Episode #3: What Sue Johnson Would Want Us To Know About Enactments?

The Heart & Soul of Couples Therapy

In this episode, Jim and Ed dive into the experiential world of couples therapy with a special focus on the role of enactments in the process of successful therapy.
The term enactment is used by Dr. Sue Johnson to describe a part of EFT therapy when a therapist orchestrates a conversation between partners. Jim and Ed will address some of these basic enactment questions: From the attachment lens, what is an enactment? Why are they important? How does the therapist know what to enact? How do you know how much or how little to enact? What needs to happen in the session to prepare for the enactment? How do you make enactments succinct and powerful? Once partners have spoken to each other, how do you put the experience in the cycle? How do you use enactments to promote vulnerability?
Sue Johnson was a maverick and a rebel when she began teaching the world that emotions were the most important aspect of a couple's relationship. By watching thousands of hours of couples therapy sessions, Sue uncovered the secret sauce for helping couples to heal and to grow their bond. She taught us that if couples can experience their emotions together, in a de-escalated setting, with new types of conversations, that breakthrough bonding events can happen - events that move couples from reactive and escalated states toward true emotional bonding and healing.