Single-Issue EMDR Intensive Therapy

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If there’s one specific experience, memory, or pattern you want to work with more deeply, a Single-Issue EMDR Intensive offers a focused and contained way to do that.

This format is designed for times when you don’t want to spread the work across many concerns or over long stretches of weekly therapy, but instead want dedicated time, structure, and pacing to focus on one clearly defined issue.

What is a Single-Issue EMDR Intensive?

In this format, the work is intentionally organized around one primary focus, rather than moving between multiple concerns or layers. That focus might be a specific experience, a recurring trigger, or a clearly defined pattern that feels ready to be addressed.

The scope of the work is agreed upon in advance and held consistently throughout the intensive. This allows you to stay oriented, reduces the likelihood of overwhelm, and supports deeper processing without opening more than your system can comfortably hold at once.

Examples May Include:

  • Specific events or recent experiences such as a breakup, workplace incident, legal or financial shock, or a sudden life change

  • Situational nervous system responses like a spike in anxiety after a specific trigger, performance anxiety after an embarrassing moment, sleep disruption tied to one event, or a sense of being “stuck” around a particular memory

  • Ongoing responses to a single major event such as the aftermath of a natural disaster, the loss of a loved one, or a life-altering incident where the impact continues to linger

When a Single-Issue Intensive may be a Good Fit

A Single-Issue EMDR Intensive may feel like a good fit if:

  • There’s one experience, memory, or pattern that feels ready to be addressed

  • You want depth and focus in one area without going into anything else

  • You’ve done previous therapy and are looking to work more directly with a specific issue

  • Weekly therapy feels too fragmented or slow for what you want to address right now

  • You’re drawn to a structured format with clear boundaries and pacing

Fit is always explored collaboratively, with attention to what feels supportive and sustainable for you.

How Single-Issue EMDR Intensives Are Structured in This Practice

Single-Issue EMDR Intensives are offered within the broader framework of EMDR intensive therapy, with added emphasis on clarity, containment, and nervous system regulation.

The process includes preparation, focused EMDR reprocessing, and time for integration, rather than compressing everything into a single push. Throughout the intensive, pacing is guided by clinical judgment and by how your system is responding in the moment.

EMDR is used intentionally here—not as a one-size-fits-all intervention, but as a trauma-informed approach grounded in the principles of EMDR therapy and tailored to the scope and goals of the work.

Single-Issue Intensive vs Weekly Therapy

Both weekly EMDR therapy and Single-Issue EMDR Intensives can be effective. The difference is less about which approach is “better” and more about how the work is structured.

Weekly EMDR therapy often involves:

  • Gradual pacing over time

  • Regular check-ins and shifting focus week to week

  • Ongoing integration across sessions

A Single-Issue EMDR Intensive often offers:

  • Extended time for trauma reprocessing without interruption

  • Less time spent re-orienting or catching up each session

  • A contained focus on one clearly defined target

The right format depends on what you’re hoping to work on, how much support you want at once, and what feels most regulating for you.

Who This Format May Not Be the Right Starting Point For

A Single-Issue EMDR Intensive may not be the best place to start if:

  • What you’re dealing with feels layered, diffuse, or hard to narrow to one focus

  • You’re still needing more stabilization or foundational support

  • A slower, more gradual pace feels more regulating right now

  • You’re unsure what you want to work on yet

In those situations, other EMDR formats may offer a more supportive entry point.

Scheduling and Investment

Single-Issue EMDR Intensives are designed to offer focused, contained time for working with a clearly defined concern, while still allowing flexibility based on what your nervous system needs.

Scheduling

Depending on the nature and timing of what you’re working through, scheduling often looks like:

  • Half day (4 hours)
    Often sufficient for a recent event or a clearly defined single incident.

  • One full day (8 hours)
    Sometimes helpful when the experience is more activating or requires additional time for integration.

  • One to three days
    May be recommended when working with ongoing traumatic stress that still feels relatively contained.

In some cases, an optional follow-up session may be recommended to support integration, answer questions, or help you transition the work back into daily life.

Investment

  • Half-day (4 hours): $800

  • Full-day (8 hours): $1,600

You are billed only for the time used, rounded by the half day.

A 50% deposit is required to reserve intensive time. The remaining balance is collected after the intensive, based on the time used.

Frequently Asked Questions About Single-Issue EMDR Intensives

  • Single-issue EMDR intensives are usually shorter than multi-day intensives. Most often, they range from a half-day to a full day, depending on what you want to work on and what feels supportive for your system.

  • A single-issue intensive is designed to stay focused on one clearly defined area, while multi-day intensives are used when the work feels more layered or complex. The difference isn’t about depth or effectiveness—it’s about scope and pacing.

  • You don’t need perfect clarity, but it helps to have a general sense of the issue you’d like to focus on. We explore this together beforehand to make sure the scope feels clear, contained, and workable.

  • The structure and pacing of a single-issue intensive are designed to reduce the likelihood of overwhelm. The work is guided carefully, with attention to staying within your window of tolerance and slowing down when needed. Readiness for this format is considered thoughtfully so the work feels supportive rather than destabilizing.

  • Yes, in many cases it can be. I use EMDR approaches that were specifically developed to support recent and ongoing stressors, with an emphasis on stabilization, containment, and preventing symptoms from becoming more entrenched. We look carefully at timing, readiness, and what your system needs right now to make sure this format supports integration rather than adding strain. That decision is always made collaboratively, with safety and pacing as priorities.

  • Not necessarily. Some people use a single-issue intensive as a focused piece of their broader therapy work, while others use it alongside or between periods of ongoing therapy. What matters most is choosing a format that fits where you are right now.

Next Steps

If you’re considering a Single-Issue EMDR Intensive, the next step is simply to reach out. We can talk through what you’re hoping to work on and explore whether this format feels like a supportive fit for you right now.

→ To see if another intensive therapy format fits better, visit the Story-Clearing EMDR Intensive page.

→ To see how intensive therapy fits within the broader EMDR care model, visit the Services Overview page.

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