EMDR Intensives

Focused time for deeper trauma work

EMDR intensives offer dedicated time to work through distressing memories, experiences, or patterns that continue to affect your life. Rather than spreading the work across weekly sessions, we spend an extended period focusing on specific treatment goals, allowing for greater continuity and more sustained trauma processing.

If you've already been in therapy but still feel stuck, or have a particular experience you'd like to address, an intensive may offer a more focused approach. Whether you're looking to complement ongoing therapy or address something specific, we'll work together to determine if this format is right for you.

How it works:

1. Two Intake Sessions

Before your intensive we’ll meet twice to ensure you’re supported and prepared:

  • Session One: Intake & Assessment | 90 minutes | $300
    We review your background, clarify your goals, and assess your readiness for intensive EMDR therapy.

    Session Two: Preparation & Target Planning | 60 minutes | $250
    We develop grounding and stabilization tools, identify specific memories or themes to address, and create a plan for your intensive.

2. EMDR Intensive Options

Choose the format that best fits your needs:

  • Half-Day Intensive (3 hours) — $675

  • Full-Day EMDR Intensive — $1,350

    A six-hour appointment, including five hours of clinical treatment and a one-hour lunch and rest break. Your day includes preparation, EMDR processing, grounding, and integration.

  • Total investment, including both intake sessions:

    • Half-Day Intensive: $1,225

    • Full-Day Intensive: $1,900

Both formats include EMDR processing, grounding/integration, and supportive breaks. Offered in-person in my Los Angeles office or virtually for California residents.

3. After-Care (30 minutes, included)

Within one week after your intensive we’ll meet for a follow-up session to integrate what surfaced, reinforce new insights, and support continued regulation and rest.

Why people choose intensives

  • You’ve done therapy before and want to go deeper

  • You feel stuck in old patterns and want to shift them

  • You’re ready for focused trauma work without weekly sessions

  • You have limited time, a busy schedule, or you travel often

  • You prefer a contained, intensive process rather than “open-ended” weekly therapy

By choosing an intensive, you enter a model that allows fewer interruptions, consistent momentum, and more concentrated processing. This often leads to faster shifts and deeper integration.

What Kind of Relief Might You Experience?

EMDR intensives provide focused time to process difficult experiences and reduce the emotional distress connected to them.

While everyone's experience is different, you may notice:

  • Less emotional intensity when recalling painful memories.

  • Fewer intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or trauma-related triggers.

  • Changes in negative beliefs about yourself, such as shame, guilt, or self-blame.

  • Greater ability to respond to stressful situations without feeling overwhelmed.

  • A stronger sense of safety and connection to yourself.

  • More flexibility in patterns that previously felt difficult to change.

Some people notice meaningful changes after one intensive, while others benefit from additional sessions or ongoing therapy. The goal is not to rush your healing, but to create dedicated time for trauma processing at a pace that feels manageable and supportive.

What the day looks like

Half-Day Intensive Example

Time / Focus

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Arrival/check-in & grounding

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: EMDR processing with breaks

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Integration, reflection, closure

Full-Day Intensive Example

Time / Focus

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Arrival/orientation & grounding

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: First EMDR session

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch break/rest

12:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Second EMDR session

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Integration, reflection & close

Research & Efficacy

  • Intensive EMDR formats are shown to be safe and well-tolerated.

  • They can reduce therapy drop-out rates by offering faster and more consistent engagement.

  • They are applicable to complex trauma / PTSD and many other issues that benefit from concentrated attention.

Is an EMDR intensive right for you?

EMDR intensives can be a good fit for adults who have a specific experience, memory, or pattern they'd like to work through in a focused setting.

You may be a good candidate if you:

  • Have previous therapy experience or feel prepared to engage in trauma-focused work.

  • Have grounding or coping skills that help you manage difficult emotions.

  • Feel relatively stable in your daily life and have a supportive environment or people you can turn to.

  • Have a particular memory, experience, or recurring pattern you'd like to address.

  • Can make time for rest and integration following your intensive.

  • Already work with a therapist and want focused EMDR treatment to complement your ongoing care.

When a different approach may be more helpful

Intensives aren't appropriate for everyone. If you're currently experiencing significant dissociation, emotional instability, an ongoing unsafe situation, or difficulty managing distress between sessions, additional stabilization and preparation may be recommended.

For individuals with complex trauma or dissociative disorders, we'll carefully assess whether extended trauma processing is appropriate or whether a more gradual approach would better support your needs.

You don't need to have everything figured out before beginning. Our initial sessions are designed to help us determine whether an intensive is the right fit and what support you may need.

What can you expect afterward?

EMDR processing can continue after your intensive. You may notice shifts in your emotions, thoughts, dreams, or physical sensations in the days that follow.

Some people experience meaningful relief, while others need additional time or treatment to work through their experiences. The goal isn't to rush the process, but to provide focused trauma treatment at a pace that's appropriate for you.

If you're already working with a therapist, I'm happy to coordinate care, with your permission, to support continuity before and after your intensive.