Are EMDR Intensives More Beneficial Than Regular EMDR?
It’s probably safe to assume you have a basic understanding of what EMDR is: a brain-based, mindfulness-focused therapy that works to heal the damage that stressful experiences leave behind in your brain and body. EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation and dual attention to help your brain reprocess stressful or traumatic memories. EMDR gives you the opportunity to release trauma and stress you’ve been holding in for years, in ways that, quite frankly, isn’t possible with talk therapy.
So what’s the difference between regular EMDR therapy and an EMDR Intensive? Let’s take a look. Depending on your goals, an Intensive might be a better fit.
Less time in therapy
One of the most noticeable differences between regular (weekly) EMDR Therapy and EMDR Intensives is related to the way both types of therapy are scheduled. Regular EMDR Therapy is usually broken up over a longer series of shorter sessions - meeting weekly for 50 minutes, with therapy often lasting for months or years. EMDR Intensives usually have fewer sessions, and last much longer. At Sea Glass, our Intensives are structured in 3-day or half day formats, with each session 3 hours long.
The normal approach to EMDR Therapy can be very effective, but shorter sessions make it hard to unpack and process complex traumatic memories because we don’t have the same luxury of time. In a standard weekly EMDR session, you might only have about 20 minutes of actual “EMDR” therapy, including reprocessing time. Reprocessing is what most people think of when they think of EMDR - I like to call it the “meat and potatoes” of the session. It’s the part where most of the magic happens. In an Intensive format, we could have up to 140 minutes of reprocessing time in each session. We’re able to cover so much more material without the interruptions of a whole week of life going by in between sessions, adding to the material that we’re trying to help your brain reprocess.
Intensives are great for people who don’t want or need to spend a lot of time in therapy. Longer sessions, especially with EMDR, allows for a significant amount of healing and reduces the overall time needed in therapy.
More cost-effective
Writers and software developers often rely on a process they call “sprints” or “hackathons.” In short, they focus on very specific goals and dedicate a stretch of time to get them done. You can find examples of this in all types of professions. Therapy is no different. When the typical length of therapy is months or years, especially for traumatic or stressful material, it’s reasonable to look for an option that better fits your budget.
You may not have the time, bandwidth, or finances to go through a longer EMDR process that takes years - especially if you have an urgent need to make progress because your relationship, job, or health is at risk. An EMDR intensive takes that goal-oriented focus of EMDR therapy to its logical conclusion and condenses the therapy into a shorter time period.
EMDR Intensives are typically composed of a few targeted sessions over a few days. Different practice have different structures, but an intensive can last anywhere from several hours to all day. It’s a lot of therapy in a short amount of time, and it’s not for everyone—but it’s tremendously helpful for people who have the commitment and motivation for it.
Trauma isn’t always the focus
Most people think of “trauma” when they think of EMDR, but the reality is that EMDR is beneficial for more than just trauma. An EMDR intensive might be a great fit if you’re looking to improve your sleep, improve your self esteem, or enhance your performance in the workplace, academics, or athletics.
Increased momentum
Participating in an EMDR intensive may create impactful change more efficiently than just weekly, 50-minute therapy sessions. Depending on your treatment goals, EMDR intensives are not always curative or the end of therapy. For some, an EMDR intensive is rich in assessment and treatment planning, and serves as a great launching pad into continued EMDR or talk therapy sessions. During our work together, you will gain a clear sense of what, if anything, may need to attention in future therapy sessions.
Many of our clients start out with a 3-day intensive and transition to half days to continue the work until their goals are met. Most of our clients meet their therapy goals in 3 to 12 Intensive sessions (compare that to two years of weekly therapy - 104 sessions!)
Extra tools and resources
EMDR Intensive clients at Sea Glass receive access to exclusive materials and resources to support their healing journey, including workbooks, courses, grounding tools, and connections to vetted holistic providers that can support your brain and body’s healing in ways that support our work together.
Priority scheduling
Therapists are in high demand right now, and it’s tough to find a good therapist without a long wait list. Intensive clients at Sea Glass get to skip the wait list and have priority scheduling for all appointment times, including weekend availability. Weekend intensives allow opportunity for significant healing and progress without the hassle of needing to take time off work and use up valuable PTO to attend a therapy retreat or interrupt your work schedule.
Retreat-style therapy
Our EMDR Intensives are conducted similar to a multi-day trauma retreat. Clients meet with a Certified EMDR therapist for 3 hours per day over the course of 1-3 days, and each Intensive experience is tailored so that it functions as your own personalized healing workshop. We encourage you to clear your schedule and allow time and space for yourself to do the work.
If this sounds like something that might help you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Give yourself the love you deserve, by getting the personalized care that works for you, on your schedule. No need to spend forever in therapy.
If you are ready to learn more about EMDR Intensives, contact us today. Our founder Erin Pritchard was one of the first therapists to bring EMDR Intensives to clients in Ohio, and would love to work with you.
Sea Glass Counseling and Consultation is an EMDR therapy practice in Dublin, Ohio. Our compassionate, skilled therapists use evidence-based techniques grounded in the neurobiology of stress, trauma, and relationships to make sure your treatment is personalized and effective. Sea Glass therapists provide telehealth counseling in Ohio for individuals and couples. We’re best known for providing Intensive EMDR therapy, anxiety treatment, and sex therapy for Christians. Interested in working together? Contact us today to get started with a Certified EMDR therapist in Ohio.