What is Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT®)?
Emotional Transformation Therapy (ETT®) is an attachment based interpersonal form of psychotherapy whose outcomes are radically enhanced by precise visual brain stimulation.
ETT® possesses some of the following attributes:
- ETT® can facilitate rapid and often striking shifts in disturbing emotions, with the goal of producing lasting resolution rather than temporary relief.
- ETT® works directly with the body as well as the mind. It can access emotions that manifest as physical symptoms — and clients sometimes report meaningful relief from those symptoms emerging within a session.
- ETT® can access implicit memory and emotional material that is simply not reachable through conscious verbal dialogue alone, which is the primary means of most traditional counseling.
- ETT® incorporates specific procedures designed to address trauma, and some clients report profound shifts within a small number of sessions.
- ETT® is a non-pharmacological approach that works with the emotional and physiological sources of distress directly. Any decisions about medication — including whether to continue, adjust, or discontinue it — should be made in consultation with a prescribing physician.
- ETT® has the capacity to activate states of notable wellbeing and relief that clients often describe as unlike anything they have experienced in conventional talk therapy.
What is ETT Therapy?
Emotional Transformation Therapy® (ETT®) is an “attachment based” form of interpersonal therapy whose outcomes are substantially amplified by precise visual brain stimulation.
- The term "emotional transformation" reflects the observation that ETT® frequently produces rapid and meaningful shifts in emotional distress, and that clients often report emerging from sessions in a significantly more positive state than when they entered.
- "Attachment-based" refers to the fact that each person develops characteristic patterns of regulating emotions and relationships through early bonding experiences. When those attachment patterns are insecure or disrupted, people can become more vulnerable to emotional distress. By tailoring interpersonal responses to the unique attachment style of each individual client, ETT® aims to create the relational conditions in which meaningful therapeutic change is most likely to occur.
- "Precise visual brain stimulation" refers to the use of specific wavelengths of light during interpersonal processing. When light enters the eyes, it is converted into neural impulses that travel through the brain and interact with systems involved in emotion, cognition, and physiological regulation. ETT®'s theoretical framework proposes that by selecting precise wavelengths during the therapeutic process, it may be possible to engage the specific neural mechanisms underlying a client's distress, supporting rapid relief from psychological and, in some cases, physical symptoms. This mechanism remains an active area of clinical investigation.
The types of visual brain stimulation used in ETT® includes four modalities in conjunction with interpersonal processes.
- Multidimensional Eye Movement (MDEM) — This procedure uses specific visual targets during interpersonal processing, with the aim of engaging the neural mechanisms underlying emotional or physical distress. The eye movements are precisely individualized for each person. While MDEM involves eye movement, it bears no procedural or theoretical resemblance to EMDR. Practitioners report that clients frequently experience meaningful shifts in distress over the course of a session. MDEM is used in the treatment of trauma, among other presentations.
- Spectral Resonance Technique (SRT) — This procedure uses a specialized spectral chart of deeply saturated colors during interpersonal processing to support emotional regulation and engagement. SRT is designed to bring non-conscious emotional material into awareness — material that is often the basis for persistent emotional symptoms — and to work with it directly. Practitioners report that some clients experience significant and lasting shifts in chronic emotional distress over a brief course of sessions.
- Peripheral Eye Stimulation (PES) — This approach uses specialized goggles during interpersonal processing that allow carefully directed beams of light to enter the periphery of the visual field. It is particularly well-suited for clients who have light sensitivity or who tend to become easily overwhelmed by emotional distress. PES is used to access and work with distinct emotional and psychological states. Some clients with migraine headaches have reported significant relief following PES sessions, though individual responses vary.
- Light Emitting Device — This approach uses a specialized device to emit selected wavelengths of light during expressive processing. ETT®'s theoretical framework proposes that different wavelengths may engage different states of mind, allowing the therapist to work with specific presentations of distress. Practitioners report applications including relief from emotional distress, support with physical discomfort, and the facilitation of insight. Some clients report experiencing a profound sense of wellbeing following sessions using this device.
ETT® is practiced by certified clinicians across the United States and Europe.
Dr. Vazquez has written extensively on the theoretical framework and clinical application of ETT®, including the book Emotional Transformation Therapy, which describes the method's procedures and the clinical observations and case literature supporting its development. ETT® is an emerging approach; independent peer-reviewed research is ongoing.
ETT® has specific treatment procedures for the following conditions:
Rapid Trauma Recovery-Acute Trauma and PTSD
Depression
Anxiety Disorders
Addiction-Both substance and behavioral addictions
Couple's Therapy
Spiritual and Religious Issues
Somatic Psychotherapy-Chronic physical, accident recovery and the stress component of illness
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Adult ADD and ADHD
Some types of brain injury
Bipolar Disorder
Sleep Disorders
A distinctive feature of ETT® is that many conditions, including trauma and addiction, involve neural processes that operate outside conscious awareness and are largely inaccessible through verbal dialogue alone. ETT® is designed to access the underlying drives, motives, emotional material, and implicit memory that produce unwanted symptoms, and to work with them directly. It is an experiential form of therapy that tends to be most effective when the client is able to engage emotionally in the process.
Some clients find that the shifts they experience in ETT® sessions are more rapid or more significant than they anticipated. It is not uncommon for clients to need a moment to integrate what has changed — responses such as surprise, curiosity about whether the change will last, or a desire to understand how it happened are all normal parts of the process. Your ETT®-certified therapist will support you through that integration.
Is ETT Right For You?
ETT can offer relief and resolution for many conditions.
It is important for clients to understand that ETT is not a "silver bullet" solution. It requires a solid rapport between the therapist and client which establishes and ensures and environment of trust and safety. With this baseline, ETT can help clients address and oftentimes resolve conditions quickly and effectively.
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The states of relief and wellbeing that clients experience in ETT® sessions are generated through the activation of the client's own neural and physiological processes, without the use of pharmacological agents and without drug side-effects.
- ETT® is designed to address deeply rooted patterns of chronic emotional distress, and many clients report significant and lasting shifts in long-standing emotional states over a brief course of sessions.
- ETT® is used by practitioners as part of a treatment approach for substance and behavioral addictions, with the goal of addressing the underlying emotional drivers of addictive behavior. Many clients report that craving is often quickly, significantly reduced or absent following a completed series of sessions.
- ETT® can be an effective and relatively rapid form of couples therapy for some clients.