Signs that EMDR Intensives are the right fit for you
Weekly therapy just seeming like it’s not cutting it for you? As a therapist who provides EMDR intensives, here are some signs I’ve seen in clients who’ve found EMDR intensives to be a good fit.
1) Your nervous system and brain feel ready to do the trauma work
Dreams, thinking about past memories you haven’t thought of in a while, just a gut feeling that your body is ready to do some deeper work- these are a lot of early signs that a client is ready for some deeper intensive work. Our brains will let us know when they’re ready to process a certain issue. Deep in your intuition you know what you need to work on, and you feel that your body is telling you the same message too.
Common issues that people may use EMDR intensives for:
-Complex grief: divorce, breakups, loss of a loved ones
-Trauma: Sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, childhood trauma, relational trauma
-Deeply negative beliefs of self: I’m not good enough, it’s not safe to share my emotions, I am at fault.
2) You keep having to end session when you’re finally getting into the flow of EMDR
All of our brains are different- some folks take a while to warm up to the reprocessing and by the time the memories start flowing in your weekly session? Time’s up. Intensives could be a great way for you to have a block of uninterrupted time and so the timer is not going off during the deep flow that you are finally in.
3) The “EMDR hangover” is getting to be too much during the work week
If you’ve done EMDR, you know that the EMDR hangover is real. Whether you experience fatigue after sessions or your emotions just feel more raw, it’s not the most fun experience to have to go back to the real world of work or picking up your kids right afterwards. Having a longer period of time to work through reprocessing gives you and your therapist ample time for reprocessing and stabilizing.
4) You’re tired of waiting
You don’t want to wait months or years to feel better, you want to feel better as soon as possible & you’re willing to dedicate a few weeks of intensives to accelerate your healing so that you can feel more grounded sooner.
EMDR intensives can be a great way to work through trauma in an uninterrupted way. Many of my clients have been grateful for this option to dive deeper in this way. If you’re finding that dipping in and out of weekly EMDR therapy hasn’t been working for you— consider a therapist who provides EMDR intensives. If you’re located in Oregon or Washington and are looking for an EMDR intensive therapist, feel free to reach out at https://reclaimcounselingnw.com/contact
