EMDR Intensive

You’re struggling big time.

You’ve recently been through something traumatic that turned your life upside down.

Now, you have no appetite, and food has lost its pleasure. Throughout the day, you wait for the night to come to escape into sleep. It’s not much of an escape, though. Vivid and disturbing dreams interfere with your rest, and you wake up in a cold sweat.

People have become incredibly irritating. It takes so much energy to put up with their ignorance. A constant feeling of impending doom lies heavy on your chest.

It’s harder to cope than you thought it would be.

You thought you would bounce back quickly, but it has been several weeks, and you are still struggling.

Part of you wonders if you are overreacting. After all, others have been through much worse.

There’s so much advice on healing, but you doubt whether anything can help you feel better. You’ve heard the saying that “time heals all wounds.” But how much time does it take?

The guilt is eating you up inside.

You want to be there for your family and carry your workload.

People depend on you, but you can’t give 100 percent now. It takes so much energy to get through each day. You worry that you’re letting everyone down.

The fear sets in.

Your mind goes to dark places, and it frightens you. It seems like you’re losing a grip on reality.

What if you never feel normal again? Life feels like a heavy weight that’s slowly crushing you.

Trying to act normal only makes you feel more isolated. But you don’t want people to know how much you struggle.

You should be able to get over this on your own. Right?

If this sounds familiar, you may have post-traumatic stress symptoms.

If left untreated, these symptoms can develop into a disorder (PTSD) that affects the quality of your relationships and life.

Intervention within two to three months of a traumatic experience (during the “acute stress” phase) can help the brain store the experience adaptively and prevent problems down the road.

If it has been more than several months since the trauma, don’t worry!

EMDR can help.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured therapy that reduces the vividness and intense emotions associated with distressing memories.

It is well-researched and proven to help people recover from PTSD symptoms regardless of how long ago they experienced a traumatic incident.

What is an EMDR Intensive?

EMDR intensives can help you get relief from PTSD symptoms more quickly than attending weekly sessions over several months.

The goal is to process through one significant trauma or multiple related ones over the course of three days.

The intensive format includes:

A free 15-minute consultation to assess whether you are a good candidate for intensive treatment. This assessment is also a time to build rapport and see if we are a good fit.

An 85-minute intake session to gather personal history and background. We will also discuss the details and theory behind EMDR and identify specific intentions and goals for the intensive treatment.

There will be three days (typically a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) of three-hour sessions. On day one, you will learn about trauma and the brain-body connection, practice nervous system regulation skills, identify targets for processing, and practice grounding techniques. Ten-minute breaks will be built in to give your brain (and mine!) a break.

On days two and three, we will identify trauma targets and process them in 45- to 60-minute bursts, followed by debriefing and breaks. As a result, you will learn to process present and future trauma triggers, become desensitized to those events, and strengthen positive core beliefs.

To check-in and support your adjustment to positive changes from treatment, we will have a 30-minute follow-up session one week after treatment.

Who is a good candidate for an EMDR Intensive?

Intensive formats work well for someone experiencing severe or persistent PTSD symptoms and who is highly motivated and committed to the healing process. It is best to work on one significant trauma or multiple related ones causing the distress.

For clients with a history of unhealed childhood abuse or neglect, weekly sessions and an ongoing therapeutic relationship are most beneficial. These situations typically require more preparation before processing.

Multiple clusters of events (or lack of events in the case of neglect) usually need to be processed. An intensive format is not conducive to the ongoing support and care required in such cases. If you want to work on more complex issues like childhood abuse, please reach out, and let’s talk about doing weekly or bi-weekly therapy.

Why choose an EMDR Intensive?

If your schedule or location make it difficult to attend weekly therapy sessions, an intensive could be just the thing for you. Setting aside several hours a day for three days may be much more doable than once a week for months.

You may have done talk therapy before but still experience adverse symptoms. An intensive can help you get relief in a short amount of time.

Life happens between weekly sessions. Stresses pile up at work. Relationships grow and develop. Focusing on the presenting issue that brought you into therapy can be challenging when so much is happening.

Setting aside several days and tackling it head-on may be helpful so you can put your whole energy and focus into healing.

What is considered a traumatic experience?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a traumatic event is a shocking, scary, or dangerous experience that affects how you feel emotionally and physically.

Traumatic events may include natural disasters, sexual assault, acts of violence (mass shootings, physical assault, terror attacks, abuse), car crashes or other accidents, and even witnessing others experiencing horrific things (referred to as secondary trauma and quite prevalent amongst military members and first responders).

Feeling afraid during and after is not unusual when you experience something traumatic. This feeling is the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. It helps you avoid or respond to potential danger. Feeling anxious, sad, or angry is expected after the event. It may be challenging to concentrate and think clearly. Sleeping and eating patterns change due to stress.

Individual responses will vary.

Most people report feeling better within three months after the event. However, some individuals continue to experience symptoms of PTSD, including the following: Avoiding places or people that remind them of the trauma, continually thinking about what happened, reliving or experiencing vivid flashbacks of the experience, feeling jumpy or easily startled, headaches, stomach pains, racing heart, sweating, becoming isolated from family and friends, feeling detached and estranged from others, and numbing emotions with alcohol or drugs.

When these symptoms persist a month after the event and interfere with daily tasks, it’s time to get professional help. There is no need to suffer for months or years with treatable symptoms.

“The only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves.”
– Bessel Van Der Kolk

If you are ready to change the way you feel, reach out and schedule your free 15-minute consultation today!