Therapy Redesigned
How this therapy model is different...
Explore the revolutionary Intensive therapy model, created to provide quick and effective relief from troubling memories and difficult life experiences. Unlike traditional therapy with weekly 50-minute sessions extended over a long time, the Intensive session compresses the time commitment into longer sessions over a shorter period. This saves you time and also helps you achieve your therapy goals more quickly.
With the intensive model, weeks of hourly sessions are condensed into one longer session. This streamlined approach allows for a more focused and immersive experience, where you can delve deeper into the issues at hand without interruptions. This approach saves time and ensures a more continuous and focused experience.
What is EMDr?
Your Path to Healing
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) is a model of therapy that can be highly effective for those who have past negative experiences or traumas that continue to influence their current beliefs, emotions, thoughts, and/or experiences.
For example, experiencing trauma as a child can often lead to the subconscious or even conscious belief that one is unlovable. Therapy cannot change the past, but it can help change the negative belief and allow a more adaptive belief to develop.
One of the most effective ways to achieve this is with EMDR. EMDR therapy works on the fact that our emotional well-being is tied to our physical (somatic) state. Therefore, EMDR therapy employs a body-based technique called bilateral stimulation (BLS). During bilateral simulation, a therapist will guide a client through eye movements, audio tones, or taps (I use a small tapping device placed in each hand) to activate your brain's processing system. This system helps move a memory that has been incorrectly stored to a more functional part of the brain. This is called reprocessing.
By initiating the body’s natural healing process to reprocess the memory, your system can release the distorted belief and incorporate a more adaptive belief. In other words, EMDR therapy helps address a memory storage issue so that the painful memories associated with past trauma lose their emotional charge.
Because each person and each trauma are unique, there is not a set amount of time that it takes to reprocess a memory. You and your therapist will begin using BLS to activate internal resources that help you regulate your nervous system. Once resources are established, you can begin reprocessing the memory. Sometimes, this reprocessing can be completed in one session and other times it takes multiple sessions. In between sessions, you can use your resources to help regulate your nervous system.
Sometimes clients and their therapist decide to stop EMDR after activating resources. Internal resources are a powerful advantage to diminish negative symptoms. The decision to not continue EMDR is typically made because the client either experiences enough relief from their symptoms that they feel better or they don’t feel compelled to revisit their past negative experiences directly for various reasons. This is a valid decision and can only be made by the individual.
What you can expect
EMDR Intensive Model
Here's what you can expect from the transformative Intensive therapy model:
1. Comprehensive Initial Intake Session:
I will conduct an in-depth intake session to assess your needs and ensure a clear understanding of our work together. You will explore your goals, your history, past diagnoses, and any relevant experiences, ensuring a clear understanding of your work together. You'll also receive a thorough explanation of EMDR and the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, along with a brief assessment to ensure you can stay grounded throughout the process.
2. Extended Sessions with Breaks:
The intensive session can span up to three hours, depending on your needs. We’ll decide the number of sessions anticipated during your intake. During your session, we incorporate thorough therapeutic interventions to practice nervous system regulation strategies, interpersonal skills building, and self-care goals to make your changes sustainable.
3. Enhanced Efficiency:
Unlike standard 50-60 minute sessions, which require time for check-in and wrap-up each session; a single three-hour intensive is equivalent to at least six traditional sessions. This maximizes your processing time. It also eliminates dysregulation between session and enhances emotional stability.
4. Empowerment through Emotional Tolerance Skills and Resources:
Throughout the intensive, you'll acquire valuable emotional tolerance skills and build internal resources. By practicing the art of pendulation between processing and resource building, you'll develop the ability to ground, contain, and regulate your nervous system. These skills can be seamlessly integrated into your daily life, empowering you to navigate emotional challenges with newfound resilience.
Experience the transformative power of an Intensive session. Embark on a journey toward emotional well-being and reclaim control over your life today.