What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.
Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved. (EMDRIA.org)
At our practice, each one of our therapists has been trained in this effective therapeutic tool and can provide more information as to its benefits during your initial intake appointment.
EMDR INTENSIVES
EMDR intensives are a treatment option to gain the healing benefits of EMDR within the concentrated structure of a full-day intensive versus weeks or months of weekly sessions. Intensives support you in your healing by increasing the efficiency of EMDR memory reprocessing. This can allow you to feel less distress in daily life around traumatic events or adverse life experiences while also focusing on your nervous system regulation. Intensives are a powerful supplement to already established counseling services, or they can stand alone as a maintenance measure to ensure ongoing growth and wellness. EMDR intensives are personalized to meet your needs and can also allow you to skip the waitlist by giving you faster access to clinician select availability. We are currently scheduling 8-hour intensives, which includes six hours of intensive EMDR work, an hour lunch break, and two half hour breaks focused on grounding and mindfulness strategies.
If interested, you will need to contact us to get scheduled for an intake session. Within this initial session the clinician will be both gathering history and evaluating for readiness for EMDR intensive work. Gauging readiness includes exploring established resources, support system, history of suicidal thoughts, substance use, etc. If determined appropriate, you and the clinician will develop a treatment plan and explore more about what to expect from the intensive. Keep in mind that you may need more EMDR sessions beyond an intensive, particularly for multiple incident traumas and more complex or chronic issues, such as attachment wounds and early life adverse experiences. Additional treatment options will be explored post-intensive.
To learn more about EMDR intensives and to get scheduled for an intake, contact us here. Please specify "EMDR Intensive Inquiry" in the insurance information field of the form.