What Is AEDP Therapy? How This Relational Approach Helps Heal Trauma, Abandonment, and Emotional Wounds
You’ve done your best to create a stable and fulfilling life, one that checks the boxes for what you’re “supposed to do” as an adult. Maybe you’ve even tried therapy before. But the same feelings keep showing up persistently under the surface.
It might look like being the “go-to” friend who never asks for anything in return. Or feeling dismissed and unconsidered in relationships. Or it could be hitting a wall when it comes to trusting others or showing up fully as yourself.
And even if you can name where it started—childhood, a past relationship, patterns in your family—it doesn’t feel resolved. It still lives in your body, your thoughts, and your sense of safety. And you feel stuck on how to change.
If that’s you, you’re not alone.
There’s a type of therapy designed for this kind of work. It’s called AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)—a mouthful, yes—but at its core, it’s about healing through emotional connection and the power of feeling deeply seen.
In this post, I’ll walk you through what AEDP is, how it works, and why it might be the right next step—especially if you’ve felt stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected for a long time.
What Is AEDP?
AEDP stands for Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy. It’s a trauma-informed, body-inclusive therapy model designed to help individuals process stuck emotions and transform unhealthy patterns by fostering safe relational connections and experiential healing.
At its core, AEDP is designed to help you heal from the inside out by tapping into the parts of you that have been hurt, ignored, or overwhelmed, and creating space for real transformation.
Rather than staying in your head or retelling the same story again and again, AEDP helps you access and process core emotional experiences in a way that feels safe, supported, and deeply relational.
It’s called “accelerated” not because it rushes you, but because the conditions it creates—emotional safety, a trusting therapeutic relationship, and a focus on what’s happening in the moment—can allow change to happen more quickly and more fully than traditional talk therapy often allows.
In AEDP, your therapist is right there with you, not just listening, but actively helping you feel your way through grief, shame, anger, fear, or any other emotions that may get compartmentalized or tucked neatly away. Not to push or overwhelm you, but to help you reconnect with yourself and your inner strength in a way that’s hard to do alone.
It’s gentle. It’s deep. And it’s often the missing piece for people who’ve tried therapy before and still feel like something hasn’t fully healed.
Why AEDP Is Different (and Effective) for Trauma
Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories; it lives in our bodies, our nervous systems, and in the ways we relate to others. You might understand why you feel the way you do, but still find yourself reacting in ways that don’t make sense, shutting down when emotions get big, or feeling disconnected even in the presence of people who care about you.
AEDP is designed for exactly this kind of stuckness.
It works by creating an emotionally safe space where your full experience can unfold with support, curiosity, and connection. Instead of analyzing your pain from a distance, AEDP invites you to feel it in a new way: in the presence of a compassionate other, with the tools to stay grounded and present as you do.
What makes it different is how relational and experiential it is. Your therapist is actively engaged—not just taking notes or asking questions, but reflecting, attuning, and staying with you moment by moment. Together, you process emotions that might have felt overwhelming or off-limits in the past, and in doing so, create new experiences of safety, regulation, and connection.
And the transformation isn’t just emotional—it’s neurological.
AEDP is grounded in research on neuroplasticity and memory reconsolidation, which means it leverages the brain’s ability to “rewire” itself. By replacing old, maladaptive emotional memories with new, healing experiences, the brain literally updates its patterns—making space for healthier emotional responses and relational dynamics (The Carlat Report).
It also emphasizes body-mind integration, helping clients tune into physical sensations—like tension, warmth, or stillness—as doorways into deeper emotional insight and release (The Carlat Report).
And unlike models that stop once the pain is processed, AEDP intentionally cultivates positive affective states—emotions like joy, gratitude, and self-compassion. These aren’t just feel-good moments; they help build emotional resilience and support long-term flourishing in profound ways (Psychology Today).
This kind of emotional processing helps loosen the grip of old patterns, especially the ones shaped by abandonment, emotional neglect, or intergenerational trauma. Over time, it becomes easier to trust, to feel, and to relate from a place of security rather than fear.
For many people who’ve felt unseen, dismissed, or emotionally isolated, AEDP offers a new and reparative kind of relationship, one that helps healing happen not just intellectually, but experientially at the felt sense.
If you’re curious to read more about the model’s foundations, you can explore the AEDP Institute’s official site,
which offers a deeper look into the theory and research behind this approach.
Who AEDP Is Especially Helpful For?
While AEDP can be helpful for many people, it’s especially powerful for those who feel stuck in patterns they can’t seem to shift, no matter how much insight they’ve gained.
