EMDR is an evidence-based treatment that allows you to let go of traumatic memories that have become stuck in your mind by stimulating changes in your brain chemistry with the use of alternating eye movements, sounds and/or taps; helping with many issues including traumatic life events, difficulties with self-esteem and confidence, phobias, low mood, anxiety and more.
There is a significant body of evidence in support of the effectiveness of EMDR:
- Twenty-four randomized controlled trials support the positive effects of EMDR therapy in the treatment of emotional trauma and other adverse life experiences relevant to clinical practice.
- Seven of 10 studies reported EMDR therapy to be more rapid and/or more effective than trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
- Twelve randomized studies of the eye movement component noted rapid decreases in negative emotions and/or vividness of disturbing images, with an additional 8 reporting a variety of other memory effects.
- Numerous other evaluations document that EMDR therapy provides relief from a variety of somatic complaints.
As demonstrated above, weekly EMDR sessions can bring about dramatic improvements over a relatively short period of time for many issues; EMDR Intensives can ‘turbo charge’ this process and this intensive format is increasingly considered to be the state of the art way to treat trauma.
Whilst the initial up front cost is higher than weekly therapy, research shows that clients completing intensive treatment can make as much progress in the condensed format as in standard weekly sessions over an extended period of time. To illustrate, imagine you are making a jigsaw – you make really good process but then your time is up and you need to take it apart and start again the following week. Although you can make great progress in weekly sessions, Intensives allow us to continue to build the jigsaw until it is complete, without extended gaps. This means that an Intensive can not only save you time and money but could eliminate weeks or months of living with distress and the accompanying negative impact that this can have on your relationships, work life, and general wellbeing.
I am one of only a handful of EMDR Intensive therapists in the UK and a pioneer in delivering this type of intensive intervention in the North West. This could be on a standalone basis, as part of ongoing therapy with me or, if you are already seeing a counsellor or psychotherapist for talking therapy but find that painful feelings about specific traumatic memories, intrusive material or a phobia is interfering with your progress, I can partner with your primary therapist and provide ‘adjunct EMDR therapy’ to target those memories, body sensations, and/or limiting beliefs with a view to accelerating the progress you make with your primary therapist.
I offer a full day intensive programme which combines work to build your inner resources followed by a deep dive using EMDR to process your memories and the road blocks that may prevent you from living a more fulfilling life. Together we will strive to get through as much as possible within the time available and I will be by your side to guide you through it. You may find that one full day intensive is sufficient to achieve your goals or, alternatively, multiple intensives can be arranged.
A full day inclusive package costing £850 is usually scheduled on a Friday from 10am – 3pm and includes:
- Pre-treatment Assessment (1 hour)1 – while many clients are good candidates for an intensive, some may do better with an ongoing therapeutic relationship. To ascertain which type of approach is the most suitable for you, we’ll do an assessment first to gather information about your background and history, assess your needs and goals, and to pinpoint targets for EMDR where appropriate.
- Resource building and installation (30 mins)
- 2 x 1.5 hour processing sessions (3 hours) customised according to your needs and treatment goals with lunch and other breaks as needed
- Closing and review of resources (30 mins)
- 1 x Follow up session (1 hour)2 – to review the work we have done together and support embedding changes achieved through treatment into your daily life
Contact me to find out more about how a bespoke EMDR Intensive package tailored to your specific needs can help you move from surviving to truly thriving.