5 things to Expect from an EMDR Intensive

EMDR Intensives are prolonged EMDR sessions aimed at increasing the efficiency of memory processing. An intensive can help you feel less distress around traumatic events or adverse life experiences rather quickly while simultaneously helping you learn skills to manage nervous system dysregulation. For some, the idea of an “intensive” may sound intimidating, and that’s understandable! To put your mind at ease, here are five things you can expect from an EMDR Intensive Therapy. 

1. Expect an initial intake session in which your counselor will gather history and make sure an EMDR intensive is an appropriate fit for you:

   History taking is an important part of the EMDR process. This stage gives your counselor a chance to gauge your readiness for an intensive processing session. Your counselor may ask you about past diagnoses, history with suicidal thoughts, and more about the incident you are wanting to work through. Your counselor will also get you familiar with the process and explain EMDR and the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model that EMDR is based on. You may take a short assessment to make sure you’re able to stay grounded throughout your processing session. 

2. Expect a longer session with breaks from thinking about the memory:

   EMDR intensives usually last multiple hours and sometimes even days at a time (EMDR retreats). Don’t worry--you won’t be trauma processing the entire time! You might take a break from processing to do some nervous system regulation strategies such as yoga or breathing exercises or you might just take a break to get tea and take a walk. 

3. The session will be more efficient:

   During 50-60 minute EMDR processing sessions, the counselor and client usually need 10 minutes at the beginning of the session to catch up, discuss symptoms or triggers that came up between sessions, and reevaluate distress around the incident. Keep in mind, the pair will also need 10-15 minutes to wrap up, ground, and stabilize after processing. When it’s all said and done, this leaves the pair with only about 30 minutes of processing time. That’s one of the major benefits of EMDR intensives--we don’t have to spend so much time with intros and wrap ups. Usually, especially in regards to recent adulthood traumas, we can fully complete the processing around a memory, leaving the client with little physical distress when bringing the memory to mind.

4. You may not need any more EMDR sessions:

   Again, if we can significantly lower distress around the incident, you may not need any ongoing EMDR work (that is unless you are wanting to do a more comprehensive treatment plan and work through multiple incident trauma).

5. Expect to come away with more emotional tolerance skills and resources:

   Throughout the intensive, you will be practicing pendulating between memory processing and taking breaks with skills and resourcing. You can take these skills with you and use them in your daily life to ground, contain, and regulate your nervous system!

   To learn more or schedule an EMDR Intensive therapy, contact us here.

   Authored by: Anna Zapata, LPC