133. Special Guest Episode: Leanne Shares About Her and Sue's EFT Trauma Book
The Leading Edge in Emotionally Focused Therapy
Window of tolerance: respect and stretch
They discuss pacing trauma work, respecting clients' capacity while gently expanding their window of tolerance.
Welcome to the Leading Edge in Emotionally Focused Therapy, hosted by Drs. James Hawkins, Ph.D., LPC, and Ryan Rana, Ph.D., LMFT, LPC—Renowned ICEEFT Therapists, Supervisors, and Trainers. We're thrilled to have you with us. We believe this podcast, a valuable resource, will empower you to push the boundaries in your work, helping individuals and couples connect more deeply with themselves and each other.
Link to attend the online broadcast of the book launch
In this powerful conversation, Dr. James Hawkins sits down with Dr. Leanne Campbell to explore the heart of EFT and trauma and to honor the legacy of Dr. Sue Johnson. Leanne pulls back the curtain on writing the new EFT and Trauma text with Sue—sharing what it was like to co-create Sue’s final formal publication, how their moment‑by‑moment clinical commentary came to life, and why clarity in the model matters now more than ever.
Together, James and Leanne dive into the caregiving system, window of tolerance, and how EFT therapists can help clients move through trauma without retraumatizing, using themselves as temporary attachment figures. You’ll hear vivid clinical language and examples around: trusting the caregiving system, working with highly reactive couples, tracking your own nervous system as a therapist, and using transparency to give traumatized clients back their agency and hope.
This episode is a blend of theory, practical process, and deep emotion—a tribute to Sue’s legacy and an inspiring guide for any therapist working at the leading edge of EFT and trauma.
Main Points / Episode Highlights
- Leanne’s “Leading Edge” in EFT
- Getting radically clear about the model: moment‑by‑moment commentary on what therapists are doing and why.
- Making EFT more accessible and teachable through precision and process clarity.
- Trusting the Caregiving System
- “Trust the process” = “trust the caregiving system” when emotion and connection are alive in the room.
- Importance of responding in the same channel as the emotional bid (emotion with emotion, not facts or data).
- Working on the EFT and Trauma Text with Sue Johnson
- The process was inspiring, clarifying, exhilarating, and at times sidelined by other EFiT projects.
- The book was well underway before Sue’s death and now stands as her last formal publication—a “parting gift” of stories of hope and resilience.
- Using the Therapist as a Temporary Attachment Figure
- Central answer to “How do I help clients move through trauma without retraumatizing them?”
- Therapist “sings the song and dances the dance of attunement,” keeping clients at their leading edge without overshooting the window of tolerance.
- “It Begins With Us” – The Therapist’s Nervous System
- Leanne tracks her own felt sense—especially with reactive couples—and uses it to guide interventions.
- She slows things down, names process elements (tone, eyes, posture) to:
- Validate the receiving partner.
- Grow awareness in the reactive partner whose nervous system is firing outside awareness.
- Window of Tolerance: Respect and Stretch
- Respecting the window of tolerance while stretching it—within sessions and in the client’s broader socio‑cultural context.
- Normalizing that trauma work often happens in cycles (do a piece, step back, integrate).
- Validation as Psychoeducation
- Validation reframes trauma responses as survival strategies, not character flaws.
- Helps the traumatized partner feel understood and the other partner release blame and grow compassion.
- Transparency Gives Agency
- Being explicit about what the therapist is doing and why (“the best surgeon explains the procedure”).
- Therapist’s transparency and emotional honesty give traumatized clients predictability and agency, reversing their history of non‑transparent harm.
- Parts / Versions and Rewriting Identity
- Leanne’s language of “versions” of self helps distinguish old survival strategies from the current, wiser self.
- Core EFT aim: “You are not your trauma.” Clients move from “This is who I am” to “This is a fear and a history I carry.”
- Hope and Resilience as the Core Message
- If listeners remember one thing: hope and belief in the power of human connection and healing.
- The book is intentionally a story of hope and resilience for clinicians and clients, continuing Sue’s attachment legacy.
We aim to equip therapists with practical tools and encouragement for addressing relational distress. We're also excited to be part of the team behind Success in Vulnerability (SV)—your premier online education platform. SV offers innovative instruction to enhance your therapeutic effectiveness through exclusive modules and in-depth clinical examples.
Stay connected with us:
- Facebook: Follow our page @pushtheleadingedge
- Ryan: Follow @ryanranaprofessionaltraining on Facebook and visit his website
- James: Follow @dochawklpc on Facebook and Instagram, or visit his website at dochawklpc.com
- George Faller: Visit georgefaller.com
If you like the concepts discussed on this podcast you can explore our online training program, Success in Vulnerability (SV).
Thank you for being part of our community. Let's push the leading edge together!
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