INTENSIVES OVERVIEW

EMDR Intensive Therapy

Online in California • Illinois • Florida

Focused trauma therapy when something needs to shift sooner.

You may be here because something significant happened—or because the same pattern keeps resurfacing despite insight or past therapy. Intensive therapy offers focused time to work with what’s underneath, without spreading the process out over months.

What is EMDR Intensive Therapy?

EMDR intensives offer focused, time-limited work over extended individual sessions instead of weekly appointments.

They provide the space and continuity needed to work more deeply with what’s ready, within a clearly defined period of care.

Why Choose an EMDR Intensive?

EMDR intensives can be a good fit when weekly sessions don’t provide enough space for the work you’re ready to do. They offer a way to work more deeply, without rushing the process.

This approach is about depth and continuity — not speed.

Intensives Offered Here

EMDR intensives in this practice are tailored to the nature and scope of the work you’re bringing in. Two primary intensive formats offered are:

  • Single-Issue EMDR Intensive

    Focused processing around a specific, recent or ongoing experience or concern.

    Examples may include:

    → a single traumatic or distressing event
    → a specific phobia, fear, or trigger
    → a recent loss, medical experience, or acute stressor

    Learn More

  • Story-Clearing EMDR Intensive

    Multi-layered processing for experiences that unfold over time and don’t feel tied to one moment.

    Examples may include:

    → the same emotional or relational patterns keep resurfacing
    → reactions feel disproportionate, familiar, or hard to interrupt
    → there isn’t a single memory to target, but a “story” that unfolds across time

    Learn more

How EMDR Intensives are Structured Here

  • Free, virtual consultation to help you understand how EMDR intensives work and decide whether this format fits what you’re looking for. We’ll keep the conversation high-level and focused on structure, goals, and fit.

    If it feels like a fit, the next step is a pre-intensive assessment and preparation session.

  • Before any intensive is scheduled, you’ll complete a 90-minute individual assessment and preparation session.

    During this session, we will:

    • Review relevant history and current concerns

    • Assess for safety and readiness

    • Clarify goals and organizing themes

    • Collaboratively plan the structure of your intensive

    • Discuss pacing, expectations, and supports

    • Begin enhancing internal supports in preparation for the intensive work

    Based on this session, you’ll receive a recommendation for the length and structure of your intensive (half-day, full-day, or multi-day), tailored to your needs.

  • Your intensive builds on the preparation completed in the assessment session. Each day includes check-in, resourcing, structured EMDR processing, breaks, and closure.

    The length of your program is determined during assessment. Common formats include:

    Half-Day Intensive (Example)

    • 9:00–9:30 — Check-in and resourcing

    • 9:30–11:00 — 90 min EMDR session

    • 11:00–11:15 — Break

    • 11:15–12:30 — 75 min EMDR session

    • 12:30–1:00 — Closure, next steps

    Full-Day Intensive (Example)

    • 9:00–9:30 — Check-in and resourcing

    • 9:30–11:00 — 90 min EMDR session

    • 11:00–11:15 — Break

    • 11:15–12:30 — 75 min EMDR session

    • 12:30–1:30 — Lunch

    • 1:30–3:00 — 90 min EMDR session

    • 3:00–3:15 — Break

    • 3:15–4:30 — 75 min EMDR session

    • 4:30–5:00 — Closure, next steps

  • After your intensive, we’ll meet for a follow-up session to support integration and help you orient to what comes next.

    This session typically takes place within a few weeks of the intensive and is 60 minutes. In some cases, a longer follow-up session may be recommended based on the scope of the work.

    During this session, we may:

    • Check in on how things have been settling since the intensive

    • Talk through any insights, shifts, or changes you’ve noticed

    • Address any questions that have emerged

    • Reflect on what feels complete and what may still need support

    • Discuss next steps, including whether any follow-up sessions, coordination with an existing therapist, or referrals would be helpful

    This session is not about continuing intensive processing, but about helping the work land in a steady, supported way.

Who EMDR Intensives May be a Good Fit For

EMDR intensives offer extended sessions for people who feel ready to work more deeply and directly with specific experiences.
Fit is explored together, with care for pacing, safety, and support.

This option may be a good fit if you want focused processing and have enough stability to engage in extended sessions. It may not be the right fit if more stabilization or support is needed first.

Choosing the Right Format

Intensive therapy offers focused, time-limited work.

If a full intensive doesn’t feel like the right fit right now, Drop-In Group EMDR may be a more flexible and accessible option.

EMDR Intensive Therapy
vs Weekly Therapy

Both EMDR intensives and weekly therapy can be meaningful ways to work with trauma. Intensives can be used alongside therapy or during a specific chapter of life. The difference is less about effectiveness and more about structure, pacing, and timing.

    • Ongoing support over time

    • Space for reflection and relationship-building

    • Trauma processing in smaller segments

    • Time between sessions for integration

    • Extended, uninterrupted time for trauma processing

    • Greater continuity and focus within a contained period

    • A clear beginning and end to a phase of work

    • Fewer start-and-stop transitions between sessions

    • More of the session devoted to processing itself

What's possible when session time is used differently

Frequently Asked Questions About EMDR Intensive Therapy

  • EMDR intensives can vary in length depending on the focus and scope of the work. In this practice, intensives most commonly range from half a day to several full days, with many falling between one and five days.

    The specific structure is determined through assessment, taking into account readiness, nervous system capacity, and what will best support safe and effective trauma processing. Not everyone needs the same amount of time, and the goal is always to choose a pace that feels supportive rather than overwhelming.

  • Some experiences need more time and continuity than a short session allows. Longer sessions create space for your system to settle, process, and integrate without interruption.

    This can open possibilities that aren’t available when time is limited.

    Longer uninterrupted session time can change what’s possible in therapy →

  • In some cases, yes. When someone has experienced a recent shock, loss, or traumatic event, a well-timed and well-contained intensive can support integration before stress responses become more entrenched. Readiness is assessed carefully to ensure the work feels stabilizing and supportive, rather than overwhelming.

  • Integration is an important part of trauma work. After an intensive, we focus on supporting nervous system regulation, meaning-making, and applying what emerged during processing to daily life. Follow-up planning is discussed so you’re not left to navigate the aftermath on your own.

Next Steps

If you’re considering an EMDR intensive, you’re welcome to reach out with questions about readiness, timing, or fit.
We can then talk through options together and decide what approach feels most supportive right now.

See how intensive therapy fits within our broader EMDR care model →

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