EMDR Therapy
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is a well-researched form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences. It does not require you to talk in detail about the distressing event and it produces faster results than more traditional talk therapies.
Check out the video to learn about how EMDR therapy works, what it is like, and how widely it is recognized. (It’s a great video!)
Trauma: What You Should Know
When most people think about trauma, they think about natural disasters, physical or sexual abuse, war, combat, and catastrophic accidents. These are some of the most debilitating experiences one can endure. However, a person does not have to undergo an overtly distressing event for it to affect them. An accumulation of smaller or less pronounced events can still be traumatic and significantly interfere with your life.
Traumas are any events that exceed our capacity to cope and cause a disruption in emotional functioning. These distressing events may not inherently be life or bodily-integrity-threatening but are ego-threatening due to the individual left feeling helpless. Some examples include interpersonal conflict, infidelity, divorce, abrupt or extended relocation, significant life transitions, having a child, grief, medical issues, legal trouble, financial worries or difficulty, living with a narcissist, or having a parent who was emotionally immature or distant.
Trauma affects everyone differently. How an event affects an individual depends on several factors, including characteristics of the individual, the type of the event(s), developmental processes, the meaning of the trauma, and sociocultural factors. The impact of trauma can be subtle, insidious, or destructive.
Avoidance is the hallmark of trauma. You may overtly engage in avoidance, like deliberately avoiding crowded places or burying your military uniform and memorabilia in your mother’s attic. Or you might put off important tasks, use irritability and anger to keep people at a distance or stay in a career you hate to avoid feelings of self-doubt.
If your attempts to minimize distress and reduce reminders of a traumatic event are time and energy-consuming, or it causes severe distress and interferes with your dreams and goals, it’s time to get some help. EMDR can give you the freedom you’ve been longing for.
EMDR Intensives are the most efficient way to heal from trauma.
An EMDR Intensive is a premium service exclusively for those who want results faster. The Intensive model is designed as a “fast pass” service, combining multiple weekly sessions into one valuable experience where so much more can happen.
Why an Intensive instead of weekly 45-minute therapy sessions?
The standard weekly therapy model is based on insurance mandates for all therapeutic services, not for EMDR effectiveness. In fact, when EMDR was first originated, two-hour sessions were the expected standard. EMDR Intensives allow the opportunity to progress through your symptoms in a more succinct and focused way without the interruption of regular weekly sessions.
An intensive format may decrease overall treatment time because of time not spent on a) checking in at the beginning of each session, b) addressing current crises and concerns, c) focusing on stabilizing and coping skills that you won’t need after healing, or d) assisting you in regaining composure at the end of each session. EMDR Intensives can accelerate your treatment.
What can I expect to accomplish in an Intensive?
An Intensive offers a multitude of resources and can help to either increase performance and confidence, or significantly decrease the devastating effects of single event trauma (e.g., negative cognitions, disturbing emotions, and body sensations). Depending on unique factors of the client and the length of Intensive time chosen, it is possible to significantly reduce the distress of one or more traumatic events during an Intensive.
While significant healing can occur in an Intensive, Complex PTSD deserves more treatment than just one Intensive. Many clients experiencing Complex PTSD may continue to work on their trauma histories through monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly Intensives.
What do EMDR Intensives include?
Your EMDR Intensives include the following:
21-page EMDR Intensive Handbook including preparation and assessments to expedite treatment
Guidance on what to expect and how to make the most of your sessions
Exclusive access to timeslots not offered to standard weekly therapy clients
Dedicated time for accelerated therapy without feeling rushed
Assistance with developing a personalized self-care plan to use before and after your Intensive treatment
EMDR Intensive treatment with Anita
Start EMDR Intensive Therapy Today
Are you still wondering if EMDR is right for you?
Let’s chat about that! If you’re not sure, allow me to help you determine if EMDR will help you reach your goals and if now is a good time to start. Just click the button above and fill out the inquiry form on the next page.