AEDP: What It Is, What It Does

Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) is an approach that uses healing-based techniques and dynamic psychotherapy to help you identify and release what might be holding you back from living the life you want.

It focuses on helping people process and transform difficult emotions and experiences to achieve psychological growth and healing, which can help them feel better emotionally, psychologically, and even physically. AEDP prioritizes the significance of emotions and experiences in fostering an individual's psychological health and overall well-being.

In AEDP, the therapist works with clients to help them understand how their experiences in relationships and interactions shape their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It focuses on assisting individuals to process and integrate irrepressible emotions and experiences to promote healing and growth.

The goal of AEDP therapy is to help the client to move through overwhelming emotions associated with trauma (1) and experiences and to develop a greater sense of self-awareness, self-acceptance, and emotional resilience. It also covers and is highly effective for a wide range of mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationship issues.

Difficult times and hardships present a chance to discover exceptional abilities that might have remained dormant or undiscovered and AEDP is about making the most of these opportunities to provide transformation. (1)

AEDP also emphasizes the role of the body in emotional processing and uses techniques such as mindfulness and body-focused interventions to help clients connect with and process their emotions.

Who Started AEDP?

AEDP therapy was developed by psychologist Diana Fosha Ph.D (2). She is the founder and director of AEDP Institute and developed a healing-based, transformation-oriented treatment model. Dr. Fosha has authored numerous chapters that have been featured in various publications, including The Transforming Power of Affect: A Model for Accelerated Change (Basic Books, 2000), Clinical Pearls of Wisdom, and Healing Trauma: Attachment, Mind, Body, and Brain. Dr. Fosha is dedicated to integrating the promotion of flourishing seamlessly into the AEDP therapeutic process, which aims to transform emotional distress. (3) And over the past two decades, she has been actively advocating for a scientific approach to healing-oriented therapies that focus on attachment, emotions, and transformation.

Core Principles of AEDP

The core principles of AEDP, or Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy, are rooted in the belief that psychological growth and healing are best achieved through the processing and transformation of difficult emotions and experiences in a close therapeutic relationship with a provider. The following are some of the key principles of AEDP therapy:

• Emotion-focused: Emotions are central to psychological health and well-being. AEDP therapy recognizes the importance of emotions in driving behavior and shaping our experiences. It emphasizes the need to identify, express, and process emotions in order to achieve psychological growth and healing. This helps the client process overwhelming emotions to promote healing and growth. AEDP uses various techniques to help clients deepen their emotional experiences and transform negative patterns of thinking and behavior.

• Relational: The therapeutic relationship is essential. AEDP therapy focuses on the therapeutic relationship as a key source of support and growth for the client. The therapist is viewed as a supportive guide who helps clients safely explore and make sense of their experiences in a safe and supportive environment. The relational principle in AEDP recognizes the power of human connection and the role of the therapist in facilitating a transformative and healing experience for clients.

• Healing-oriented: AEDP seeks to promote healing by restoring the sense of connection, security, and well-being. This principle also recognizes the importance of addressing underlying emotional issues in order to develop lasting change and well-being.

• Experiential: AEDP encourages clients to engage in experiential exercises, such as visualization, mindfulness, and role-playing, to promote deeper emotional processing and understanding. In the experiential principle, therapists use a range of techniques to help clients safely access and process challenging emotions within a supportive environment. These techniques might involve directing the client to focus on bodily sensations, explore emotions through imagery or metaphor, or use creative expression as a means of self-exploration. By utilizing these methods, AEDP therapists aim to promote the processing of difficult emotions in a way that supports healing and growth.

• Transformational: AEDP aims to promote profound and lasting changes by fostering the growth of new neural pathways and promoting neuroplasticity. Through this transformational process, clients can develop greater self-awareness, emotional regulation skills, and the ability to form healthier relationships. The transformational principle in AEDP recognizes the power of emotional processing in promoting profound personal growth and change.

Healing and growth are ongoing processes. AEDP therapists work with clients to help them continue to develop and grow even after the end of formal therapy and to support them in maintaining their gains over time.

How Does AEDP Work

AEDP uses the principle of "acceleration" to help people move through their trauma more quickly than they would have without the therapy. This means that AEDP directs its clients toward making changes instead of telling them what to do—and it does this by encouraging them to experience their feelings.

In AEDP therapy, the therapist creates a safe and supportive environment where the client can feel free to express their emotions and explore their experiences. The therapist may use a range of techniques and interventions, such as focusing on the present moment, using body-oriented techniques, and encouraging the expression of thoughts and feelings, to help the client to process and transform difficult emotions and experiences.

