Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

As I deeply contemplated what I would like about Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the concept of corrective emotional experience came to my mind. In the process of EFT treatment, therapist helps the couple to get in touch with their emotions, understand what it is that they need from their partners, and regulate their emotions to send clear and coherent emotional signals to their partner. Specifically, the couple learns not only to understand their own superficial and deep-seated emotions, needs, and interactional cycle in Stage 1 (de-escalation), but also to restructure their negative interaction and create a positive dance so they can move closer. And, I thought that, for many couples in the therapy room, this might be their first emotional experience that is secure and loving. This fulfillment of the fundamental need for emotional connection can then impact each partner’s life satisfactory, work performance, self-esteem, and other areas of functioning more positively. I believe that the EFT is providing the new, corrective emotional experience that each partner in the couple has failed to experience in the past.
Western culture is more open to express and discuss about different emotions whereas Eastern culture (e.g., Korean) is more reserved to share emotions in a Confucian hierarchical society. Not all individuals are from the same background where expression of emotions is encouraged. And, this EFT approach may be very difficult when the couple is simply not used to deeply think about what they are feeling and be able to articulate those