Intensive EMDR
Treatment for PTSD and Trauma
What is intensive EMDR?
Intensive EMDR is a concentrated way of offering EMDR Therapy. It allows you to gain the benefits of EMDR at an accelerated pace. It is especially effective for individuals with PTSD or trauma experiences.
Regular EMDR sessions usually last for 60 or 90 minutes, weekly. Intensive EMDR involves longer sessions delivered more frequently, or a block of sessions over several days.
Click here to find out more about EMDR and how it works.
Why choose intensive EMDR?
“It felt like I was able to sort of step outside of my life for that time.” — Client, intensive EMDR study (2024)
There are a number of benefits to intensive EMDR. These include:
- Being able to set aside a specific period of time to work through your trauma in one go, rather than spreading it across many months.
- If you feel that a traumatic event is having a detrimental effect on your current wellbeing you may want to have a focused period of time to work through this at a quicker pace so you feel more able to return to “normal life”.
- Psychologically it means you don’t have to build yourself up to going back to traumatic events each week, and then readapting after the session. By having longer sessions you will have more time to process full memories, or to process a number of them in one go.
- It can help with momentum and allow the trauma work to feel more contained.
- It can make the sessions feel more focused and productive because there will only be one “check in” at the start of the longer session, rather than each week.
- Sometimes weekly therapy can be difficult due to work, travel, caring responsibilities, or motivation. Intensive EMDR means you can address your trauma needs in a discreet period of time that may be easier to work your life around.
Interested in Intensive EMDR? Visit my contact page to request an initial consultation.
How does intensive EMDR work?
We will have a 50 minute assessment session before agreeing intensive EMDR. During this I will ask questions about your current life, your traumatic experience(s), and your general current functioning. We will then agree a plan.
The next session we will complete the second phase of EMDR, which involves understanding your trauma and the memories you want to work on. We will also develop some coping strategies you can use in between sessions.
An intensive EMDR schedule will be designed around your specific needs. Some example schedules include:
- A 3 hour session twice a week, for three weeks.
- 2 or 3 full days of therapy (with a lunch break)
- Weekly sessions but with extra-long sessions (3 hours) when processing specific memories.
The schedule will depend on:
- The goals of therapy (what you want to achieve from EMDR).
- Your availability.
- The type of trauma that is being processed.
- The number of memories you want to process.
- Your personal feelings about how much therapy you feel you can manage at a time.
In each intensive session there will be breaks and opportunities to leave the therapy space as needed. You are encouraged to bring food and drink with you.
Recovery time is important to think about, because your brain and body can continue to process information between sessions.
You are likely to feel very tired after an intensive EMDR session. It is recommended that you do not return straight to demanding work or other emotionally intensive commitments.
You are encouraged to engage in gentle physical activities in between sessions. This may include walking, stretching, yoga or Pilates, or other sport you enjoy. Spending time with animals or loved ones can also help to ground you in the present.
Following the intensive therapy we will arrange a follow up session or telephone call a few weeks later to discuss how you are feeling, and whether you require any further therapeutic support.
Who will benefit from intensive EMDR?
I will conduct a full assessment with you prior to agreeing intensive EMDR. This is to make sure that the process is the best fit for you.
Intensive EMDR may suit you if:
- You have clear trauma memories that you want to work through. This may be a one off trauma, or a number of traumatic events.
- You feel emotionally stable and already have a number of coping strategies that you are using.
- You have support from others outside of therapy, so that there is someone you can speak to about your experiences.
- You are motivated to complete therapy and understand the emotional and physical demands that can come with intensive EMDR.
- You able to have time between sessions to rest and recover.
When may it not be suitable?
Some people may require more support before completing intensive EMDR. This could include building up coping strategies, or talking through complex trauma experiences to understand how best to use EMDR.
You may need more assessment or preparation if:
- You have a complex PTSD presentation
- You show signs of dissociation which needs to be addressed first.
