, 2021. https://stacyrusecounseling.com/emdr-therapy-challenges-part-3/
[11] Shiozawa P, Silva ME, Carvalho TC, et al. Transcutaneous vagus and trigeminal nerve stimulation for neuropsychiatric disorders: a systematic review. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2014; 72: 542-7.
[12] Kong J, Fang J, Park J, et al. Treating Depression with Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation: State of the Art and Future Perspectives. Front Psychiatry. 2018; 9: 20.
[13] Fang J, Rong P, Hong Y, Fan Y, Liu J, Wang H, Zhang G, Chen X, Shi S, Wang L, Liu R, Hwang J, Li Z, Tao J, Wang Y, Zhu B, Kong J. Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Modulates Default Mode Network in Major Depressive Disorder. Biological Psychiatry. 2016 Feb 15;79(4):266-73. 
[14] Kurebayashi LF, Turrini RN, Souza TP, Marques CF, Rodrigues RT, Charlesworth K. Auriculotherapy to reduce anxiety and pain in nursing professionals: a randomized clinical trial. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2017;25:e2843. Published 2017 Apr 6. doi:10.1590/1518-8345.1761.2843
[15] Rosenberg S. Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve. Berkely, California: North Atlantic Books; 2017:87-93.
[16] Strittmatter B. Ear Acupuncture: A Precise Pocket Atlas Based on the Works of Nogier/Bahr. Stuttgart, Germany: Thieme; 2011: iii-iv, 240. 
[17] Porges, S.W. Dana, D. Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies. New York: WW Norton. 2018: 53, 52
[18] Badran B, Dowdle L, Mithoefer O, Austelle C, McTeague L, George M. Neurophysiologic effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) via electrical stimulation of the tragus: A concurrent taVNS/fMRI study and review. Brain Stimulation. 2017; 11(3):492-500. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2017.12.009
[19] Hays SA. Enhancing Rehabilitative Therapies with Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Neurotherapeutics. 2016;13(2):382-394. doi:10.1007/s13311-015-0417-z
[20] Edgerton R., Gad P. Spinal Cord Injury: Is the vagus nerve our neural connectome? eLife 2018;7:e35592 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.35592