Quote from Dr. Richard Chefetz

This quote comes from Richard Chefetz, MD, and he states, “In the practice of psychotherapy, there is no “fast food,” no short-cut to relatedness, no hyper-link to the creation of intimacy with people who may only have experienced a relationship as a source of pain.”

I know that as a society, due to capitalism and other influences, we are brought up to value quick fixes.

I hear that a lot from people seeking out EMDR therapy with me, having heard they can address their trauma in 6-8 sessions.

This is highly unlikely, let me explain some of the reasons why.

First and foremost it is because if you are seeking trauma therapy, then the therapeutic relationship is important and must be given time. As a colleague framed it, you have to trust me to take your hand and lead you through the fire that is trauma work. This takes time.

Also, most published work on EMDR therapy (and other therapies) focuses on people with a single issue, which is a situation I have yet to come across in my 15 years of practice. The more trauma, the more issues going on, the longer the therapy is going to take.

And finally, EMDR therapy is efficient, suggesting that it will result in benefits quicker than many other therapies. This is very different from a quick therapy.

There are no shortcuts in this work, and you deserve to be fully healed.