S4E9 Changing emotion with emotion in EFT | Dr Anna Oldershaw

S4E9 Changing emotion with emotion in EFT | Dr Anna Oldershaw

EPISODE SUMMARY

Most therapists are comfortable talking about emotions, but Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) takes things several steps further. In this episode, Dr. Natalie Stott sits down with Dr Anna Oldershaw, consultant clinical psychologist and EFT trainer, to demystify the nuts, bolts, and chairs of EFT. They explore why “changing emotion with emotion” is central, the art of letting clients discover their own “Rome”, and why the therapy is more than a rebranding of common practice. Whether you’re curious about chairwork, anxious about secondary anger, or wondering how EFT fits in alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), you’ll leave with something practical for your next session.

TIMESTAMPS

00:03 What is Emotion Focused Therapy, and why does it matter?02:20 How Dr. Anna Oldershaw stumbled upon EFT (and SPEAKS therapy for anorexia)05:39 Can you integrate EFT with schema therapy or ACT?07:35 Chairwork: making internal parts less terrifying09:38 EFT’s view on emotions: adaptive, maladaptive, and what’s really going on when clients say they’re “just angry”16:54 Working with clients’ own process, not parachuting in with answers26:31 The nuts and bolts of running a chair task (and what to do if things go off piste)31:19 What can clients do between sessions to keep the work alive?45:24 Interested in training in EFT? How to start

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Use “chairwork” to facilitate clients’ dialogues with critical or protective parts—let them find their own insights, not yours.

• Distinguish between primary adaptive emotions (helpful, situation-relevant), primary maladaptive emotions (old wounds replaying), and secondary emotions (reactions to other feelings). Don’t take clients’ first answers at face value.

• When chairwork risks a shouting match between parts, focus on building assertiveness in the “experiencing” chair and softening of the critic—don’t force a negotiation.

• Listen for process “markers” as sessions begin to decide which EFT task (chair, focusing, imagery) will actually fit.

• To boost client awareness between sessions, ask them to notice and name when certain inner critics or feelings emerge—no need to “fix”, just notice.

• Be careful about overlaying your own formulation. Use conjecture gently, reflect back, and let the client’s experience lead.