EMDR Intensive Therapy for Relational Trauma
EMDR Intensive Therapy offers a revolutionary approach to healing relational trauma. This powerful method is designed to provide deep transformative healing in a condensed time frame, making it an ideal choice for those ready to address long standing issues and move forward in their lives.
Unlike standard therapy models that typically involve weekly sessions over an extended period, EMDR Intensive Therapy consists of longer, more concentrated sessions over just a few weeks. This structure allows for a deep dive into the therapeutic process, providing the opportunity for profound healing and transformation.
As a therapist, my calling has been to help people transform their lives. With EMDR Intensive Therapy, I have found what I believe to be the best way to do that.
What is Relational Trauma?
Relational Trauma refers to the enduring psychological consequences of repeated neglect, abuse, mistreatment, or abandonment within a relationship. Theses emotional consequences are the same in “no-fault” circumstances. We are not here to blame your seriously ill family members, or the struggles of a single-parent household. There are situations where everyone did the best they could. We are at a point now, that you realize it wasn’t everything you needed; it’s okay to be more specific with your needs.
This type of trauma often leads to a range of emotional, cognitive and behavioral issues, including difficulties in forming and maintaining healthy relationships, low self-esteem, and heightened sense of fear and vulnerability.
Before therapy, clients tell me they have:
- Difficulty trusting and connecting with others
- Cycles of emotional pain from past trauma
- Childhood trauma affecting adult relationships
- Difficulty setting healthy boundaries
Traumatic relational experiences range in intensity and impact as we move through life.
Here are common examples I see in my practice of EMDR:
- Childhood neglect: This could involve parens or caregivers not providing the necessary attention, care or affection a child needs to develop healthily.
- Emotional abuse: This could involve constant criticism, humiliation, or dismissal of a person’s feelings.
- Physical Abuse: Causing physical harm or injury to a person
- Sexual Abuse: Includes any unwanted sexual activity forced upon a person
- Domestic Violence: Physical, emotional or sexual abuse within a domestic setting such as you home, marriage or other cohabitation.
- Abandonment: The feeling of being deserted or left behind
- Divorce or separation: The breakdown of parents’ or caregivers’ relationship can cause significant trauma both as the child, or as the adults dissolving the relationship.
- Infidelity: The betrayal of trust within a romantic relationship can cause significant emotional pain and trauma
- Dysfunctional family dynamics: This could involve living in a household where there is constant conflict, unpredictability, or a lack of structure or rules. The family dynamics can also be the opposite where personal choice did not exist, and structure and obedience caused significant emotional harm.
- Substance abuse in the family: Living with a family member who has a substance abuse problem can lead to a variety of relationship struggles, including codependence, poor boundaries, and self-neglect.
- Parental mental illness: Growing up with a parent with mental illness can often mean the child grows up faster than they should, resulting in a prettified adolescence, and a feeling that you were cheated out of a childhood.
Clients often tell me, despite success in their professional lives, they have a sense of worthlessness, are slow to trust others, have difficulty in their personal relationships, and have negative attitudes about themselves.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Healing Relational Trauma with EMDR
Relationships are the foundation of our daily lives. At their best, they nurture, support and make us better versions of ourselves. Unfortunately, some of us have the experiences I described above.
Even though a specific relationship may be in the past, the lasting impact of emotional trauma affects current relationships. These things are difficult to sort out on your own.
To heal those wounds, and get to the deep-seated issues affecting you today, we need a powerful approach.
What is EMDR?
Folks who seek out EMDR are usually familiar with this approach. Maybe you, too, have heard about the sometimes dramatic and life changing results people have had. I want to be sure you know what you’re calling me about, as this is a serious approach and requires a desire to be open to difficult parts of your past.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy is an empirically validated treatment for those struggling with the effects of trauma. Sessions follow a specific protocol:
We begin by identifying a target memory along with related images, emotions and sensations. The BLS (bi-lateral stimulation) and desensitization that is used in session are an essential part of the treatment protocol. These stimuli activate both sides of the brain, allowing the processing of memories, images, emotions and sensations that are trapped in the nervous system. When our memories are fully processed, our distress from those experiences lessens.
What to expect with EMDR Intensive Therapy
The EMDR Intensive Therapy structure is important to understand, as I does not follow the typical 50-minute session so many are used to.
While sessions will follow a specific protocol, the therapeutic process is not rigid. With my comprehensive training and your courage to face difficult subjects, I guide you when you are feeling stuck or become overwhelmed by a challenging feeling.
If you have been in therapy before, you know the limitation a 50-minute session has. Some days it is just not enough time. For many of us, committing to 3-6 months of weekly therapy doesn’t fit with our daily lives.
In session with me, our focus will be on specific and deeply affecting parts of your life, namely memories of difficult emotional experiences.
