What Is EMDR Therapy — and How Can EMDR Intensives Help You Heal More Deeply?
Healing from trauma isn’t just about talking through what happened — it’s about helping your body and brain process what they’ve been holding.
That’s where EMDR therapy comes in.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based approach to trauma therapy. It helps you reprocess painful memories that may still feel “stuck,” so they no longer trigger the same emotional intensity.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR focuses on how trauma lives in the nervous system — not just in the mind. Through guided eye movements, sounds, or tapping, EMDR helps the brain safely reprocess experiences that once felt overwhelming.
The result?
Clients often report feeling lighter, calmer, and more present — with less reactivity and a stronger sense of self.
Why EMDR Works
When we experience trauma, the brain’s natural processing system can become overwhelmed. Instead of fully integrating the event, the body stores fragments of it — sensations, emotions, or images — as if the danger is still happening.
EMDR helps complete that “unfinished processing,” allowing your brain and body to finally file the memory where it belongs: in the past.
This process can reduce symptoms of:
Anxiety or panic
PTSD or complex trauma
Chronic shame or self-blame
Emotional reactivity
Perfectionism and over-control (common in high-achieving women)
What Are EMDR Intensives?
For some clients, weekly 50-minute sessions can feel too brief — especially when deep trauma work is involved. EMDR Intensives offer an alternative: extended sessions (often 2–3 hours) that allow for deeper focus and faster progress in a shorter period of time.
These intensives are ideal if you:
Feel “stuck” in your current therapy progress.
Have limited availability for weekly sessions.
Want to make meaningful movement on a specific issue or event.
Are preparing for or integrating after a major life transition.
EMDR Intensives provide a contained, supportive environment where we move at your nervous system’s pace — not the clock’s.
What to Expect from an EMDR Intensive
Every EMDR Intensive begins with a comprehensive intake session to ensure it’s the right fit. Together, we’ll:
Identify your goals and focus areas.
Establish grounding and regulation skills before beginning processing.
Schedule one or more extended EMDR sessions tailored to your needs.
After your intensive, you’ll receive integration support to help you stay grounded and notice changes as they unfold. One client expressed:
“I was nervous about doing an EMDR Intensive at first, but it felt so safe and focused. After just one session, I noticed less anxiety and fewer intrusive thoughts. It felt like years of weight started to lift.”
As a therapist who specializes in working with high-achieving women and femmes, I know how trauma often hides behind perfectionism, over-functioning, and people-pleasing. EMDR helps release what your body has been holding — so you can access calm, creativity, and connection again.
Getting Started
If you’re curious about EMDR or EMDR Intensives, I’d love to talk more about what healing could look like for you.
You deserve support that meets you where you are — whether that means weekly EMDR sessions or a focused intensive designed to help you move forward.
