Trauma can cast a long, dark shadow on one’s life, affecting mental and emotional well-being in profound ways. Fortunately, advances in the field of psychotherapy have led to innovative approaches. These are aimed at accelerating the healing process for trauma survivors. In this blog post, we will explore what Intensives are, what an EMDR intensive looks like, who can benefit from this approach, and the next steps in case you are interested in exploring an intensive.
Intensives are designed to help clients go deeper and get results faster. For further explanation, see my article, The Healing Power of Intensive Trauma Therapy.
Intensives may decrease treatment time due to certain factors, such as:
1) Saves time “checking in” at the beginning of each session. Allows us to focus on the deeper work longer.
2) Not focusing on addressing the “crises of the week”.
3) Allowing us to curate the skills and strategies needed for the intervention that you may not need after trauma healing.
4) Saves time assisting the client in regulating after sessions to be able to return to their everyday life.
How does Intensive Therapy work?
Different therapists have different approaches to intensives that are based on their modalities, training, and style. Therefore, Intensives will vary. Here is a brief overview of how my intensives work:
- Pre-Intensive Interview: In the course of this 60-minute meeting, we get the paperwork and logistics part out of the way and determine the goal of the Intensive. We identify areas of strength (what’s going well, what supports and resources you have), and areas where you feel limited or stuck.
- Meet for the Intensive: During the EMDR Intensive, we focus on decreasing the painful parts and building on your areas of strength. We do this with EMDR Reprocessing and resourcing activities like breath work, connecting to the body, and incorporating the bilateral stimulation used in EMDR. Depending on where you are in your journey, we may spend time on your earliest relationships in life (i.e. attachment). For others, the focus is more future-oriented. This process can be very personal and customized to you.
- Post-Intensive follow-up: After the EMDR Intensive, we meet for another 60 minutes to reflect on the elements that were most meaningful to you and how you want to infuse that into your life moving forward. We emphasize sharing insights with the important people in your life. They can partner with you and celebrate your progress!
Why Intensives?
I believe most people can benefit from an intensive approach. Whether you are currently meeting with a therapist or just looking to do therapy in a concentrated amount of time. Below are some of the primary reasons people seek intensives:
- You want to accelerate your progress. You want more time and space for deep, intentional work than a traditional 45-60-minute therapy session allows for.
- You already go to weekly therapy and you feel stuck or on the verge of a breakthrough.
- The weekly therapy schedule does not pair well with your busy lifestyle and travel schedule. You have a concentrated amount of time to invest in your mental health such as a summer break, a sabbatical, etc.
- You have a milestone or transition coming up (like a wedding, moving states, starting a new job, or becoming a parent), and you want an effective way to do concentrated work in a shorter amount of time.
- You have done deep therapy (like EMDR) and you want to maximize your progress and tackle more targets in one sitting.
Conclusion
Therapy Intensives are ideal for people who are ready for relief now. Ready to see things change in your life and your relationships? A Therapy Intensive may be right for you. If you have a specific topic, trauma, or stressor that you want support with – this can be the focus of your Therapy Intensive. The dedicated time will be customized specifically to you and your goals.
Written by: Rebeca Gilbert