Dr. Dufford incorporates a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches and techniques into his treatment based on clinical research as well as his own personal experience in helping people change. Dr. Dufford has conducted over 35,000 individual psychotherapy sessions and hundreds of hours of group therapy during his 25 plus years as a therapist. The following are methods that Dr. Dufford uses in his treatment (click to read more about each method).
- COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT)
- EMDR – EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION & REPROCESSING
- HYPNOTHERAPY
- ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY: EFT – EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE
- PSYCHOTHERAPY
- MEDICATION
Contact Dr. Dufford for a complimentary telephone conversation to answer any further questions or to schedule an appointment.
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COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT)
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, research has demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral therapy is highly effective in treating anxiety disorders. This is a combination of cognitive therapy, which can modify or eliminate thought patterns that contribute to anxiety or depression symptoms and behavioral therapy which helps eliminate unwanted behavior and create behavior that supports recovery. Individuals may be unaware of or unable to stop automatic negative, fearful distortions in thinking that cause the feelings and stress reactions that are bothering them. Clients learn to identify those thoughts, attitudes and underlying beliefs, stop the automatic thinking, create and instill a positive attitude.Behavior therapy encompasses stress and anxiety reduction techniques such as: specific breathing techniques, meditation, mindfulness, exercise, diet, biofeedback, relaxation training and guided imagery. Dr. Dufford often records these segments of the therapy session providing a custom CD for the client. A series of these recorded tools and techniques are available in the Self Help Tools section of this website. Behavioral therapy also involves overcoming fears by practicing desired actions such as public speaking, interacting in social situations, flying, driving over bridges, going to certain places, etc. This is called exposure therapy or desensitization and is done gradually (first in visualization then in real life) using all of the cognitive-behavioral tools mentioned above so that there is a positive feedback loop of comfort, success and confidence.
A somewhat different behavioral method is used for OCD called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) which involves controlled exposure to whatever triggers the obsession and then refraining from carrying out compulsive rituals. This ultimately lessens the thoughts, feelings and compulsive urges of OCD and provides a structured set of techniques to employ whenever obsessions or compulsions arise. Habit Reversal Training is a cognitive-behavioral process used successfully for impulse control issues such as Trichotillomania, skin picking and nail biting.
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EMDR – EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING
In 1987, psychologist Dr. Francine Shapiro made the chance observation that eye movements can reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts, under certain conditions. Dr. Shapiro studied this effect scientifically, and in a 1989 issue of the Journal of Traumatic Stress, she reported success using EMDR to treat victims of trauma. EMDR evolved into standardized protocols that incorporate elements from many different treatment approaches. EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information in a way similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.Approximately 20 controlled studies have consistently found that EMDR effectively decreases/eliminates the anxiety symptoms of post traumatic stress for the majority of clients. EMDR is designated as an effective treatment for PTSD by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the United Kingdom Dept. of Health and many other international associations.
During EMDR, the therapist works with the client to identify a specific problem as the focus of the treatment session. The client calls to mind the disturbing issue or event while the therapist facilitates the directional movement of the eyes or other dual attention stimulation of the brain. Sets of eye movements are continued until the memory becomes less disturbing and is associated with positive thoughts and beliefs. During EMDR the client may experience intense emotions but by the end of the session, most people report a great reduction in the level of disturbance. This improvement has been shown to hold up over time.
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HYPNOTHERAPY
There are some common misconceptions about this therapy. For some people who have never tried it, the idea of going into a hypnotic trance may seem weird or scary. But the fact is that we’ve all experienced trance states in everyday life – whether daydreaming, watching a movie, driving home on autopilot, while drifting off to sleep or just waking up. Essentially, trance is an altered state of consciousness marked by decreased scope and increased intensity of awareness. What distinguishes hypnotherapy is that it involves a deliberate choice to enter this state of consciousness for a goal beyond relaxation: to focus your concentration and use suggestion to promote positive change and healing.The person in a hypnotic trance is always in control, just as someone who is daydreaming can decide to go on or stop at any time. While the practitioner serves as a teacher or guide, the only person who can hypnotize you is you, since trance is a latent potential of your own mind. Therefore, all hypnosis is self hypnosis. You are in control.
Dr. Dufford has found hypnotherapy to be a useful tool to make connections from current emotional reactions or feelings to underlying causes such as past trauma or core beliefs formed while growing up that can be the source of emotional patterns or self-destructive behaviors. It is also helpful in enhancing the use of imagination or visualization and reinforcing cognitive-behavioral tools and techniques.
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ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY: EFT – EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE
The fundamental principle of EFT is that negative emotions are a disruption in the body’s energy system. Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to this energy as “ch’i”. Restore balance to the body’s energy by stimulating meridian acupuncture points and you will mend the negative emotions and physical symptoms that stem from the energy disruption. These points have been used for thousands of years to heal the body in Traditional Chinese medicine. With EFT the points are stimulated by tapping them with your fingertips. This method was first “discovered” by Roger Callahan, Clinical Psychologist in 1980. Callahan’s Thought Field Therapy was subsequently simplified by one of his students, Gary Craig. Craig named this streamlined version EFT –Emotional Freedom Technique. It is an easy, yet effective way of clearing emotions that can be utilized in therapy sessions but also has the advantage of being able to be practiced at home.<< back to top
PSYCHOTHERAPY
The term Psychotherapy is generally associated with counseling or talking through issues and gaining insight from feedback from a psychologist or therapist. Dr. Dufford is a trained, naturally empathic listener. He helps clients feel heard, validated, gain insight and solve life problems. He incorporates principles of Positive Psychology helping people identify and access their strengths and inner resources to develop more adaptive coping skills and move forward in life.Dr. Dufford also incorporates Psychodynamic Psychotherapy which focuses on events of the past and making the client aware of the ramifications of long-buried problems. However, he helps clients get beyond simply talking about childhood by working through these issues on the emotional level, more directly identifying and releasing the underlying emotional energy and core beliefs using hypnotherapy and EMDR. Dr. Dufford has found that it is important to release and heal issues from the past, however, that alone is usually not enough to change behavior in the present – particularly with most anxiety disorders. Therefore, the combination of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy is generally much more effective.
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MEDICATION
In a majority of cases anxiety recovery is successful without the use of psychotropic medication, and, Dr Dufford has helped thousands of clients who were taking prescription drugs recover to the point of no longer needing medication support. However, in many cases medication is beneficial and in some cases it can be essential to facilitate recovery from anxiety or depression.Although Dr. Dufford does not prescribe medication he can help evaluate the need for medication to assist in anxiety treatment and can provide referrals to qualified psychiatrists for medication evaluation, prescription and management. If you are already taking prescription drugs, Dr. Dufford will support your compliance with that regimen and will collaborate with the prescribing physician when appropriate. Clients typically see both a Psychologist for therapy and a Psychiatrist or other M.D. for medication.
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