Extended EMDR Sessions
in Pittsburgh, PA
Deeper, faster healing through longer blocks of session time.
Does it feel like an hour of EMDR every week just isn’t enough?
You spend the first 10 minutes of your session catching up, talking about what you’ve noticed since the last time you saw your therapist.
You and your therapist pick out the themes of your stuck points.
You set up your target for processing, and you do about 30 minutes of EMDR.
Just as you reach a critical insight and it starts to hit you on that visceral level, your time is up.
You feel a sense that you can’t feel what you need to feel because the session is about to end.
You know EMDR works and that it’s doing more for you than regular therapy has done for you.
But you feel like you could reach a deeper break through — if only you had more time at once.
You’re in the right place!
Introducing Extended EMDR Sessions
longer sessions that accelerate your healing by allowing you to stay in your depths
Research is showing the positive treatment outcomes associated with extended & intensive EMDR sessions: faster reduction of anxiety symptoms, nightmares, hypervigilance, rumination, depression, and more — leading to long-term symptom remission, sooner.
If you have ever felt like the hour-long EMDR model has been helpful, but closing the session often felt like it came too soon or you didn’t get enough of what you needed, you weren’t just imagining it.
Extended EMDR sessions help you close the session at a point in processing that your brain & your body can be more satisfied with.
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An extended EMDR session lasts either 90 minutes or 2 hours.
The spaciousness of time in extended sessions allows the nervous system to go deeper into implicit memories, thoughts, and feelings, which allows you to absorb the benefits of EMDR more thoroughly.
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Cutting edge research and practice shows that EMDR in the extended session format leads to faster symptom reduction and relief.
Intensive EMDR to Treat Patients With Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Series
Additionally, the creator of the EMDR framework, Francine Shapiro, originally suggested 90-minute sessions as the standard session length for deep EMDR reprocessing due to the complexity of the work.
Extended EMDR sessions are a great way to…
experience more spaciousness in EMDR without the intense time commitment of other intensive programs (e.g. an entire day or multiple full days of therapy)
engage in a recurring frequency of therapy e.g. (weekly, biweekly, or monthly) without feeling cramped by the hour
FAQs about Extended EMDR Sessions
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With an extra 30-60 minutes of therapy in one sitting, many clients experience faster results. This could mean fewer overall sessions compared to traditional therapy. It can also mean you’ll navigate the space between therapy sessions more comfortably and for a longer stretch of time. The extended session allows for deeper, more targeted work, which can lead to a fewer number of sessions on the same issue.
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We’ll begin with a brief check-in where we’ll talk about the specific issue you want help on.
Then, we will go through focused questions that enliven and activate your desired target issue, and we will begin deeper EMDR work using bilateral stimulation.
The extra time ensures we can deeply address the root causes of your anxiety or trauma.
The session will end with grounding and closure practices to help you leave feeling centered and consolidated.
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It depends on your individual needs and how much you are trying to address at once.
Some clients want just a single EMDR session to discover it.
Others may prefer to partake in extended therapy sessions every 2-8 weeks, depending on their goals and progress.
I have observed that clients who need long-term EMDR for complex, developmental, or chronic issues take better to 120-minute, 90-minute, and even 60-minute sessions when they begin their work with EMDR intensives or extended sessions.
For a personalized and collaborative recommendation based on your needs, please schedule a consultation.
What kinds of issues can extended EMDR sessions help with?
A program of recurring 90-minute or 2-hour EMDR sessions can help with a variety of issues, including:
Anxiety & Somatic Symptoms
Depression & Negative Self-Talk
Addictions & Compulsions
Generational Trauma
Codependency & Boundary Issues
OCD
Social Anxiety
Stress Management
Sexual Trauma
Complex PTSD
Perfectionism
Dissociation
Chronic Pain
Self-Esteem & Confidence Issues
What can extended EMDR sessions do for me?
Extended EMDR sessions can help you…
break down thought-based or feeling-based loops that make you feel miserable and unresolved
lessen your reactivity to negative, stressful, or activating events
decrease the amount of time you spend managing your mental health symptoms caused by said stressors
increase the amount of time you are able to actually stay present for the activities and relationships you care about
get more out of your mental health care — weekly/biweekly sessions stop feeling so repetitive and start opening more doors because extended sessions give you transformative change on that core, recurring issue every time
Allow yourself to imagine that.
Get the breakthrough you’ve been waiting so long for.
More FAQs about Extended EMDR Sessions
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EMDR extended sessions can be a helpful adjunct for your talk therapy sessions with your established and trusted provider.
Discuss your interest in adjunct EMDR with your primary therapist. You should have your therapist’s agreement that an EMDR intensive will assist your healing and growth process.
Reach out to me in a free consultation call and state your interest in an EMDR intensive as an adjunct to regular therapy. Let me know about your goals, and we can discuss your availability.
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Possibly. If your health plan offers reimbursements for out-of-pocket services, you may request a superbill from me to attain reimbursement.
Extended EMDR sessions are an out-of-pocket service which you may pay for via a credit, debit, or HSA/FSA card.
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Research has shown that, for people who have experienced complex post-traumatic stress, extended sessions promote lasting reduction of trauma symptoms.
I want not just trauma survivors to experience healing at this level, but also people whose anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, or addictions have a root in unresolved disturbing memories to experience this healing, too.
A handful of extended EMDR sessions could be a game-changer for your healing journey. I have observed in my clients that extended EMDR work allows them to get unstuck from going around in the same circles, and that intensives provide a sturdy foundation for any subsequent internal work and growth.
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Longer EMDR sessions provide a greater sense of containment for distressing issues. Read about longer format EMDR therapy on my Intensives page.
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Schedule a free consultation for EMDR extended sessions with me. During our call, we’ll discuss your goals, your previous therapeutic work, and your readiness for an EMDR intensive, as well as any questions you may have.
You may also send me an email indicating your interest.