How EMDR Intensives Work: A Step-by-Step Guide
A clear walkthrough of what to expect, especially if you’re feeling curious, nervous, or unsure.
If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or weighed down by the same patterns no matter how hard you try to move forward, you might be wondering whether EMDR could help. And if you’ve heard about EMDR intensives, you may have even more questions:
What are EMDR intensives?
How do they actually work?
Is this right for me?
Whether you’re brand new to EMDR or already familiar with the process, this guide will walk you through the flow of an EMDR intensive step by step so you can get a real sense of what the experience feels like.
Healing shouldn’t be a mystery.
You deserve to feel safe, informed, and empowered as you make choices about your care.
What Exactly Is an EMDR Intensive?
An EMDR intensive is a focused, short-term format of trauma therapy that condenses weeks or months of work into a few longer sessions. While they cannot provide a guaranteed outcome, they can provide an accelerated healing experience.
Instead of meeting weekly for 50 minutes at a time, you meet for:
Half-day sessions
Full-day sessions
Or a series of extended sessions over a few days or weeks
The extended processing allows for processing to continue without the stop and start of a 50 minute session. If you have ever felt like a therapy session was ending just as you were getting started, an intensive might make sense for you.
Clients often choose EMDR intensives when they:
Feel stuck in weekly therapy
Want relief sooner
Prefer a more structured, efficient approach
Don’t have time for weekly appointments
Want to supplement ongoing therapy
How EMDR Intensives Work: A Step-by-Step Guide
Below is the flow I typically use in intensives, though they are always adapted to what you need.
Step 1: The Consultation (Free & No Pressure)
Before anything else, we talk preferably over zoom.
We explore:
What’s bringing you in
How trauma, anxiety, or past patterns are showing up
What you’re hoping to feel or experience differently
Whether an intensive is the right fit
This is also when you get to ask any questions. The goal is for you to feel informed and be able to make the best choice for you. If intensives are not the right fit, I will help you explore what might be a better fit or help you get connected to the right fit person.
Step 2: Pre-Intensive Assessment & Planning
If you choose to move forward, we spend time preparing typically done between one to three 90 minute sessions.
This step is collaborative and done at your pace.
It may include:
A detailed history of what feels important
Identifying the themes or memories we’ll focus on
Understanding how your nervous system responds to stress
Learning grounding tools you’ll use during and after processing
Reviewing your goals for the intensive
This stage builds safety which is the basis of which the rest of our work will build from.
We won’t go into EMDR processing without feeling resourced, prepared, and supported.
Step 3: Intensive Sessions Begin
This where we move from preparation to processing.
An intensive can last:
2–3 hours
Half a day (4 hours)
A full day (6 hours)
Or multiple days in a row
Here’s what it usually includes:
Resourcing & Grounding
We will continue the resourcing work done in our preparation sessions
You might learn and practice:
Somatic techniques
Stabilization exercises a.k.a. have tools to put the memories were are working with away after session
Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed grounding
Calm place imagery and other internal resources
Processing
Once you’re ready, we begin processing the memories, beliefs, sensations, and emotions connected to your stuck points.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, usually eye movements, tapping, buzzers or audio, to help your brain reprocess what’s been overwhelming or unresolved.
Clients often describe this part as:
Intense but relieving
Emotional but empowering
Surprising (“I didn’t expect that memory”)
Clarifying (“I finally understand why this keeps coming up”)
You are in complete control during this process.
We pause whenever needed.
You are never alone in the experience.
Integration & Reflection
After processing, we spend time helping your system settle and integrate.
This might look like:
Checking in with your body
Noticing what feels different
Installing positive beliefs
Grounding and regulation
Reflection about the experience
This is where many clients say,
“I feel lighter,”
or
“It finally makes sense,”
or
“It feels like it is in the past now.”
Step 4: Post-Intensive Follow-Up
After the intensive, we schedule a follow-up appointment to check in on:
How you’re feeling
What’s shifted
What still feels tender
How your nervous system is adjusting
What support you may need next
Some people return to weekly therapy with new clarity and space.
Some schedule another intensive.
Some feel complete with the work they came in for.
There’s no right or wrong path. I may give recommended options, and you will get to decide what feels aligned for you.
What People Often Notice After an EMDR Intensive
Every person is different, but many clients report:
Fewer triggers
More clarity about their patterns
Less self-blame
More self-compassion
Reduced anxiety or reactivity
A sense of past events being in the past
Who EMDR Intensives Are Helpful for:
EMDR intensives may be especially helpful if you’re navigating:
Anxiety that won’t budge
Trauma (big or small)
Negative self-beliefs
Relationship or attachment wounds
Burnout
Eating disorder recovery
Medical trauma
Vicarious trauma
You Deserve Deep, Long-Lasting Relief
If you’re curious about EMDR intensives, or wondering whether this format could support you, I’d be honored to talk with you. You don’t have to figure this out on your own.
Feel free to reach out for a free 30 minute consultation to learn more about EMDR intensives in Seattle, Washington and Massachusetts.