You might find this approach particularly resonant if you:
Grew up feeling emotionally neglected or unsupported, and still struggle to trust that your feelings matter
Are navigating the long-lasting impact of abandonment trauma—in relationships, in family, or in how you relate to yourself
Have tried traditional talk therapy but still feel disconnected from your emotions, your body, or your sense of self
Identify as a deep-feeler or internalizer, and often carry more than you let on
Are carrying the weight of generational trauma, even if you can’t always put it into words
Have been taught to shut down your needs or feelings or to “keep it together,” but feel the desire for something more—more connection, more freedom, more truth
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things but something still feels unsettled inside, AEDP might offer a new path forward.
“The roots of resilience...are to be found in the sense of being understood by and existing in the mind and heart of a loving, attuned, and self-possessed other.”
- Diana Fosha (creator of AEDP)
What to Expect in AEDP Therapy
Sessions in AEDP don’t follow a rigid script. Instead, they’re guided by what’s most alive and present for you in the moment.
We might begin by checking in on how you’re feeling, what’s been coming up lately, or any thoughts that have been swirling in the background. From there, we gently slow things down and begin to notice not just what you’re saying, but what you’re feeling—emotionally and physically.
This kind of therapy invites a deeper kind of noticing. That tightness in your chest when you talk about being left out. The way your voice softens when you speak about someone you miss. The internal tug-of-war between wanting closeness and fearing it. These are not things to “fix” or ignore; they’re places we can explore with care and curiosity.
As your therapist, I’ll be right there with you. Not just nodding along, but tracking your emotional experience with you, helping you stay grounded as you move through feelings that may have felt too big or too complicated to process on your own.
Because this work is relational at its core, trust is built over time. And because it’s experiential, each session may look a little different depending on what you need that day.
And yes, we’ll do all of this virtually. While working online can feel like a leap for some, many clients find that meeting from the safety and familiarity of their own space actually supports deeper work. As long as you have a private, quiet space and a stable connection, virtual sessions can offer the same depth and emotional presence as in-person work.
What Healing Can Look Like
The transformation that happens in AEDP therapy isn’t about becoming a different person; it’s about coming home to yourself.
Over time, clients often describe feeling more emotionally present and connected. They notice they’re less reactive in relationships. More able to name and express their needs. Less consumed by shame, self-doubt, or the urge to shut down when things feel hard.
Old patterns finally begin to soften and ease up. The parts of you that once felt guarded, fragmented, or numb start to feel more integrated as you start to feel more like your whole, full self (maybe, even, for the first time!). You may also find it easier to trust both others and yourself.
This doesn’t mean every wound disappears. But it does mean you no longer have to carry them alone.
You might start to feel:
A greater sense of emotional freedom and safety
More clarity about your needs, boundaries, and values
A deeper capacity for intimacy and connection
Relief from the chronic “stuckness” or heaviness you’ve been carrying
A stronger connection to your body and internal signals
For those navigating the impact of trauma, whether it’s from childhood, relationships, or family history, these shifts can be especially meaningful. AEDP helps create the conditions where trauma can be felt, processed, and ultimately integrated, so it no longer holds the same power over your present.
This is the kind of change AEDP makes possible—not just managing symptoms, but reshaping your relationship with yourself from the inside out.
AEDP Therapy: Common Questions
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Not at all. While AEDP is incredibly effective for processing trauma, it’s just as useful for anyone who feels stuck in patterns of emotional shutdown, self-doubt, or disconnection—even if they wouldn’t describe their experiences as traumatic. You don’t need a specific diagnosis or a dramatic backstory to benefit from this work.
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No. AEDP is not about forcing you to rehash painful memories. Instead, we move at your pace, with care and intention. The goal isn’t to retraumatize, it’s to help you feel safer in your body and more connected to your emotions, in a way that feels supported and manageable.
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In many talk therapy models, the focus is on insight, analysis, or problem-solving. AEDP goes deeper. It’s experiential, which means we pay close attention to what’s happening emotionally and somatically, in real time. Your therapist is actively engaged with you, not just listening, but joining you in the emotional process.
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Yes! AEDP can be just as powerful in a virtual setting. Many clients actually feel more at ease doing this kind of deep emotional work from their own home. As long as you have a private space and a stable connection, we can do meaningful work together, wherever you are in New York.
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That depends on your goals and what you’re working through. Some clients come for a focused stretch of work; others stay longer as they continue to uncover new layers. AEDP doesn’t promise quick fixes, but when the conditions are right, change can happen more quickly and more deeply than you might expect.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’ve made it this far, something in you might be wondering if AEDP could be the right next step.
Maybe you’ve done your best to manage things on your own, or even tried therapy before, but still feel like you’re carrying something unresolved. Something tender, unspoken, or just below the surface.
You don’t have to keep navigating that alone.
I offer virtual therapy for adults in New York City and across New York & California who are ready to do this kind of deep, relational work. Whether you’re healing from trauma, moving through abandonment wounds, or simply looking to feel more connected to yourself and others, I’d be honored to support you.
