The Science of Intensive Trauma Therapy

Why We Use Intensive, Trauma-Focused Approaches

At Lori Gill Psychotherapy, we prioritize efficiency and efficacy. For over a decade, we have successfully utilized intensive trauma processing to help clients move from distress to regulation.

Challenging the “Stabilization First” Myth Traditional models often mandate a lengthy “stabilization phase” before trauma processing can begin. However, modern research—including the pivotal 2021 Randomized Clinical Trial by De Jongh et al.—demonstrates that this is not universally necessary.

Key Research Findings:

Immediate Intervention is Safe & Effective: Studies show that trauma-focused therapy (like ITATM™ and EMDR) can be initiated immediately, even in clients with complex trauma or dissociative symptoms.
No Need to Delay: Delaying trauma-focused treatment can unnecessarily prolong suffering and reinforce avoidance.
Reduces Suicidality: Research (Held et al., 2021; De Jongh et al., 2021) indicates that effective trauma processing often reduces suicidal ideation by resolving the underlying distress that fuels it.

Our Commitment to You: We don’t believe in keeping clients in therapy longer than necessary. By using a “bottom-up” approach—regulating the body and nervous system first—we help the brain self-correct. Our goal is to get you out of therapy and back to living your life as optimally as possible.