EMDR Intensives: Heal Trauma Faster with Focused, Deep Work
EMDR Intensives: Heal Trauma Faster with Focused, Deep Work
If you’re a busy mom juggling work, kids, and a thousand responsibilities — and you know you’re ready to finally heal the trauma that keeps getting triggered — weekly therapy can feel slow, fragmented, or simply impossible to maintain.
EMDR Intensives offer a different path.
Instead of stretching healing out over months or years, we focus deeply and intentionally over a concentrated period of time so you can experience meaningful relief sooner.
What Is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an eight-phase therapy model designed to help your brain integrate difficult memories so they no longer cause present-day distress.
Most life experiences get stored adaptively in our memory networks. But some events — especially those tied to trauma — get “stuck.”
They often become stuck because your nervous system shifted into:
Fight
Flight
Freeze
Fawn
When this happens, the memory doesn’t fully process. Instead, it continues to feel current. That’s why a present-day moment can feel overwhelming, shame-filled, or disproportionate.
EMDR helps those stuck memories become integrated — so the emotional charge disappears and your body can finally stand down.
How I Practice EMDR
My EMDR approach is informed by:
Somatics (body-based awareness)
Attachment theory (how relationships shape us)
Parts work through Internal Family Systems (IFS)
This means we don’t just “revisit a memory.”
We help your body complete what it couldn’t complete at the time.
We work collaboratively. You choose how much detail you share. Your nervous system leads the pace.
We use bilateral stimulation — eye movements, tapping, or audio tones — to support your brain’s natural healing process.
Your body already knows how to heal. EMDR simply helps it do what it was designed to do.
The 8 Phases of EMDR (Simplified)
History & treatment planning
Preparation & coping skill building
Identifying target memories
4–6. Reprocessing stuck memoriesInstallation of adaptive beliefs
Future template (planning for the life you want)
We don’t just process the past.
We also imagine and prepare for the future you desire — identifying potential blocks and helping your system respond differently next time.
What Is an EMDR Intensive?
An EMDR Intensive is an extended therapy experience designed to accelerate your progress.
Instead of meeting weekly for 50–60 minutes, we meet for longer, focused sessions — often multiple hours at a time — to dive deeply into one primary goal.
This format is ideal if you:
💃🏻 Are ready to dive deep
🛋️ Have scheduling barriers due to work or childcare
⏰ Need more time to fully process a memory
🗓️ Can’t add another weekly commitment
🤯 Want accelerated therapy work
🤷🏻♀️ Feel stuck in weekly therapy
Intensives can also be used alongside your current therapist to “unstick” a particular area.
Why Consider an Intensive Instead of Weekly Therapy?
The traditional weekly model doesn’t work for everyone.
Intensives offer:
Faster symptom reduction
Fewer fragmented starts and stops
Highly concentrated focus
Less time spent checking in on weekly logistics
Flexibility for busy schedules
Change in days — not months
For overwhelmed moms especially, this format can feel powerful. Instead of constantly reopening something each week and then closing it before real progress happens, we stay with it long enough for true integration.
What the Research Says About EMDR Intensives
Research suggests that intensive trauma-focused therapy:
Is well tolerated in individuals with PTSD
Can lead to faster symptom reduction
Shows similar or even better outcomes compared to weekly formats
May reduce dropout rates
Is feasible and effective even for complex PTSD
The economy of time is compelling. Less time is spent on repeated weekly check-ins and stabilization work that becomes unnecessary once trauma is processed.
In short: Intensive EMDR is both efficient and effective.
What to Expect: The EMDR Intensive Process
Step One: 15-Minute Consultation Call
We’ll connect so I can hear what you’d like to work on. You can ask questions. We’ll determine if we’re a good fit. If we move forward, you’ll receive preparation materials.
Step Two: 1-Hour Preparation Session
We’ll clarify your goal and identify target memories.
We’ll practice coping and grounding skills to ensure you feel resourced before the intensive.
You’ll receive a customized workbook to support your process before, during, and after.
Step Three: The Intensive (1–3 Days)
We’ll meet for extended sessions (typically 3 hours each) to process your identified targets.
Breaks are built in.
Grounding is practiced throughout.
You choose your bilateral stimulation method.
Your nervous system sets the pace.
Multiple intensives can be scheduled over 1–3 days or used monthly as needed.
Is an EMDR Intensive Right for You?
An intensive may be a strong fit if:
You’re tired of feeling triggered by the same patterns.
You want relief sooner rather than later.
You have limited availability due to parenting, travel, or work.
You’re ready to focus deeply and intentionally on healing.
You want therapy that works with your nervous system — not against it.
Healing Is Possible
Trauma is not a life sentence.
Stuck memories can be integrated.
Your nervous system can settle.
Your body can learn safety again.
You don’t have to stay in survival mode.
If you’re curious whether an EMDR Intensive could help you move forward more quickly, we can start with a simple 15-minute consultation call.
You deserve healing that fits your real life.