It can be illuminating in some ways to discover what attachment style you have. Is your attachment style Anxious (do you have low self-esteem, and a strong fear of abandonment)? Avoidant (does emotional and/or physical intimacy threaten you)? Disorganized (do you have a hard time trusting others)? But once the intellectual novelty of identifying our attachment style has worn off, is there anything you can do about it?

If you’re familiar with trauma therapy, you’ve likely heard of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a widely recognized approach designed to alleviate trauma symptoms. However, a newer therapy model, Constructed Awareness (CA) has emerged, bringing a fresh perspective to trauma treatment. A recent peer-reviewed journal article compared the effectiveness of these two methods, suggesting that CA may offer some distinct benefits. The purpose of this blog is to provide details about that comparative study. Let's dive into what makes CA different and how it measured up to EMDR.

In 1962, two scientists, Stanley Schachter and Jerry Singer did an experiment at Columbia University that would be illegal today. It would be illegal because the researchers deceived the participants. In the study, volunteers were told that they were receiving vitamin shots to see if it would affect their eyesight, but the researchers had other plans. Instead of giving the participants vitamins, they really gave them shots of adrenaline.

Throughout history, philosophers and scientists have grappled with the complexities of human nature and the vast array of individual differences. Early thinkers like Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius initiated the study of personality by introspectively exploring intrinsic qualities, virtues, and moral character. However, it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that psychology and genetics sparked a systematic examination of personality’s essence. Despite centuries of contemplation and investigation, a standard definition of “personality” remains elusive, underscoring the complex nature of this phenomenon.

In my counseling graduate program, I learned what all young therapists learn—cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT has been around forever. It’s been researched extensively, and the research has shown it time and time again to be effective (or so I was taught). In school, I learned how to develop treatment plans and set goals. I learned techniques like thought-stopping, cognitive reframing, and reflecting feelings. I gained the tools I needed to help people (or so I thought). All my hard work and preparation came crashing down the first time I sat in front of a real client. As the person told me their story of why they came into therapy, a sense of dread washed over me, and I was faced with a realization that I knew nothing and had nothing of value that could actually help the person.

Constructed Awareness (CA) is a recently developed approach to therapy that helps clients understand how they experience and don’t experience themselves. CA explores how clients construct their experiences from three parts, referred to in CA as “building blocks” (i.e., mind, body, and external senses), and use awareness of those building blocks to resource and process trauma.

If I’ve learned anything from years of mindfully observing my inner experience and coaching others to do the same, it’s this: you can’t change a thought or feeling the same way you change a flat tire. You can’t replace an unwanted emotion with a more desired one. If this were true, no negative feeling would last longer than a few seconds, because you would undoubtedly swap pain for pleasure.