The broader view of the session, including what you’ll need for each session and what to expect is as follows:
- 90 Minute Consultation Interview: In our initial session, I’ll assess for candidacy, as well as target unpleasant beliefs, body sensations, emotions, or images from which you are seeking relief.
- Comprehensive Client Workbook: Prior to beginning EMDR, you’ll complete a comprehensive history of your self-beliefs, family, communication style, triggers, self-care and much more. This will help us formulate treatment goals. It will also allow you to work on your treatment goals before, during and after our intensive sessions.
- Customized Treatment Program: We will work on your targeted treatment goals. The work we do will not be related to “How was your week?” type of questions. While those have a place in the therapy office, the point of this therapeutic approach is to reach into the deeply held beliefs and memories that may be impacting your week, not necessarily the week itself.
- 3-Hour EMDR Sessions: These are provided virtually. I can help you find your own EMDR tappers here. The number of sessions is adaptable to your needs.
- 1-30 minute Call: A follow up call after each session.
- 1-90 minute Final Interview: This final session is the termination of the current session series. We will review your progress, identify future goals, and conclude the treatment.
EMDR Intensives support busy people who want faster changes and have a specific issue they want to address. Your personalized treatment plan is designed to support your preferred schedule and timeline for your treatment goals.
Rates vary, depending on your scheduling needs, averaging around $450 per hour for weekday appointments. Scheduling is flexible for your needs, and includes limited availability for premium after-work and weekend hours.
You insurance plan may reimburse some of the cost of EMDR. I am happy to provide a super bill which you can submit to your insurance company.
Client Experiences with EMDR Intensive Therapy
My clients have shared some powerful testimonial about their experiences with EMDR Intensive Therapy:
“My trauma was affecting my ability to trust and connect with others. I can’t believe how well this worked.”
“I really needed to do this. I’m more self-aware, I handle conflicts better and I’m able to set healthy boundaries.”
“My partner was surprised by how differently I responded.”
“I carried my childhood trauma into my adult relationships, and it was causing a lot of issues. I’m finally able to enjoy my relationships without the shadow of my past looming over me.”
If you are ready to transform your life, connect with me today and we will move your healing in the right direction.
Begin Your Journey with EMDR Intensive Therapy Today
EMDR Intensive Therapy is a powerful tool for healing relational trauma. it offers a unique approach that allow for deep, transformative healing in a condense time frame. This method is particularly beneficial for those ready to confront long-standing issues and make significant stride in their personal growth.
The journey to healing is deeply personal and requires courage. It involves facing challenging topics and navigating difficult emotions. But you don’t have to do it alone. With EMDR Intensive Therapy, you will have a trained professional by your side, guiding you through the process and providing support when you need it most.
My clients have shared powerful testimonials about their experiences with EMDR Intensive Therapy. The’ve spoken about the profound changes they’ve seen in their lives and the freedom they’ve found from the burdens of their past. This could be your story too.
If you’re ready to take the first step toward healing and transformation, I invite you to book a discovery call today. This call is an opportunity for you to learn more about EMDR Intensive Therapy and how it can help you overcome relational trauma.
I look forward to hearing from you and wish you peace on your journey!
self-esteem, and heightened sense of fear and vulnerability relational experiences range in intensity and impact as we move through life.
eekly therapy appointment feels more overwhelming than supportive.
Perhaps you’re needing help —- and a lot of it—- right now, and you don’t want to spend months in the traditional weekly model of therapy treatment to feel better.
EMDR intensives support busy people who want faster changes, people who don’t want to commit to ongoing weekly sessions, and people who have specific issue they want to address. Whatever the reason that you aren’t interested in weekly sessions, EMDR intensives are available to support you.
I offer EMDR intensives for my current clients when they are needing extra support, as well as new clients who prefer to work intensively.
EMDR is not just for trauma; it is also used for performance enhancement to excel in areas such as athletics, business, and relationships.
EMDR intensives are personalized treatment plans that give you faster access to select spots, and are designed to support your preferred schedule and timeline for your treatment goals.
RESEARCH ON INTENSIVE THERAPY IS POSITIVE
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 economy 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.
Rates vary, depending on your scheduling needs, averaging around $450 per hour for weekday appointments. Scheduling is adaptive to your needs, including limited appointments for after-work hours.
Your insurance plan may reimburse some of the cost of EMDR. I am happy to provide a super bill which you can submit to your insurance company.
YOUR INTENSIVE INCLUDES:
Pre-consultation interview to assess for candidacy, as well as target unpleasant beliefs, body sensations, emotions, or images from which you are seeking relief.
Personalized treatment workbook, which allows you to work on your treatment goals before, during, and after our intensive sessions.
A customized treatment program with targeted treatment goals. Therapy with Fran is done virtually, often for 3-9 sessions (1.5 to 2 hours each session). Clients working virtually can purchase their own tappers, or use an online program.
Post-treatment interview to assess and support your adaptation to positive changes from treatment.