Why your therapy sessions flop (it’s not what you think)
Ever have a session that starts off great, gets into the deep work, and then just... falls apart?
The hour ends, and your client walks out feeling raw, overwhelmed, like they've been hit by a truck. And you're sitting there wondering if you actually helped them or just re-traumatized them.
I call that a "flopped session."
And it happens for the same reason a cake flops... you've got all the right ingredients, but the order of operations is off.
So many therapists are eager to get to the "meat" of the work – the EMDR, the somatic tracking, the deep trauma processing – that they skip the most important parts of the session.
What I've learned is... we don't just "do therapy."
We build what I call a Session Sandwich.
1. The Top Bread (Regulation):
You don't dive into the deep end until you've built the container. If your client isn't regulated and attuned before you start the work... you're not helping. You're just stirring things up.
2. The Meat (Processing):
This is where you work with the procedural response. You don't just talk about the trauma... you work with it. But without the bread? It's just a mess.
3. The Bottom Bread (Integration):
This is what closes the arc. You orient the client. You help them track the shifts. You make sure they're contained before they walk back out into the world.
If you skip the bread... the session flops. Every time.
This is why I’ve created a training where I’ll be walking you through the full "sandwich." I'm going to show you how to structure a session so the work actually lands, sticks, and transforms your client's nervous system.
And just like the last time, you can grab a guest pass if you want to see how this framework actually works in real time.
The Details: Advanced Treatment Planning for Complex & Developmental Trauma Framework
I'd love to have you with us.
Grab your Guest Pass here: https://integrativepsych.teachable.com/l/pdp/advanced-treatment-planning-for-complex-developmental-trauma
Esther
P.S. A lot of therapists think they're being "deep" by staying in the trauma until the last minute of the session.
But that's not depth. That's just... leaving someone open. I'll show you how to close the arc so your clients leave feeling clear and settled, not blown apart.
Grab your Guest Pass here: https://integrativepsych.teachable.com/l/pdp/advanced-treatment-planning-for-complex-developmental-trauma