One Weekend. Years of Therapy Progress: Why Some People Prefer EMDR Intensives
For many people navigating the impacts of trauma, weekly therapy can be an important source of support. But there are times when 50-minute sessions, while helpful, may not feel like quite enough. Especially if you’ve been in therapy for a while and still feel stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed, you might start to wonder: Is there a way to go deeper?
That’s where EMDR intensives come in.
As a trauma therapist trained in both Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS), I offer intensives designed to provide the time, space, and safety required for real healing. Whether you’ve tried EMDR in the past or are new to trauma therapy, an intensive format can open the door to deeper insights, emotional clarity, and lasting change.
In this blog, we’ll explore what makes intensives so powerful, how they differ from weekly sessions, and how IFS-informed EMDR can support deep, compassionate healing.
Are you wondering what EMDR therapy is? You can learn more about this trauma therapy approach to healing, here.
Why Some People Choose Intensives
50-minute sessions offer steady, ongoing care. But if you’re working through complex trauma, especially from childhood, it can take most of that time just to settle in. By the time you’ve caught up, checked in with your therapist and nervous system, and begun processing… the session is wrapping up.
Some clients find this rhythm helpful. Others find it difficult to build momentum. And if you’re someone who’s already done a lot of insight-based work and you're looking to move through the deeper layers, that stop-start rhythm can feel frustrating.
Intensives offer uninterrupted time for focused healing. Instead of months of prep and short bursts of processing, we get to slow down, regulate your system, tend to your inner parts, and move through the work at a pace that honors your full experience.
This isn’t about rushing healing. It’s about creating enough space for it.
What Makes an EMDR Intensive Different?
An EMDR intensive is a longer-format session (typically 3 hours or more) that allows us to:
Fully prepare your nervous system by finding coping skills that work for you
Build trust with your parts
Reprocess key memories without feeling pressured by the clock
Explore protective patterns and stuck points with more spaciousness
Integrate new insights and beliefs before you leave the room
We’re not just doing “more” therapy—we’re doing deeper, more connected work.
By weaving in Internal Family Systems (IFS), we honor the different parts of you that show up in the process—parts that might be scared to revisit the past, parts that have helped you survive, or parts that long to be seen and heard. You’re not pushing through resistance. You’re listening to it, supporting it, and building internal safety as you go.
This compassionate, attuned approach allows for meaningful transformation, not just symptom management.
Who Benefits Most from EMDR Intensives?
Intensives can be helpful for anyone, but they’re especially powerful if you:
Feel stuck in traditional therapy, even with a great therapist
Have a history of relational trauma
Identify as high-functioning but secretly overwhelmed or disconnected
Want to explore trauma without dragging it out over years
Need clarity or relief around a specific issue or event
Feel like you have great coping skills but still get caught up in repeating patterns
Many of my clients are women who’ve spent years overfunctioning—taking care of others, staying busy, holding it all together. They often feel exhausted, burnt out, unsure, and quietly wondering if healing is really possible for them.
The answer is: yes. Especially when healing is approached with care, time, and the right support.
What Happens During an Intensive?
Every intensive is customized to your specific needs, but they generally include:
Pre-Intensive Free Consultation
We hop on a call beforehand to get clear on your goals, history, and concerns. We talk about what you’ve tried, what’s felt helpful, and where you feel stuck.
Preparation and Safety
We don’t dive straight into trauma. We begin with nervous system regulation, inner resourcing and coping skills, and IFS-based connection to the parts of you who need reassurance before reprocessing begins.
EMDR Reprocessing (IFS-Informed)
Using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, etc.), we begin reprocessing distressing memories or beliefs—while staying in relationship with your protective and wounded parts. If something feels too much, we pause. You’re in charge.
Integration and Closure
Before the session ends, we take time to help your system settle. We reflect on what shifted, what parts showed up, and how you can continue supporting yourself in the days ahead.
A Few Common Questions
Is this like doing a year of therapy in one day? Not exactly. Intensives don’t replace long-term therapy for everyone. But they do offer focused space to make meaningful progress in a shorter timeframe, especially when guided by a well-trained trauma therapist.
Will I feel overwhelmed afterward? We go at your pace. IFS-informed EMDR means your system leads the way, and we prioritize regulation before and after processing. Most clients leave feeling tired but lighter, clearer, and more connected to themselves.
Is this right for me if I’ve never done therapy before? Absolutely. In fact, some clients find that starting with an intensive gives them a strong foundation for ongoing healing, whether they continue with me or another provider.
Trauma Therapy with Brea in Denver, Colorado
You deserve more than surface-level healing.
If you're craving real shifts and not just more insight or coping tools, an EMDR intensive might be the next right step.
Because when we give ourselves time to slow down and listen to what’s underneath the surface… transformation becomes possible.
Ready to explore what an intensive could look like for you? Reach out to schedule a consultation. I'd be honored to walk with you.
If you’re wanting to learn more about working with me, learn more here.
