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Writer's pictureEdwige Theokas

EMDR Intensives: A Faster Way Towards Healing



EMDR Intensives: A Faster Way Towards Healing


In recent years, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has become a well-known and therapeutic approach for treating trauma and other psychological issues. Among the various forms of EMDR therapy, EMDR Intensives have emerged as a particularly effective option for individuals seeking rapid and profound healing. Although many people have heard about EMDR and EMDR Intensives, there still seems to be some confusion about what it is and how it works. In this blog post, I will explain what EMDR is, what EMDR Intensives are, how they work, and why Intensives are so effective.


What is EMDR?

EMDR is a technique that is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. The problem with traditional talk therapy is that you are asking a client to access the thinking part of their brain to address trauma that may have happened preverbally or has been stored in the body. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR incorporates bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements) to help individuals process and integrate traumatic experiences by accessing parts of the brain that are not verbal (i.e. emotions, visions, sounds, and sights).


How Does EMDR Work?

The core principle of EMDR is that traumatic experiences can overwhelm the brain's natural ability to process information, leaving the memory "stuck" in an unprocessed state. EMDR helps to "unstick" these memories by facilitating the brain's natural healing processes.


I often describe trauma as being an undigested event that either got stored in the brain and/or in the body. Imagine if you were to have undigested food in your body for years. At some point, your body would begin to break down and you’d start having symptoms unrelated to the undigested food.


When engaging in traditional therapy, you may only scratch the surface of healing the trauma. To truly heal, you need to access the brain and the body in ways that cannot be accessed with the cognitive parts of our brain (aka talking and thinking about it).


What are EMDR Intensives?

EMDR Intensives are concentrated therapy sessions designed to provide accelerated healing over a shorter period. Typical talk therapy is usually 50 minutes. Traditional EMDR therapy typically occurs in 60-90-minute blocks. Weekly therapy is recommended to deal with the identified issues.


Progress can occur, and I find that healing happens much faster than traditional therapy.


However, the problem often is that a lot of time can be spent dealing with the issues of the week, which leaves little time for processing the insights from prior sessions and tackling more trauma. Therapy in this manner may take up to a year or more.


Also, you are asking a client to devote 90 minutes every week for therapy. If a client works and has a family and other responsibilities, finding this time may be difficult. In addition to all of this, insurance may not reimburse 90-minute sessions.


With all of these limitations, I started looking into more efficient and effective ways to help people find healing. That’s when I started incorporating EMDR services into my practice. And the results have been nothing but game-changing for my clients.


EMDR Intensives involve extended sessions that can last several hours and are often scheduled over consecutive days. This intensive approach allows for deeper and more continuous processing of traumatic memories and distressing experiences.


How Do EMDR Intensives Work?

The structure of EMDR Intensives is similar to standard EMDR therapy but you have more time to address issues without disruption. Here’s a general outline of how an EMDR Intensive might be structured:


1. Comprehensive Assessment

Before the intensive sessions begin, a thorough assessment is conducted to gather detailed information about the client’s history, current issues, and therapy goals. This helps me get to know my client and build the therapeutic relationship. I can get a sense of my client’s life story and then tailor the intensive to the client’s specific needs. For existing clients, with whom I have a sense of the issues that brought them to therapy, then I could use our prior work together to help them identify dysfunctional patterns.


2. Preparation

The therapist prepares the client for the intensive sessions by explaining the EMDR process, setting expectations, and teaching self-soothing and grounding techniques. Techniques like the Butterfly Hug and deep breathing are incorporated and practiced.


3. Intensive Sessions

The core of the EMDR Intensive consists of multiple extended sessions, often lasting 2-4 hours each. During these sessions, the therapist guides the client through the EMDR phases, using bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, taps, or tones) to process traumatic memories.

I often incorporate a Future template to help the client visualize their future without the trauma. It can include the capacity to adaptively deal with issues that currently they struggle to deal with.


Because we are working together for multiple hours, multiple traumas may show up and we can process them in real time. This is often called the net effect, where you may be tackling one issue, but create a net around multiple traumas and treat them together.   





4. Integration

After the intensive sessions, we work together to integrate the new insights and positive changes. Oftentimes a client may develop a realization about a past event and create new meaning around the event (i.e. before EMDR a client may have believed “I am a bad person” and after EMDR a client may believe “I did the best that I could at that time”).


Integration sessions may include follow-up sessions after the initial intensive experience to ensure lasting benefits and address any remaining issues.

 

Why Are EMDR Intensives So Effective?


1. Accelerated Healing

One of the primary benefits of EMDR Intensives is the speed of healing. The concentrated nature of the sessions allows clients to process a large amount of material in a relatively short amount of time.


This can be particularly beneficial for those who need rapid relief from distressing symptoms. It is also helpful for people who have limited time.

In my practice, many of my clients are either on extended leave, have a set amount of time off every week or month, or don’t work during quiet periods in their profession.


2. Reduced Time Between Sessions

In traditional therapy, the time between sessions can sometimes slow down the healing process as clients have to wait a week or more to continue processing. EMDR Intensives minimize these gaps, allowing for more continuous and uninterrupted work.


3. Deep Focus

Extended sessions provide the opportunity for deep, focused work on specific issues. Clients can immerse themselves fully in the therapeutic process without the usual constraints of shorter sessions. This can lead to more profound and lasting changes.


4. Enhanced Support

EMDR Intensives may include more frequent contact with the therapist. This offers the client a higher level of support to deal with any issues that arise. This can be particularly helpful for clients who feel they need more guidance and reassurance as they navigate the healing process.


5. Flexibility and Customization

Intensives can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each client. Whether someone is dealing with complex trauma, anxiety, or other issues, the intensive format allows for a customized approach that targets their unique challenges.


In my practice, I incorporate anywhere between 2-hour to 8-hour intensives to accommodate a client’s schedule


6. Ideal for Busy Schedules

For individuals with busy schedules or those who live far from their therapist, EMDR Intensives offer a practical solution. The condensed format allows clients to receive the treatment they need without the prolonged time commitment of traditional therapy.


Who Can Benefit from EMDR Intensives?

EMDR Intensives can be beneficial for a wide range of individuals, including those who:

  • Are dealing with acute or complex trauma

  • Need rapid relief from distressing symptoms

  • Have busy schedules that make regular therapy sessions challenging

  • Want to make significant progress in a shorter period of time

  • Are preparing for or recovering from major life events (e.g., surgery, divorce, loss)


Conclusion

EMDR Intensives offer a powerful and efficient path to healing for those dealing with trauma and other psychological issues. By providing concentrated, continuous sessions, these intensives allow for accelerated processing and deeper therapeutic work.


If you are seeking rapid and profound relief from distressing symptoms, consider exploring EMDR Intensives as a viable option. Book a consultation call with me to help you determine if this approach is right for you. You can also check out my YouTube video for more information.

 

 

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