Relational Healing Intensive.
Also known as: empathic processing therapy, heart-opening therapy, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
A deeply held therapeutic process that uses a carefully administered empathogenic agent to temporarily dissolve the fear-based defences that keep trauma, grief, and relational wounds locked in place — allowing the heart to open, process, and heal at a depth words alone rarely reach.
What is it?
The Relational Healing Intensive is a full-day therapeutic experience held by two clinicians. It draws on decades of research into empathogen-assisted psychotherapy — allowing you to approach the most painful material with warmth, curiosity, and self-compassion rather than defensive shutdown.
How does it work?
The agent increases serotonin, oxytocin, and prolactin while quieting the amygdala's fear response. The result is a temporary state of embodied safety and connection — allowing traumatic memories to be revisited, reprocessed, and re-encoded without being re-traumatised.
A day held with care.
The session unfolds over six to eight hours in a private suite with two clinicians present throughout. Music, eye shades, and periods of stillness alternate with gentle therapeutic dialogue. Most people describe a profound sense of safety, openness, and access to material long held out of reach — followed by hours of softness and clarity.
A structured arc.
Intake & Assessment
Comprehensive psychiatric and medical evaluation, safety screening, and clarifying the intentions and wounds you wish to work with.
Preparation
Multiple preparation sessions to build therapeutic alliance, teach nervous-system skills, and ready you for the intensive.
Therapeutic Intensive
A 6–8 hour session with two clinicians present throughout, held in a carefully prepared suite designed for safety and depth.
Integration
A structured arc of integration sessions to weave insights into daily life, process what emerged, and embed lasting change.
Who this may help
- PTSD & complex trauma
- Veteran & first-responder trauma
- Relational trauma & attachment wounds
- Sexual trauma
- Moral injury
- Relationship healing (couples)
- Grief & loss
- Treatment-resistant depression
- Social anxiety disorder
Careful assessment
Thorough individual assessment is required before any session. Key considerations include:
- Cardiovascular conditions — hypertension, arrhythmias
- History of bipolar disorder or psychosis
- Certain medications (MAOIs, SSRIs — assessed individually)
- Active substance use disorder
- Liver conditions
Evidence base
Phase 3 clinical trials demonstrated that 67–71% of participants no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria after two sessions, compared to 32% in placebo. Replicated internationally — one of the most significant breakthroughs in trauma treatment in decades.
Interested in exploring the intensive?
Every journey begins with a 30-minute Discovery Call — a confidential, no-obligation conversation with a member of our clinical team.