Brief Literature Review of CMI

Critical Memory Integration (CMI) represents an innovative and embodied experiential psychotherapeutic approach grounded in contemporary neurophysiological science and informed by evidence-based practices. The therapeutic process unfolds through sessions combining psychoeducation with embodied experiential invitations to deepen interoceptive awareness, emotion expansion, emotion-based learning, relational learning, and narrative coherence. CMI therapists guide clients through the exploration and integration of sensations, emotions, and, ultimately, critical memories. This process is supported by the therapist’s attunement and co-regulation skills.

The development of CMI is underpinned by contemporary neuroscientific theory and evidence for mechanisms of action and change. These sources substantiate CMI’s basis as a neurobiologically informed experiential psychotherapy.

  • Defense and safety in therapeutic relationships (Geller & Porges, 2014)
  • Attachment theory (Bretherton, 2013)
  • Agency and the construction of the self (Bandura, 2001a; Moore, 2016)
  • Theories of emotion (Panksepp, 2010)
  • Processes of emotions (Greenberg, 2023)
  • Memory reconsolidation (Lane et al., 2015; Ecker et al., 2013)

The psychoeducational and psychotherapeutic components of CMI are based on contemporary neurological approaches to nervous system regulation. These approaches involve building interoceptive awareness and working with somatic, affective, and emotional phenomena and established processes found across various psychotherapies, many of which have a robust evidence base.

  • Mindful awareness, mindsight, and neural integration (Siegal, 2009)
  • Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy (Ikemi, 2014)
  • Integrative Emotion Regulation (Roth et al., 2019)
  • Emotionally focused individual therapy ([Book] Johnson & Campbell, 2021),
  • Emotion-focused therapy (Greenberg, 2004)
  • Coherence Therapy ([Book] Ecker et al., 2022)
  • Somatic-based therapies (Payne et al., 2015)
  • Meaning-making focused narrative-oriented therapies (Ghavibazou et al., 2022)

Critical Memory Integration (CMI) is not just innovative but also an evidence-informed approach. CMI is shaped by neurobiological theories and synthesizes existing evidence-based therapies with decades of clinical experience. This emphasis on evidence will instill confidence in its effectiveness among mental health professionals, researchers, and students.

References

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.1

Bretherton, I. (2013). The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. In Attachment theory (pp. 45–84). Routledge.

Ecker, B., Ticic, R., & Hulley, L. A. (2012). Primer on memory reconsolidation and its psychotherapeutic use as a core process of profound change. The Neuropsychotherapist, 1, 82–99.

Geller, S. M., & Porges, S. W. (2014). Therapeutic presence: Neurophysiological mechanisms mediating feeling safe in therapeutic relationships. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 24(3), 178–192. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037511

Ghavibazou, E., Hosseinian, S., & Ale Ebrahim, N. (2022). Narrative therapy, applications, and outcomes: A systematic review. Preventive Counseling, 2(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4119920

Greenberg, L. S., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2024). Changing emotion with emotion. In Change in emotion and mental health (pp. 325–344). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95604-8.00012-5

Greenberg, L. S. (2004). Emotion-focused therapy. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy: An International Journal of Theory & Practice, 11(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.388

Ikemi, A. (2014). A theory of focusing-oriented psychotherapy. In Theory and practice of focusing-oriented psychotherapy: Beyond the talking cure (pp. 22–35).

Lane, R. D., Ryan, L., Nadel, L., & Greenberg, L. (2015). Memory reconsolidation, emotional arousal, and the process of change in psychotherapy: New insights from brain science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 38, e1. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X14000041

Moore, J. W. (2016). What is the sense of agency and why does it matter? Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1272. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01272

Panksepp, J. (2010). Affective neuroscience of the emotional BrainMind: Evolutionary perspectives and implications for understanding depression. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 12(4), 533–545. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2010.12.4/jpanksepp