As the client engages in deeper emotional processing and their sense of connection and safety is reestablished, they may undergo a transformative change in their self-perception and connection with the world. This may lead to an increased sense of confidence, resilience, and a stronger foundation in their sense of purpose and significance.

Techniques used in AEDP

While traditional exposure therapy takes weeks or months to complete, AEDP can be completed in just a few days. This allows for a rapid resolution of symptoms and an increase in quality of life for patients who suffer from these conditions.

When using this method, therapists will help their clients develop coping mechanisms for fear or anxiety by taking them through a series of "exposure steps."

Below are some therapeutic techniques employed in AEDP:

1. Relational: It uses a "relational" approach to therapy, which means that the therapist focuses on how the client relates to their own emotions and thoughts. The therapist works to establish a trusting relationship with the client to create a safe space for exploration and healing.

2. Metatherapeutic/Metaprocessing: This AEDP technique is a way to help you understand your feelings and develop new and more adaptive emotional responses. Its objective is to increase clients' awareness of their inner processes and how they impact their interactions with others. In this way, the client can navigate their emotions more effectively in their everyday lives.

3. Experiential: The main goal of these techniques is to help you feel comfortable talking about your feelings and being open about what you're going through. It emphasizes the significance of immersing oneself in emotions to facilitate exploration and resolution.

AEDP is a unique therapeutic approach that prioritizes the healing power of positive emotions and transformational experiences. By providing a safe and supportive environment, AEDP therapists can help clients access and process difficult emotions, leading to deep and lasting change. Through its emphasis on connection and transformation, AEDP offers a valuable tool for those seeking emotional healing and growth. As more research is conducted and more therapists adopt this approach, we can hope to see more individuals experiencing the profound benefits of AEDP in their own lives.

While things happening in your life might sound scary or depressing, the truth is that AEDP helps us to identify these patterns so they can be changed.

You see when we're able to change how our mind processes information from our past experiences, we become more empowered in the present moment—and that's where all of us want to be!

Who Should Seek AEDP

Individuals with various mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues, may find AEDP to be a suitable therapeutic option. It can also be beneficial for individuals who have experienced significant trauma or attachment difficulties in their past.

AEDP may also be useful to those who have not achieved significant progress through other forms of therapy or who are seeking a more experiential and emotion-centered approach to their treatment.

AEDP in Action

An AEDP therapy session typically starts with the therapist and client developing a trusting and secure therapeutic relationship. The therapist creates a safe and supportive environment for the client to explore and express their emotions.

During the session, the therapist encourages the client to focus on their emotional experiences, both positive and negative, and to allow themselves to fully experience and process those emotions. The therapist may use specific techniques to help the client deepen their emotional awareness, such as reflecting on bodily sensations, exploring nonverbal communication, or visualizing their emotional experiences.

The therapist may also encourage the client to practice self-compassion and mindfulness outside of therapy sessions, in order to deepen their emotional awareness and continue their growth.

Conclusion

If you are struggling with uncontrolled emotion or unresolved trauma, and traditional talk therapies have not been effective in addressing your concerns, it may be worth considering AEDP.

AEDP can help you to develop a greater awareness of your emotions, and provide a supportive environment to explore and process them. This approach can lead to significant emotional healing and personal growth.

If you are interested in seeking AEDP treatment, it is important to find a licensed and experienced therapist who is trained in this approach. Look for a therapist who has completed AEDP-specific training and has experience working with clients who have similar concerns to your own. Our mental health providers at Phoenix Rising Centers are here to help you.

Don't be afraid to ask questions or seek out referrals from trusted sources, such as your primary care physician or a mental health professional you may already be seeing. With the right therapist and a commitment to the process, AEDP can be an effective tool for healing and personal growth.

DON’T EXPLAIN…EXPLORE! 

SLOW DOWN: “Could we sloooooow down for just a  moment…?” 

AFFIRM: “This is so important.” 

NOTICE: “I’m wondering if you are seeing/sensing/  feeling what I’m seeing/  sensing/feeling? 

EXPLORE: “Can we just stay with what you are  experiencing right now?” 

REFLECT: “What’s that like to sense/feel/see with me? 

References:

1. About AEDP™ Psychotherapy. [online] aedpinstitute.org. Available at: https://aedpinstitute.org/about-aedp/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 1970].

2. Diana Fosha, PhD - AEDP™ Institute. [online] aedpinstitute.org. Available at: https://aedpinstitute.org/faculty/diana-fosha-phd/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 1970].