EMDR Therapy Intensives
Focused Support for Trauma, Anxiety, and Stuck Patterns
EMDR therapy intensives are designed for clients who want dedicated time to work through distressing experiences, emotional triggers, or patterns that feel difficult to shift in weekly therapy alone.
Instead of meeting for one standard session at a time, an intensive creates a longer, more focused space for assessment, preparation, processing, and integration. This can be especially helpful when you feel like you are just beginning to access meaningful material near the end of a regular session, only to have to pause before the work feels complete.
An EMDR intensive is not a one-and-done cure. It is best understood as a focused jump-start: a structured therapeutic experience that can help you move more deeply into the work, gain clarity, and create momentum for continued healing.
Why Choose EMDR Therapy Intensive?
In a standard 50–60 minute session, time is often spent getting oriented, checking in, preparing for the work, and closing safely. That means the window for deeper trauma processing can sometimes feel surprisingly narrow.
An EMDR intensive allows for more uninterrupted time to focus on the memories, emotions, body sensations, beliefs, and triggers that are keeping you stuck. With more space, your therapist can help you move thoughtfully through preparation, processing, and grounding without rushing the work.
Clients often choose an EMDR intensive because it allows for:
More dedicated time to focus on a specific issue or set of related experiences
More room for preparation, resourcing, and emotional grounding
More opportunity to process distressing memories without stopping just as the work opens up
More focused momentum than weekly therapy may allow
More time to understand how past experiences are connected to current triggers
A structured plan for continued healing after the intensive
EMDR Therapy in a Safe, Supportive Format
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a structured therapy approach used to help people process distressing memories, trauma responses, and stuck emotional patterns.
When painful experiences are not fully processed, they can continue to show up through anxiety, shame, avoidance, intrusive memories, body tension, emotional reactivity, relationship patterns, or negative beliefs about yourself. EMDR helps the brain and body reprocess these experiences so they feel less emotionally charged and less disruptive in daily life.
Our EMDR intensives are paced carefully. The goal is not to push you into overwhelming material or rush through trauma work. The goal is to create a supportive, clinically grounded space where you can prepare well, process thoughtfully, and leave with a clearer understanding of what was addressed and what support may still be needed.
What Happens During an EMDR Therapy Intensive?
Each EMDR intensive is customized based on your history, goals, current symptoms, readiness, and clinical fit. While every intensive is tailored, the process may include:
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We begin by understanding what brings you in, what you want help with, and what goals feel realistic for the intensive. This may include discussing current symptoms, past experiences, emotional triggers, and what you hope will feel different after the work.
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Your therapist will assess whether EMDR intensive work is appropriate at this time and help identify the memories, themes, beliefs, or triggers that may become the focus of treatment.
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Before processing begins, we spend time strengthening emotional regulation, grounding skills, and internal resources. This helps create a safer foundation for trauma processing and gives you tools to use during and after the intensive.
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Together, you and your therapist identify the experiences, memories, body sensations, emotions, or negative beliefs that appear connected to your current distress.
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During EMDR processing, your therapist guides you through a structured process that uses bilateral stimulation while you notice thoughts, feelings, images, body sensations, and shifts that arise. The goal is to help the nervous system reprocess distressing material so it becomes less emotionally intense and less disruptive.
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After processing, your therapist helps you make sense of what shifted, what themes emerged, and what feels different. This may include connecting the work to current relationships, self-beliefs, anxiety patterns, or emotional responses.
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Toward the end of the intensive, your therapist will help you review the work completed, identify what still needs attention, and create recommendations for ongoing therapy, follow-up sessions, or additional support.
Is an EMDR Therapy Intensive the Right Fit?
EMDR therapy intensives can be a powerful option for clients who want focused therapeutic time to address trauma, anxiety, painful memories, or emotionally charged patterns.
Because this work can be emotionally deep, it is important to determine whether an intensive is the right fit at this moment. We thoughtfully assess readiness, stability, safety, goals, and support before beginning intensive EMDR work.
EMDR Therapy Intensives May Be a Good Fit If You...
Have a specific trauma, memory, fear, or emotional trigger you want to work through
Feel stuck in weekly therapy and want more focused momentum
Notice that past experiences still feel emotionally charged in the present
Struggle with anxiety, shame, avoidance, self-blame, or negative beliefs about yourself
Feel ready to do deeper therapeutic work in a structured setting
Have enough emotional stability and support to engage in intensive processing
Want more than coping skills and are ready to address the roots of your distress
Are looking for focused work that can complement ongoing therapy
EMDR intensives often work best when there is a clear treatment focus, adequate preparation, and a shared understanding of what the intensive can realistically accomplish.
EMDR Therapy Intensives May Not Be the Right Fit If...
Because EMDR intensive work can involve sustained emotional processing, there are situations where this format may not be appropriate or clinically recommended.
EMDR intensives may not be suitable if:
You are currently in acute crisis or feel unable to stay safe
You are experiencing active suicidal intent, self-harm risk, or severe instability
You have untreated substance dependence that would interfere with emotional regulation
You are currently experiencing ongoing trauma or unsafe living conditions
You are not able to tolerate emotional distress without becoming overwhelmed
You are seeking a quick cure or expecting one intensive to resolve all trauma history
You do not have enough support or stability after the intensive
A slower pace of therapy would be safer or more clinically appropriate
In these situations, ongoing individual therapy, stabilization work, crisis support, or a different treatment approach may be more supportive. We can help you determine what level of care best fits your needs.
Couples Intensive Details:
Couples therapy intensives are typically scheduled for 6–10 total hours, often across two days. The exact structure is tailored to the couple’s specific needs, goals, and clinical fit.
Pricing:
Dr. Cunningham: $300 per hour
Clinical team members: $250 per hour
Deposit required: $500
The deposit reserves the intensive appointment time and is applied according to the practice’s scheduling and cancellation policies.