Conditions We Treat
PTSD Therapy
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after a traumatic event, and we treat it here as a focused, immersive retreat rather than a weekly hour.
Our goal is to help you integrate your PTSD and trauma so that it no longer holds you back but simply becomes another part of your history. Processing what happened gives you the freedom to live your life without debilitating symptoms.
What it is
A protective response that stayed switched on
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that can develop after a shocking, frightening, or dangerous event. The body's natural fight-or-flight response is activated during and after the experience, leaving behind fear and a heightened sense of alertness. PTSD is well known among soldiers who have seen combat, but it can develop from many causes, including physical and sexual abuse, crime, natural disasters, and even car accidents.
Most people recover from the initial shock of a traumatic event over time. For some, the symptoms persist and begin to interfere with daily life, and that is when a diagnosis of PTSD applies. It can be a long-term struggle that lasts months or years, but it is treatable. We use proven, feeling-based modalities to help you process the memory so it no longer triggers distress in your body and mind.
- Safety and resourcing come first, before any processing begins
- No need to openly retell or discuss every detail of what happened
- Feeling-based modalities that work with the brain, not just talk
- Years of progress condensed into a focused span of days
Today more than twenty scientifically controlled studies have proven the effectiveness of EMDR in the treatment of trauma and other disturbing life experiences.
What the mind could not settle then, it can settle now.
How we help
What treating PTSD at an intensive looks like
We move at a careful, deliberate pace, building safety before we ever approach the difficult material. In an intensive, far more of this work happens in a day than a weekly hour could ever allow.
- 01
Intake and history
We begin with a careful history of the past events that created the problem and the present situations that still trigger distress, and we build a plan together. You decide how much to share and how quickly to move.
- 02
Establishing safety
We always perform a safe-place exercise before getting into any triggering material, so you have a comfortable place to return to if feelings become overwhelming. This is a top priority, and it deepens both your trust and your ability to work into past trauma.
- 03
Gathering resources
Feeling-based modalities call for a heavy emphasis on resourcing before any emotional processing. We help you build grounding skills and inner steadiness so you feel supported the whole way through.
- 04
Processing the memory
Using EMDR, IFS, or ART, we revisit the traumatic memories in a structured, supported way and release the painful charge attached to them, naturally promoting a shift back to calm and healthy thinking.
- 05
Integration
As the charge settles, the memory becomes something you can learn from rather than something that triggers your body. It integrates as another part of your history instead of an open wound.
- 06
Closure and next steps
We close with you grounded and steady, and leave you with a clear sense of the relief you have gained and a plan for what comes next once you return to your life.
The body keeps the score
What PTSD does in the brain and body
Humans have reacted to trauma since the beginning of time. The body's adaptive fight-or-flight response is meant to protect us from the overwhelming nature of a threat so we can keep functioning, but it is often this very protective mechanism that goes overboard.
-
Fight or flight
The alarm
During and after a traumatic event, the body's natural fight-or-flight response fires, flooding you with fear and a heightened state of alertness. In PTSD this alarm keeps sounding long after the danger has passed.
-
Left unprocessed
The stuck memory
When an experience is too overwhelming to process like an ordinary memory, the painful charge stays locked around it. Recalling the event can feel as if it is happening all over again, in flashbacks and nightmares.
-
Stuck on high
The nervous system
Early observers described trauma survivors with a racing pulse, anxiety, and trouble breathing, and blamed an over-stimulation of the nervous system. That heightened arousal shows up today as poor sleep, difficulty concentrating, and an exaggerated startle response.
Our goal is to help you process the negative emotions and restore balance in your brain and nervous system, so that events from your past can be learned from but no longer trigger distress in your body. With that balance restored, you can return to your life and leave the debilitating symptoms behind.
The memory can stay in the past, where it belongs.
Why an intensive
Years of progress in a focused span of days
-
Relief within a week
Across several full days of processing, significant relief from symptoms can be achieved within a single week of treatment, rather than over months or years.
-
Fewer total sessions
Studies show that even a small number of sessions can produce lasting benefits, so clients often reach the same or better results in far less time.
-
No homework between sessions
Unlike exposure therapy, EMDR involves very little work outside of treatment. Simply undergoing the sessions can provide tremendous relief in a relatively short period.
-
Safety first and fully personalized
We emphasize safety and resourcing before any processing, and every intensive is built around your specific history, needs, and goals rather than a generic program.
-
Lasting results
Independent, well-controlled studies show the benefits of this work are maintained over time, helping you move forward without the charge the trauma once carried.
Formats we offer
- Half-day
Three to four hours, focused on a single issue or goal. A strong starting point.
- Full-day
Six to eight hours to immerse fully and make significant progress in a single day.
- Multi-day
Several days for complex trauma, with room for comprehensive, sustained work.
- Virtual
Conducted online for those who prefer to work from home or cannot travel.
Is it right for you?
A PTSD intensive may be a good fit if you
Treatment here is structured, supported, and does not require reliving every detail. It tends to suit people who:
- Survived a traumatic event and are ready to process it and move past it
- Are living with flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, or other PTSD symptoms
- Want meaningful relief in a short, focused span rather than months of weekly hours
- Prefer a treatment shaped around your own history, needs, and goals
- Are willing to face difficult feelings with steady, safety-first support
How we treat it
Therapies we use for PTSD
- EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing A structured approach with a high success rate and no side effects that helps you process traumatic memories without having to discuss what happened in detail. Learn more
- IFS Internal Family Systems A feeling-based modality that works against a wide range of symptoms, helping you identify and heal the different parts within you that the trauma left behind. Learn more
- ART Accelerated Resolution Therapy A proven modality that helps you process and reimagine distressing memories quickly, releasing their charge so they no longer trigger your body and mind. Learn more
Ready to talk it through?
Speak to a therapist about whether a PTSD intensive is right for you. No pressure, just a conversation about what you are facing and how we can help.