EDT conferences, workshops, and lectures are offered by highly experienced EDT psychotherapists who have a passion for sharing their expertise with other professionals. This page offers some of the reactions that event-goers have provided.
Members of IEDTA who are planning an EDT event are invited to contribute verbatim, unedited quotations from your evaluation forms. If the person is identified, permission to use the quotation must be obtained. Include the title, speaker, location and date of the event. Please email these comments to events@iedta.net.
So, what do participants have to say about their experiences learning about EDT? Here are some reactions in their own words:
Quotations
2012 IEDTA Conference in Oxford, England
July 20-22, 2012
Well thought out programme diverse in content and stimulating with reference to presentations and clinical material huge and fulfilling satisfying experience!” — Participant Psychotherapist
Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy: Advanced Workshop
RINO Noord-Holland, November 26 2008 with Kristin A. R. Osborn.
Thank you very much for your enthusiasm, for teaching me the idea of self-compassion that you showed in your tapes and in the course. You made me very enthusiastic for E-STDP.” — Dutch Psychotherapist
“Two Roads to Syria: A Time and A Place to Grieve”
Syria, Virginia, nestled in the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains, June 4-9, 2006. A summer ISTDP immersion program sponsored by the Washington School of Psychiatry, taught by Robert Neborsky, MD and Josette ten Have-de Labije, PsyD
Our summer school experience for me was what we want for our patients: the ability to be fully human, fully alive, and fully open to new experiences. The generosity of spirit, and especially by Rob and Josette, in sharing themselves with such gusto made it a magnificent time of learning and a time to experience an extravagant range of emotions. Most of all, the fun, laughter, and caring were as incredibly beautiful as the setting. If its true that we can’t help our patients grow beyond where we are, I would say this group has done some mighty powerful work themselves and are well on their way to making their teachers proud!” — Pam Doser, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Cabin John, Maryland, USA
There are many ways to learn. But this experience of immersion and play hit all the senses and finally made its way to both hemispheres in my brain.
Rob Neborsky has written that proof of successful treatment can be seen by: improvement in interpersonal relationships, increase in emotional IQ, greater capacity for empathy, and greater capacity for intimacy demonstrated by greater capacity for mutuality, empathy and play.
The immersion experience in Syria with Josette and Rob is proof that learning takes place best as an emotional, experiential process not only for our patients, but for us as therapists, too!” — Joal Bennett-Stenzel, LCSW-C, LICSW
The Oxford Experiential Dynamic Therapy Conference
St John’s College, Oxford, May 11th & 12th 2006.
I thought that Patricia’s well chosen in-depth all-day presentation made it easier to follow the stages of EDT/ISTDP than the shorter presentations at UCLA last September. I liked Ferruccio’s willingness to show a presentation that opened up an interesting debate among the panel of presenters as to ‘effectiveness’ of different strategies within the EDT umbrella.
Robert did a wonderful job in demonstrating regulation of affect within the dyad. I recognized this as having a two-fold benefit in the interaction shown this time: a) the in-the-moment permission to feel the full extent of the emotion and b) the role-modeling of affect regulation to be integrated by the patient.
I was glad to have been present.” — Canadian psychotherapist
David [Malan]’s eloquent introduction set the stage nicely providing detail, reason and history also peppered with summary insights as to the key differences that make this approach so successful by comparison with more traditional approaches.
It seemed to me that these ideas – “don’t interpret: ask”, the blocking of the tactical defenses often so unconsciously put in place by people that hinder progress, the importance of not just cognitizing but experiencing, the idea that experience is truth, to exhaust these defenses in an appeal to the ego to rescue the self from the super-ego’s perpetration of suffering, all seems just as applicable to the drive towards freedom and fulfillment in life that we all partake of in our interactions with others to greater or lesser degrees every day.
The presentation of this as self-evident and simple truth which can be extended and applied to such severe cases as were then presented seemed to bring hope to the audience. What was presented provoked a lot of thought as well as some significant reasoned yet emotional responses that evolved into an organic discussion between the audience and the presenters…
In summary, a very thought provoking, reasoned set of presentations with much interaction. Many thanks to the presenters for sharing of the video sessions, which illustrated the process so well” — Canadian psychotherapist
One of the finest conferences I’ve ever attended.”
Excellent conference – interesting, useful and inspiring.”
Stimulating, useful and enlightening – particularly appreciate the privilege of being able to watch therapy in progress.”
Enormously important to provide a “voice” for research in dynamic therapy as a counterweight to the ever more prevalent CBT approach.”
The clarity of each presentation was excellent. I appreciate the generosity in such an open presentation where we were invited to observe what they DO as well as listen to what they SAY.”
Thought-provoking and engaging.”
I enjoyed it more than I expected and it opened my eyes to a whole world of therapy I’d previously denied.”
Probably the best conference I’ve ever attended.”
On Dr. Patricia Coughlin:
I enjoyed this experience immensely and feel privileged to have been able to share this journey of therapeutic alliance and proven outcome. Please express my heartfelt gratitude for this experience.”
On Dr. Robert Neborsky:
An outstanding explanation of what we viewed on video — able to show us what he’s doing. A Phenomenon!”
On Dr. Osimo:
Excellent, emotive, informative.”