Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)

Therapeutic Approach:

• At EmotionFit, we create an environment where you work closely with a therapist to understand and resolve your emotional and relationship challenges. Whether you are seeking anxiety therapy, depression therapy, or couples therapy, our tailored approach helps you make positive changes in your life.

  This involves exploring your feelings, past experiences, and how you cope with difficult emotions. The goal is to help you become more aware of your emotions, gain insights into your issues, and make positive changes in your life.

• Typically, our focus on root causes allows for a shorter-term therapy, lasting a few months to a year, meant to bring about meaningful improvements in a relatively short time.

• If this sounds like something you are looking for, please reach out to schedule an appointment with one of our therapists.

ISTDP:

ISTDP, or Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, is a specialized approach designed to help individuals understand and address complex emotional challenges. This form of therapy focuses on rapidly delving deep into the emotional and psychological factors that contribute to distress, offering a path to greater awareness, healing, and personal growth.

Key Principles:

• Emotional Exploration: This therapy places a strong emphasis on exploring and understanding one's emotions, even those that may be difficult or uncomfortable. It helps individuals gain insights into the complex dynamics that emotions bring about in our own lives and in our relationships with others.

• Root Cause Examination: We explore the underlying psychological factors that may be contributing to distress, helping individuals address the core issues that impact their emotional well-being and create their current symptoms. This is particularly helpful in addiction therapy, couples therapy, and faith-based therapy.

• Healing and Growth: ISTDP Therapy aims to facilitate emotional understanding and personal growth. It provides a safe and supportive environment for individuals to work through their emotional challenges and achieve a greater sense of care for themselves and others.

The Intensive Therapy Process:

1. Assessment: We begin with a thorough assessment, collaboratively identifying the root causes of your current difficulties by targeting their emotional core. We investigate how these difficulties have played out in past and current relationships in order to learn a new path forward.

2. Emotional Processing: Sessions involve in-depth exploration of emotions, allowing individuals to confront and process their feelings, even those that may be painful or overwhelming. And we are trained to find the emotional pace and intensity that is best suited for your emotional strength and capacity.

3. Resolution and Integration: We work on resolving past emotional wounds and integrating these experiences into one's personal narrative, promoting emotional healing and ongoing improvement in your relationship to yourself and others.

4. Empowerment and Transformation: As individuals gain emotional insights and work through their challenges, they often experience increased confidence and a greater sense of control over their lives.

Benefits of ISTDP Therapy:

• Efficiency AND Depth: Tailoring the pace and intensity of the sessions to our clients’ emotional abilities allows us to optimize the benefit they get within the shortest amount of time and cost.

• Resolution of Emotional Issues: By addressing the root causes of psychological distress, individuals can experience lasting emotional healing, insight, and personal growth.

• Increased Well-being: ISTDP Therapy can lead to a greater sense of security, well-being, balance, and emotional resilience in the face of life's challenges, protecting individuals from future traumas or stressors.

• Empirical Support: ISTDP is one of the most well-researched and empirically validated forms of therapy. It has been shown to be as effective as other treatments for common mental disorders, and particularly effective with specific complex conditions (treatment-resistant disorders, somatic issues, personality disorders, etc.). And benefits from ISTDP therapy typically improve even after treatment, while other approaches often lose their effectiveness following therapy. For more information on the evidence base, see reachingthroughresistance.com/publications.

Conclusion:

ISTDP Therapy provides individuals with a pathway to greater emotional awareness, healing, and personal growth. By exploring emotions and addressing root causes, this therapy can be a powerful tool for those seeking to improve their emotional health and overall quality of life.

If you're interested in embarking on a journey of self-discovery, emotional healing, and personal growth, reach out to one of our therapists today.