In the evolving landscape of psychotherapy, integrating different therapeutic modalities can provide significant advantages for client outcomes. One such integration that has shown remarkable potential is combining traditional talk therapy with EMDR Therapy. For clients who are working with another therapist and would benefit from EMDR sessions to target underlying experiences that may be impacting progress in therapy, adjunct EMDR therapy is a great option. In this blog, I’ll share how EMDR Therapy, particularly EMDR Intensives, can be a powerful adjunct to individual and couples therapy.
What Are EMDR Intensives?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Intensives are focused, short-term therapy sessions designed to accelerate the reprocessing of traumatic memories, change limiting beliefs and alleviate psychological symptoms. Unlike traditional weekly therapy, these intensives range from 2 to 6 hours per day and can be scheduled for one or multiple days. This focused approach allows clients to dive deeply into their emotional experiences and make significant progress in a relatively short period of time.
Why Consider Adjunct EMDR Intensive?
Integrating EMDR Intensives complements ongoing therapy, offering clients a chance for deeper and quicker healing in areas that hinder progress. Here’s how:
- Accelerated Processing to Get Unstuck: This accelerated processing is ideal for clients ready and willing to address what keeps them stuck in their patterns and/or the trauma that hinders their progress. The intensive nature of these sessions enables clients to work through their issues more rapidly than they might in traditional therapy settings. And because EMDR Intensives compress months of therapy into just a few days, clients don’t have to sit in their pain for very long to find hope and healing. This accelerates the client’s progress and shifts the therapeutic focus towards current and future steps.
- Accelerated Processing to Move Beyond Blocks: Through highly focused, specific processing, EMDR Intensives can enhance a client’s mental health stability and improve emotional regulation. With an increased ability to stay within their window of tolerance, clients can engage more effectively in ongoing therapy, whether learning social or parenting skills, deepening emotions, connecting with their partner, working with their parts, or noticing body sensations.
- Accelerated Processing to Deal with Recent Traumatic Events: Sometimes, clients go through a traumatic experience while in therapy, and their therapist is not trained or comfortable working with trauma, yet they prefer not to switch therapists. Adjunct EMDR Intensive can help clients process and heal from the trauma so that they can continue working with their therapist on their other goals.
- Accelerated Processing Amongst Busy Schedules: Sometimes, scheduling gets in the way, where clients find themselves on a waitlist for a particular therapist or having to wait a few weeks before seeing their therapist again. EMDR Intensives offer scheduling flexibility that can accommodate clients with varied lifestyles. This is particularly beneficial for:
- Individuals who cannot commit to another regular weekly appointment
- Professionals who travel frequently or have irregular work hours
- Parents who struggle to find consistent childcare
- Teachers with extended breaks, like summer vacations
What’s the Process of an EMDR Intensive?
Assessment and Preparation: We start with a comprehensive consultation and intake to assess the client’s readiness for intensive therapy and to set clear treatment goals. This step often involves collaborating with the client’s current therapist.
Intensive Sessions: The heart of the EMDR Intensive is a series of multi-hour sessions (typically spread over 1-5 days) dedicated to reprocessing traumatic memories and associated emotions.
Follow-Up: After the intensive sessions, there is a follow-up session to support clients in integrating their new insights and ensuring continued progress in their ongoing therapy.
What Next?
If you’re interested in discussing how an EMDR Intensive can complement your work in ongoing therapy, schedule a free 30-minute consultation directly on our website or contact our admin team at 720-675-7123.
About the Author
Dorothy Moon, PsyD, LCP
Dr. Dorothy Moon is a psychologist with 15+ years of experience, she is a gifted couples and EMDR therapist who provides intensives to clients ready to dive in to healing. Dorothy is a certified EFT clinician. She uses EMDR, EFT, and somatic therapies to help adults and couples on a range of struggles including anxiety, depression, trauma, racial identity, cultural influences, life transitions, and relationship issues.
Interested in Learning More?
If you are interested in connecting with support, our specialized team is here to help. You are not alone. Call 720-675-7123 or contact us below.
