EMDR Intensives: Rapid Relief and Healing

Trauma can leave deep scars on our minds and bodies, impacting our daily lives and overall well-being. Fortunately, therapeutic approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) have proven to be highly effective in addressing trauma and facilitating healing. While traditional EMDR therapy sessions typically last for an hour on a weekly basis, there is an alternative approach known as EMDR intensives. EMDR intensives are unique in that they are scheduled for multiple hours or days at a time instead of one hour a week. For example, you could engage in a half-day or an all-day EMDR intensive where you spend 3-6 hours with your therapist individually. This allows us to quickly and efficiently engage in EMDR therapy which means you can experience the relief and healing that you’ve been craving quicker.

Why Choose the Phoenix Center for EMDR Intensives?

Our staff is composed entirely of therapists who specialize in trauma therapy and have devoted their careers to learning, practicing, and teaching trauma therapy. While our staff have training and certifications in various trauma treatments, every therapist and graduate student on our team is trained in EMDR. EMDR is a common language and shared treatment philosophy and modality amongst our team which has over 25 EMDR providers. The Phoenix Center started in 2015 as a practice primarily offering EMDR therapy and has become recognized by many in the professional community as an agency providing high-quality and ethical EMDR treatment on a larger scale nearly any other organization in the Philadelphia area.

Here’s some of the benefits of EMDR intensives compared to an hour of weekly EMDR therapy:

1. Immersion in the Healing Process: EMDR intensives provide a concentrated and immersive experience for trauma therapy. Unlike weekly sessions, which often include weekly updates on life, EMDR intensives allow clients to delve deeper into their traumatic experiences and work through them in a more comprehensive and accelerated manner. Continuous engagement over consecutive hours or days helps maintain momentum in the therapeutic process and prevents interruptions that may occur between weekly sessions.
2. Efficiency and Financial Savings: The extended session lengths, which can range from several hours to multiple days, offer a safe and contained space for individuals to engage with their trauma and explore the associated emotions and memories. In weekly sessions, there is a natural warming up and cooling down process that happens each session which limits the amount of time available for trauma processing. In a focused 4-hour EMDR intensive, we might be able to realistically accomplish what would take 8-10 weeks of weekly hour sessions. This means you can receive the EMDR treatment quicker and save money in the long run. EMDR intensives condense the therapeutic process into a shorter timeframe. This compacted schedule allows clients to make rapid progress and experience substantial shifts in their healing journey.
3. Deepening of the Process: The concentrated nature of EMDR intensives provides an opportunity for clients to experience transformative breakthroughs without being slowed down or interrupted by the end of the hour session. Through the extended sessions, clients can establish a heightened sense of safety and trust with their therapist, allowing for a more continuous and naturally paced exploration of their trauma.
4. Availability: EMDR intensives can be particularly beneficial for individuals who are seeking immediate relief or who have limited availability for long-term therapy. This is often the case for professionals who travel often for their careers or for students who have limited time before moving out of town for school. Many clients will even travel out of town to engage in an EMDR intensive when their local area is lacking in high-quality trauma treatment options.

Who is appropriate for EMDR intensives?

It is important to note that not everyone is the best fit for engaging in EMDR therapy or EMDR intensives. The best candidates for EMDR intensives are individuals who have already established a social support system, developed self-awareness, are able to regulate their emotions when overwhelmed, have already learned coping skills, and who are otherwise relatively stable in terms of suicidality, alcohol/substance abuse, other addictive behaviors, self-harm, and overall mental health. Logistically, EMDR intensives are best for clients who can afford the time and financial cost of scheduling multiple hours or days. More on who is the best fit for EMDR here.

EMDR intensives offer a powerful and transformative approach to trauma therapy. With their immersive nature, extended sessions, deeper insights, rapid progress, and comprehensive care. While weekly EMDR sessions remain valuable and effective, intensives can be particularly beneficial for those seeking a more concentrated and accelerated healing experience. If you are ready to embark on a journey of healing and transformation, EMDR intensives may be the ideal option for you.