IC04 Workshop 13 - Two Live Demonstrations: Guided Metaphor and ECEM: Integration of Eye Movements in Hypnosis - Rubin Battino, M.S. and Harriet Hollander, Ph.D.

Description: This workshop presents live clinical demonstrations that show how guided metaphor and hypnosis can help clients reorganize life narratives, resolve anxiety, and move toward future-oriented change. Participants watch how client-generated stories, imagery, and subtle hypnotic language are used to shift meaning around loss, identity, creativity, and blocked action, without imposing interpretation. The session offers a close, experiential look at how metaphor, eye movement, and trance-based processes support emotional movement, agency, and renewed direction in real time clinical work.

Syllabus Description: Guided Metaphor is a systemic approach using the clients life story as a vehicle to restructure their lives. The client is empowered to create a new life story, and this is told back to them using hypnotic language. The client literally transforms the metaphor of his/her life.

The use of ECEM (eye closure, eye movement) will be demonstrated in this session. ECEM targets negative imagery associated with anxiety and involves the use of the eye movement component of EMDR within a hypnotic context.

Educational Objectives:

1. To describe the theory behind guided metaphor.
2. To list the steps used in the guided metaphor approach.
3. To identify a case in which the use of ECEM would be beneficial.
4. To list the markers and indications of the safe use of ECEM.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*