Is an EMDR Intensive right for me?
An EMDR intensive is a type of extended therapy session that provides clients and therapists with the time to facilitate an immersive and deep therapeutic experience. These sessions typically last 90 minutes, three to six hours, or one or more days. During an EMDR intensive, the client and therapist focus deeply on one or two traumatic experiences from the past, with the goal of shifting the body and brain’s experience of traumatic memories and reducing symptoms more quickly than in traditional therapy.
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The EMDR intensive process usually consists of three steps:
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Intake: A 60-minute session where the therapist learns about the client’s background, clarifies goals for the intensive, explains the process, and sets the date and time for the intensive.
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Intensive day: The day when deep therapeutic work is done.
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Check-in: A session about a month after the intensive to redo assessments, check-in and plan additional intensives if desired.
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Why people choose EMDR Intensives:
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Time efficiency: In a three-hour EMDR intensive, you can do the work of five 50-minute sessions.
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Flexibility for busy professionals: Intensives allow you to achieve significant progress in a shorter time frame without disrupting your professional or personal life.
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Access to EMDR therapy without leaving your current therapist: If your therapist isn’t trained in EMDR therapy but you enjoy working with them, an EMDR intensive can be a great alternative.
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Adjunct to individual therapy: Intensives can help move forward in regular individual sessions by addressing key memories from the past that may be blocking progress.
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Preparation for life events: Intensives can support clients preparing for major life events like weddings, growing families, or creative projects by resolving past traumas.
EMDR Intensives
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Intensive is a specialized form of therapy designed to help individuals process traumatic experiences and distressing memories. This intensive approach involves extended sessions over consecutive days, typically lasting several hours each day. The goal of EMDR Intensive is to accelerate the processing of traumatic memories and reduce the emotional distress associated with them.
Benefits of EMDR Intensive
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Accelerated Healing: EMDR Intensive aims to expedite the healing process by providing concentrated therapy over a short period. This can be especially beneficial for individuals who are eager to address their trauma and make significant progress in a shorter timeframe.
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Comprehensive Processing: The extended sessions in EMDR Intensive allow individuals to thoroughly process and reprocess traumatic memories, potentially leading to more profound and lasting therapeutic effects.
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Focused Attention: With the therapist’s dedicated focus over consecutive days, individuals may experience a heightened sense of support and guidance as they navigate challenging emotional material.
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Reduced Disruption: Rather than spreading therapy sessions over an extended period, EMDR Intensive minimizes disruptions to daily life by condensing therapy into a more concentrated timeframe.
Considerations for EMDR Intensive
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Emotional Intensity: Engaging in extended therapy sessions can be emotionally demanding, and individuals considering EMDR Intensive should be prepared for intense emotional experiences during the process.
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Therapist Expertise: It is crucial to seek out a qualified and experienced therapist who has specific training in EMDR, especially when considering an intensive treatment approach.
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Aftercare Support: Following an EMDR Intensive, individuals may benefit from ongoing support and aftercare to integrate their experiences and continue their healing journey.
Intake: $100
90-minute intensive $150
3-hour intensive $350
6-hour intensive $750
Weekend intensive $1800
(Day Intensives fees vary)
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EMDR Intensive Assessment
During an EMDR Intensive Assessment Session, we aim to determine if an EMDR intensive is suitable for you and set intentions and specific goals for it. This helps us create a personalized experience during the intensive that targets your specific intentions and goals. For instance, if your goal is to improve your relationships with people, we would establish this intention and then focus on the traumatic memories and negative core beliefs that are hindering you from achieving it. We will then process those memories during the intensive.
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EMDR Resource and Instalation
It is understandable to be worried about processing traumatic memories for several hours straight, but this is not recommended even for stable clients. Initially, we will discuss what trauma is, PTSD symptoms, how trauma affects the brain, and the development of negative core beliefs. In EMDR resourcing, we use a slow bilateral stimulation technique that involves back-and-forth tapping, vibration, eye movements, and/or sound to engage and soothe the nervous system. This helps to strengthen the memory or resource being activated. PTSD symptoms are often related to the nervous system responding to a past trauma as if it is happening right now. By shifting yourself from a distressing state to a more relaxed state, you can empower yourself and significantly improve your ability to process traumatic memories safely. This stabilization phase of EMDR is incorporated into each EMDR intensive to prepare you for processing trauma and regulating emotions and trauma responses in daily life.
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Reprocessing
The aim of an EMDR intensive session is to work through difficult experiences within a short but focused period of time, ranging from 90 minutes to 3 hours. According to some studies, up to 90% of individuals who have experienced a single trauma no longer exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after completing just three sessions of EMDR.
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Follow-up
Follow-Up Considerations for EMDR Therapy After undergoing EMDR therapy, it is important for individuals to engage in appropriate follow-up care to ensure the sustainability of treatment outcomes. The following considerations are essential for effective follow-up after EMDR therapy:
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1. Monitoring Progress Following the completion of EMDR therapy sessions, it is crucial for individuals to be monitored for any changes in symptoms or emotional responses. This monitoring can be conducted through regular check-ins with the therapist or mental health professional who administered the EMDR therapy.
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2. Integration of Processing The processing of traumatic memories and experiences during EMDR therapy may continue beyond the actual therapy sessions. Therefore, it is important for individuals to integrate and process their experiences in daily life, and they may need ongoing support to navigate any emotional responses that arise.
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3. Continued Psychotherapy In some cases, individuals who have undergone EMDR therapy may benefit from continued psychotherapy to address any residual symptoms or to work on other aspects of their mental health. This could involve traditional talk therapy or other evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
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4. Self-Care Strategies Encouraging individuals to engage in self-care strategies is vital for maintaining the progress achieved through EMDR therapy. This can include practices such as mindfulness, relaxation techniques, physical exercise, and healthy lifestyle choices.
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5. Identifying Triggers Identifying triggers that may evoke distressing emotions or memories related to past trauma is crucial in the follow-up process. Once these triggers are recognized, individuals can develop coping strategies to manage their responses effectively.
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6. Reassessment and Adjustment Periodic reassessment of an individual’s mental health status is important to determine if any adjustments or additional interventions are needed. This reassessment can help identify any emerging issues or areas that require further attention.