EMDR Intensives

• If you want therapy, but weekly sessions sound more overwhelming than supportive. For many people the weekly model of traditional therapy doesn't fit in their actual lives. 

• If you have been avoiding addressing an upsetting experience from the past but you know it's affecting your life, your happiness, and maybe your relationships. 

• If you have experienced relationship trauma, from childhood or adulthood or both - and you want to work through it to relate differently or stop being in pain. 

• If you experience anxiety or depression and believe it's connected to something in your past, either recent or distant past. 

• If you have experienced an incident such as a car accident, assault, natural disaster or witnessed violence or an overwhelming experience that is causing you distress. 

• If you have been through something overwhelming and you are experiencing nightmares, flashbacks, and set backs. 

• If you are frequently "triggered" and have over-reactions (including numb reactions) and would like to change that somehow because it's interfering in your life. 

• If you have been to therapy, and have talked through the difficult parts of your life, and you really don't feel much better. 

• If you are a health professional, therapist or caregiver of some kind and recognize you have symptoms of trauma. Give yourself a turn.  

• You may find relief and reach your goals sooner than weekly or every other week appointment.  

• Relief from distressing thoughts, distressing feelings and distressing body sensations associated with trauma. 

• Relief from nightmares or flashbacks, or feeling jumpy and reactive after past trauma. 

• Getting triggered less often, less intensely, and in some appropriate cases not at all.  

• Feeling your capacity to make decisions, to even recognize choices that you didn't see before. 

• Increasing confidence and feeling empowered. 

• The possibility of a restored relationship with yourself. Which often leads to healthier relationships with family and friends and colleagues. 

• You can save time and money overall. 

• You can use EMDR as an adjunct therapy to couples therapy you might be doing, or work with a primary talk therapist. 

-If you don't want to (Is this someone else's idea?) 

-If you have been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder

-If you are currently chemically addicted

-If you have attempted suicide in the last year

-If the primary concern is OCD that is not trauma related

-If your schedule won't allow time off after the intensive. This time period is essential for full healing, recovery and integration of the therapy process. 

-If your therapist assesses that EMDR Therapy is not the best modality of treatment, or that this is not a safe time with enough stabilization and support for you to benefit from an Intensive at this time. 

**Having complex trauma or trauma during childhood does not rule you out of an EMDR Intensive. It does mean you will likely benefit from a few of them, at your own pace with support over time. This is actually an effective treatment approach, with an experienced and highly skilled therapist in complex trauma, EMDR Therapy, and Intensives. 

Your safety is priority. This list isn't all inclusive, but is intended to give you an idea of some specific circumstances that may not be effective for an EMDR Intensive.