- You are using unhelpful coping mechanisms such as substance misuse or self-harm.
- You have complex mental health needs such as psychosis or mania.
- You become easily tired or struggle to concentrate for long periods.
- You have current life stressors that make it hard to focus on the trauma.
In these cases intensive EMDR would not be ruled out. We may need a longer period of weekly sessions to support these needs before offering it.
Research
Studies of intensive EMDR programmes that have focused on offering sessions over consecutive days rather than weekly have reported substantial improvements in PTSD symptoms, high rates of loss of PTSD diagnosis and low dropout rates. This has been found amongst the general population, Veterans , adolescents and young adults, and people with intellectual difficulties .
It is believed that intensive EMDR works by providing repeated opportunities to process traumatic memories without long gaps between sessions, allowing treatment to build momentum and reducing the opportunity for avoidance to interrupt the therapeutic process.
Research studies have paired intensive EMDR with physical activity including walking, exercise or trauma-informed yoga. This is to support movement, bodily awareness and stress regulation between therapy sessions. The evidence indicates that while physical activity can provide useful benefits for wellbeing, the main improvements to PTSD symptoms is primarily associated with the EMDR treatment.
Links to the research studies used here are given at the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does intensive EMDR cost?
We will agree the number of hours you require at the beginning of the intensive EMDR therapy and I charge my hourly rate of £100. I would expect most people to require at least 12 hours for intensive therapy, which would cost £1200. Costs may be more depending on what you need.
I will only charge for the hours you use. I request a deposit to secure the booking of £400 before starting the intensive part of therapy.
Will I need more therapy afterwards?
This will depend on your goals for therapy and progress made in intensive EMDR. If you come to therapy and want to focus on one specific trauma, it is likely that the course of treatment will be enough. If you have other difficulties outside of the trauma that you would like further weekly sessions for this can also be arranged.
How long are intensive EMDR sessions?
This varies depending on your needs — some people have 3-hour sessions twice a week for three weeks, others complete 2–3 full days of therapy with breaks, and others prefer weekly sessions extended to 3 hours to process specific memories. We’ll agree a schedule together after your assessment.
Is intensive EMDR covered by health insurance?
I do take health insurance for therapy. This usually covers a person for one or two hourly sessions a week. We would need to discuss your insurance and potentially speak to the provider to see if intensive EMDR can by covered by this. We can factor in your insurance when considering frequency and length of sessions.
Can I cover a number of traumatic experiences?
Yes, you can. We will agree which memories you wish to process at the start of therapy. If memories are particularly complex or have lots of parts to them I may suggest focusing on these first.
What should I do after an intensive EMDR session?
I would recommend that straight after the session you have some time to relax. That may involve going for a short walk, or a coffee. For some people a drive home can be calming. We will finish the session with a grounding exercise to help with the transition back to your normal day. If possible I would suggest not making too many plans or having any taxing events for the rest of the day. You are likely to feel tired in the evening so think about what you can do to relax then as well.
What does the follow up involve after the intensive EMDR sessions?
The follow up is an opportunity to check in with how you are feeling after the intensive therapy. This would usually be a free 20 minute phonecall or it can be a paid 50 minute session if you feel this would benefit you. I am happy to do whatever works best for you – so if you prefer an email or text chat that is fine too.
It sometimes can take a few weeks to fully understand the impact of the therapy, and for your emotional state to settle. The follow up is an opportunity to talk about this, what is normal, and whether you wish to have any further sessions.
How do I book?
Please get in contact if you are interested in intensive EMDR. I offer this outside of my normal therapy hours, so I often can arrange sessions without a waiting list.
We will have a 20 minute introductory call to discuss you needs, where we can discuss Intensive EMDR in more detail.
Intensive EMDR can be completed in person at my Market Harborough clinic, online, or using a hybrid approach. I can advise on hotels in the Market Harborough area if you are interested in staying locally and completing intensive EMDR over a number of days.
References:
Click on link to be taken to the full text
