EMDR Intensive

For clients currently in EMDR therapy or weekly psychotherapy and want to significantly reduce their trauma symptoms in order to increase therapeutic results.

 

Before and After your EMDR Intensive:

• An initial assessment session to assess the suitability of this approach (one-off session: $120)

• Pre-treatment assessments to identify 1) symptoms you would like to alleviate, 2) your attachment style, 3) your areas of being triggered, and 4) memories or experiences that still need attention and desensitization.

• Follow-up sessions to support your adaption to positive changes from treatment or to complete any work that couldn’t be finished during the One-Day intensive.

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You may benefit from an EMDR Intensive if you feel...

• Frustrated with yourself that you aren’t “getting over” your trauma fast enough.

• Easily triggered and overwhelmed most of the time.

• Like you are trying to survive in between therapy sessions, especially after you’ve talked about a traumatic experience.

• Like your relationships really suffer because your traumatic experiences get in the way of feeling safe with others.

• You are a busy individual and unable to schedule weekly therapy sessions

 

We offer daylong intensives where we process your most significant traumas over a 6-hour period. EMDR Intensives focus on the most disturbing trauma memories and help you to process those in a safe therapeutic environment with a trained professional. Intensives are most helpful for those with one-time trauma events, such as a car accident, sudden death or loss, sexual assault, or perinatal trauma. New research shows that intensive therapy for trauma and stress can be effective in symptom reduction in a short period of time. Our EMDR therapists use relational and attachment techniques along with EMDR to help you process your traumatic experiences within the day.

Benefits of EMDR Intensives:

• Sessions are completed in a one-day format. This reduces the need to take off work or obtain weekly childcare for weekly sessions. 

• The upfront costs are greater for Intensives, but the shorter duration of therapy means that you save money over the course of treatment. 

• You can avoid waitlists for qualified and helpful EMDR practitioners in your area and get the immediate benefits of symptom relief. 

• The Session will be more efficient. During 50-60 minute EMDR processing sessions, the counselor and client usually need 10 minutes at the beginning of the session to catch up, discuss symptoms or triggers that came up between sessions, and reevaluate distress around the incident. Keep in mind, the pair will also need 10-15 minutes to wrap up, ground, and stabilize after processing. When it’s all said and done, this leaves the pair with only about 30 minutes of processing time. That’s one of the major benefits of EMDR intensives--we don’t have to spend so much time with intros and wrap-ups. Usually, especially in regard to recent adulthood traumas, we can fully complete the processing around a memory, leaving the client with little physical distress when bringing the memory to mind

 

What does the research say about the EMDR Intensive format?​

• Intensive application of trauma-focused therapy seems to be well tolerated in patients with PTSD, enabling faster symptom reduction with similar, or even better, results, while reducing the risk that patients drop out prematurely. Learn more here and here.

• Intensive EMDR treatment is feasible and is indicative of reliable improvement in PTSD symptoms in a very short time frame. Learn more here.

• An intensive program using EMDR therapy is a potentially safe and effective treatment alternative for complex PTSD. Learn more here.

• The economic benefit of intensive trauma treatment is compelling: even compared to other trauma therapy, the intensive format may decrease 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 the client won’t need after trauma healing or d) assisting the client in regaining composure at the end of the session. Learn more here.

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How much does an EMDR Intensive Cost?

One-Day EMDR Intensive costs $1500 and a 50% deposit is due at the time of booking and is non- refundable. It is transferable if the Intensive is rescheduled, provided notice is given at least 48 hours before your initially scheduled start day and time. Because of the time commitment, your therapist is making to you, exceptions will only be made for true emergencies, at the discretion of your therapist. Intensive therapy is a financial investment in you and your future. Rather than being on the weekly payment plan of traditional therapy treatment, you will be investing a larger amount of money upfront (that in the long run will likely still be less money than ongoing weekly therapy). Many people have to plan ahead and save before they can schedule an Intensive. Once the Intensive is scheduled though, you will have a fixed cost to work with rather than the unknown costs of ongoing weekly therapy.

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Can I use my insurance for Intensives?

Insurance does not cover the cost of EMDR Intensives. Intensives do not have billing codes through insurance providers, so clients cannot submit claims for reimbursement.

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What are the potential risks and factors to consider prior to scheduling an EMDR Intensive?"

The human brain can be unpredictable. Your Intensive may not go as smoothly as expected. Should you run into a detour, your therapist will help you return to the main road, often quickly because you are working at a faster pace overall.

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Potential risks/considerations include:

• Strong emotional reactions are common as difficult life experiences are processed

• Processing continues for up to 48 hours after the session is over. During this time, you may be more irritable or prone to experiencing dreams

• Forgotten memories may resurface

• This may result in sharper memories for some and fuzzier memories for others.

• Consult your medical professionals before participation if you have a limiting or special medical condition (pregnancy, heart condition, ocular difficulties, etc.)

• After beginning your Intensive, your dreams may change or you may have different responses to stimuli. Again, it is important to remember that these are signs of good healing work taking place. You will be keeping a log of any continued reprocessing or reprocessing effects you notice and can discuss this in the follow-up session or your regular therapy sessions if continued. 

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Do I get breaks during Intensives?

Absolutely! You are always in control during EMDR therapy, and it’s your own brain doing all the work. Because of this, EMDR can be exhausting. We schedule time for lunch, snacks, bathroom breaks, and any additional needs you have throughout the day.

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Resources to learn about EMDR:

• What is EMDR? Learn the basics

• What is an actual EMDR session like? Learn the 8 phases of treatment

• Introductory video about EMDR

• EMDR experts explain the benefits of EMDR

• EMDR patients share their stories

• An EMDR therapist shares her EMDR experience

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