How EFT Helps Relationships
Within the world of therapy, there are different approaches to help treat the issues people are facing. While most people think about traditional talk therapy, more specific approaches, such as emotionally focused therapy, are often used. Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is often used in therapy work with couples. However, it has proven to be effective for all relationships you have in life, including platonic or familial ones!
5 Ways EFT Helps Relationships
1. It Teaches You Your Attachment Style
EFT is a therapeutic modality that can help you and your partner learn your attachment style. Attachment styles are often formed in childhood with caregivers or other immediate family members. Once you learn your specific attachment style, EFT can help you and your partner transform your relationship even more.
In all relationships, four types of attachment styles often influence how we interact with other human beings.
These four attachment styles are:
Anxious
Avoidant
Disorganized
Secure
None of them are bad, but they can have negative effects on relationships. Attachment styles often influence how we communicate with other people, how we see them, and how we view ourselves.
Knowing your attachment style can help you be introspective about how you speak and behave towards one another.
2. It Breaks Cycles
Does it seem as if you and your partner keep repeating the same mistakes with each other? Keep having the same arguments and conflict repeatedly, with no resolution?
EFT can help break these negative cycles and patterns that have become commonplace in your relationship. Every relationship falls into these patterns and ruts, especially the longer you have been with someone.
Not only does this therapy help you recognize what these patterns are, but it also teaches you to de-escalate them if they come up in the relationship again.
3. It Changes Those Patterns
EFT therapy teaches you more than how to de-escalate conflict. It helps you to reach a resolution, as well. With your therapist, you will learn how to interact with each other in a healthier manner. You will learn new and perhaps better ways of expressing your thoughts, needs, and emotions to one another. And you will also learn how to listen to what your partner is saying.
As you deepen your understanding of one another, your relationship and connection with each other will only become stronger and healthier.
4. It Teaches You Acceptance
Remember that no relationship is perfect. As we said earlier, every relationship falls into negative patterns. Many individuals will often look back on the past with remorse and guilt for the things they said or how they behaved and let that tear them up inside.
EFT helps not only you as a couple but also as individuals. It teaches you to show empathy and understanding, not only towards each other but towards yourself as well. The goal of therapy is always to provide a safe and judgement-free space for each individual person and couple to come together.
5. It Teaches You Lifelong Skills
Starting therapy does not mean you will always be going to sessions. In fact, another goal of EFT is to help you become strong enough as a couple to maintain the momentum of what you learn in therapy. Your therapist will help you learn effective communication strategies that can help you resolve any conflict that happens in the future.
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If you struggle to understand your partner and don’t see eye to eye anymore, it could be a sign of a breakdown in communication. If you are tired of repeating the same mistakes with each other, don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more about emotionally focused therapy.
