As I reflect on the past year of my practice and life, one thing stands out above all else: the incredible power of a connected nervous system. If you’re already a colleague or client, you’ve probably heard me speak in awe about the Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP), a tool that has profoundly reshaped not only my own nervous system but also those of my clients, and the way I approach trauma therapy.

My journey into intensive work began by chance about two years ago. A client expressed that engaging in EMDR for two one-hour sessions each week felt exhausting and asked if we could switch to one two-hour session instead. We did just that, and three two-hour sessions later, we cleared her trauma. After a future template session, we wrapped up therapy, having met all her goals. As a clinician, I was both amazed and energized at the efficiency of the work & that I could utilize my entire EMDR skill set in those longer sessions—something that often felt elusive in the standard weekly format.