EMDR Intensives are powerful, transformative sessions that can help you start to heal quickly and experience relief and results faster than possible with traditional weekly therapy. My intensive clients often can leave our EMDR intensive sessions feeling lighter and more hopeful than they’ve felt in years. And because EMDR works with memory networks instead of individual memories, the benefits can last even after your intensive is over.

EMDR can be life-changing

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an effective treatment for lots of mental health concerns. It's an effective treatment for depression, anxiety, and other issues that can be caused or worsened by trauma. EMDR uses eye movements, sounds, or other sensory cues to help your brain reprocess difficult experiences and negative messages about yourself. It works with your brain’s natural healing process and doesn’t require much talking about the painful experiences. Many of my clients with trauma find this extremely helpful to know and comforting. If you're struggling with low self esteem, nightmares, inappropriate guilt, intrusive thoughts, sexual pain, performance anxiety, or relationship troubles, EMDR might be right for you!

Move through months of therapy in just one intensive session

Typical weekly therapy sessions are 50 minutes long, which is sort of a bummer because standard EMDR protocol is designed to be done in 90-minute sessions. Intensive EMDR therapy is a series of sessions in which you will receive more focused attention than usual. Some benefits of an EMDR intensive include:

Accelerated treatment - The opportunity to work on specific issues at deeper levels than what would be possible in regular weekly sessions. Spend less time in therapy and more time living your life.
Effective treatment - With over 30 years of research behind it, EMDR therapy is the gold standard treatment for trauma and PTSD symptoms. Even if you’ve experienced symptoms for years or decades, you can experience relief often from just one intensive.
Save money - Therapy costs, like everything else, are rising. EMDR Intensives require less overall treatment (think months, compared to years), which saves you money on the cost of healing.

Factors to consider

When you're considering weekly therapy or an EMDR intensive, there’s several things that might play into your decision:

Your goals for therapy

EMDR Intensives work best when you have a focused goal. The clearer the goal, and the more we stick to it, the quicker progress you’ll make. In my personal and professional experience, many people seek out therapy with a focused goal in mind that eventually gets lost in the sauce during weekly therapy sessions. It’s natural for stuff to come up in between sessions and get sidetracked in weekly therapy with the current happenings.

A certified EMDR therapist can help you resolve trauma and PTSD symptoms with intensive EMDR therapy. EMDR intensives allow you to feel better faster than possible with traditional weekly therapy.

Length of sessions

Intensive therapists usually hold sessions longer than 50 minutes (the traditional therapy hour). Most therapists offering EMDR intensives work in 90+ minute sessions. This is awesome, because the EMDR protocol actually calls for 90 minute sessions instead of just an hour.

Frequency of sessions

EMDR intensives allow you to do multiple sessions within one day of treatment. The number of hours spent in therapy during each intensive varies by therapist and location (the cost may also vary). For example, some therapists offer week-long intensives with 12-16 hours of treatment per week; others offer shorter ones with fewer hours but more frequent visits over several weeks or months; others offer longer durations such as three months or more at once (which could include two separate half-day sessions every week). At Sea Glass, we offer intensives in 1 day, 3 day, or weekend packages.

Cost of therapy

EMDR intensives allow you to do more therapy in less time, which typically saves you money in the long run. The cost of your EMDR treatment is going to be determined by several factors and differ from therapist to therapist. EMDR intensives tend to cost more up front but less overall.

Consider the years of therapy you’ve had in the past. Have you totaled that up? What would it be like to have just as much or more healing experience, at a fraction of that overall cost? That’s an EMDR intensive.

Therapist experience

As a Certified EMDR therapist, I typically only refer to other Certified EMDR therapists because I trust their experience level and quality of work.

If you’re considering an EMDR intensive, ask your therapist:

When were they trained in EMDR?
What recent CEUs have they taken to stay fresh?
How often do they consult with other EMDR therapists?
How many intensives have they done? What have their client experiences and results been like?

Location

Do you want to do EMDR virtually, or in person? Are you looking to be seen in your city, home state, or looking to travel for a more retreat-like therapeutic experience? Research shows that the effectiveness of virtual or in-person therapy is the same, barring any safety concerns like addiction or self harm. There’s even some research supporting that virtual therapy may be more effective than in person.

Feel better, faster

One of my favorite things about providing intensive EMDR therapy is the quick relief that my clients experience. It’s such a privilege and joy to bring that to people, and I sincerely believe it’s impossible to overstate how wonderful of a benefit that alone is. If you’re ready to feel better, faster with intensive EMDR therapy, contact us today to get started.

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.

Why choose an EMDR Intensive?