The Power of Intensives: Getting Unstuck

Written by Chandler Ross (LMSW)

There are many reasons to engage in a therapeutic intensive process:

• An overwhelming life situation that completely disorients and upends us, like a sudden loss or diagnosis.

• A targeted specialization (like EMDR) addressing a specific issue or traumatic memory.

• An urgency to understand our stories and feelings.

All of these are valid starting points for a process such as an intensive. 

Another starting point that flies under the radar but is just as prevalent is one that most people struggle to talk about due to embarrassment and shame. It doesn’t have any Instagram buzzwords attached to it or an inkling of panache. Its dull simplicity is what makes it such a formidable foe. Psychologically, it frustrates us, leaving us feeling helpless and voiceless. It keeps us repeating the same things, hoping for different results. It invites us to get clever and understand. It lures us to try harder and be more disciplined. All the while, in doing so, it’s only becoming stronger.

“Stuck” is “the condition of being unable to make progress."

Eventually, life invites all of us to look at our own powerlessness—these points where the best-laid plans invite us into the bog. We didn’t set out for the bog; we set out for Xanadu, but as the metaphorical trip unfolded, we ended up in the swamp, tires sunk in and spinning… stuck. 

What do you really need when you are stuck?

Someone who is response-able. A person who has been here before, who not only has the equipment to get you pulled out of the bog but also the willingness to get in the bog with you.

The intensive process can be many things, but its primary function is to help someone start to make progress again, to help them get back on the road to Xanadu. To help them get unstuck, replenished, reprovisioned, and oriented. To look at the map of their life with them and plot not only where they are but where they want to go. To check the navigational tools and make sure they are properly calibrated and accurate. It takes a lifetime to learn how to live, and this process, I’ve found, has been a warm cabin on the trail to learn how to repack our backpack to be better suited for the journey.

Check out our website to see more specifics about our intensives or to ask questions. (https://www.vothcenter.com/intensives)