EMDR Intensives

Deeper Journeys for Trauma Healing

Sometimes you just need help — and a lot of it — right now, but weekly 45-minute therapy sessions don’t feel intensive enough. You’re looking for a deeper understanding of your circumstance.

You’re crunched on time, with a busy schedule and thousands of demands pulling you every which way. Or perhaps you’re already working with a therapist weekly, and want to use EMDR as a brief adjunct to accelerate that work.

Let’s embark on a focused journey designed to help you feel better, fast.

Similar to a retreat, EMDR intensives are longer-form therapy sessions that offer deeper work than can be achieved with traditional weekly sessions. They provide you with a larger chunk of time (three hours of face-to-face processing with the therapist, in one sitting) occurring over multiple days over a few weeks.

EMDR is helpful for:

  • PTSD and complex trauma (CPTSD)

  • Relationship and attachment wounds

  • Medical trauma

  • Fears related to career (public speaking, etc.) and other facets of life

Collaborating with Your Current Therapist

If you’re already seeing a talk therapist, EMDR intensives can be done alongside the great work that you’re already doing, as an adjunct to those efforts. You continue to see your therapist weekly, while we do deep, focused processing of specific targets for a limited amount of time.

What Does an Intensive Look Like?

EMDR intensives are highly customized experiences tailored to your healing journey. Early morning and late evening hours are available.

A typical intensive format (for a non-complex trauma case) might look like:

  • Comprehensive intake, which includes developing a rough treatment plan and identifying EMDR targets (1.5 hours)

  • Two EMDR intensive sessions (face-to-face EMDR work of 3 hours each). Sessions are held either once a week, or twice in the same week (depending on your needs and time constraints)

  • Additional intensive sessions (3 hours) as needed, for the following weeks

  • Post-intensive debrief (1.5 hours)

You will also receive:

Workbook for you to use and keep. Gain a clearer understanding of what drives you, why it is that you see yourself in the world the way that you do. Get to know who and what’s shaped your worldview.

Journal to write thoughts, reflections etc.

Why Intensives Instead of Weekly 45-Minute Sessions?

When you’re in pain, suffering from flashbacks and other PTSD symptoms, or in need of overcoming tough obstacles, the benefit of just “getting it done” is considerable.

Financially, the overall cost may be lower since we’re working intensively. Even compared to other trauma therapy, the intensive format may decrease treatment time, because of time not spent on a) checking in at the beginning of each session, b) addressing current crises and concerns, c) focusing on stabilizing and coping skills that the client won’t need after trauma healing, or d) grounding/regaining composure at the end of the session. Learn more here.

Additionally, intensives offer more flexibility in scheduling (early morning, later evening, TBD weekends).

There is also compelling research on the efficacy of intensive work:

  • Intensive application of trauma-focused therapy seems to be well tolerated in patients with PTSD, enabling faster symptom reduction with similar, or even better, results, while reducing the risk that clients drop out prematurely. Learn more here and here.

  • Intensive EMDR treatment is indicative of reliable improvement in PTSD symptoms in a very short time frame. Learn more here.

Will Insurance Cover Intensives?

EMDR intensives are not covered by insurance, although some insurance plans may reimburse you for a portion of the fee.

To learn more, contact me via this form.