What Should I Do After an EMDR Intensive?
Woohoo—you did it!
You’ve just completed an EMDR intensive. That’s no small thing. After spending several hours in deep, focused therapy, many clients wonder:
How will I feel afterward?
Will I be able to go back to normal life?
Is there something I’m supposed to do—or not do?
These are all completely normal questions. Whether you're doing your EMDR intensive with me here in Connecticut or elsewhere, the post-session suggestions in this post can help you integrate the work more fully. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, I usually offer this guidance as a start:
After an EMDR intensive, give yourself time and permission to move slowly. Be intentional. Create space to notice what you need, and allow room for those needs to be honored.
Why the Time After Matters
An EMDR intensive isn’t just a long therapy session—it’s a powerful investment in your healing. From the very first call, you’ve already started sending a message to your system: “This matters. I matter.”
Setting aside dedicated time for deeper healing is an act of self-recognition. The format of an intensive allows us to work with depth and intentionality, rooted in the treatment plan we co-create during your pre-intensive session.
What’s beautiful about intensives is not just how much we cover—but how deeply we get to go.
Not by rushing… but by pausing.
By giving you space to reflect before you respond
By allowing silence to work its magic
By creating room for your body and mind to integrate, connect, and shift
Integration Doesn’t End When the Session Does
The healing that happens during an EMDR intensive often continues well beyond our time together. Your brain is still doing the work—making connections, rewiring old beliefs, and absorbing new insights.
That’s why I recommend that your post-intensive time mirrors the session itself:
Intentional. Spacious. Unrushed.
It’s tempting to jump back into your regular life: emails, errands, kids’ schedules, calls you missed. But giving yourself even a little extra space can go a long way in supporting deeper integration.
Tips for Supporting Integration After Your Intensive
Here are a few client-tested suggestions for how to care for yourself after your session:
Move slowly
Let your body guide the pace. Even small pauses matter.
Spend time outside
Sit in the sunshine. Let nature help you settle and ground.
Gentle movement
A walk, some stretching, yoga, or a light hike can support nervous system regulation.
Connection without pressure
Spend time with a trusted friend—someone you can just be with, not someone you have to explain everything to.
Do something that fills you up
Read, knit, do pottery, play piano, shoot arrows—whatever brings you joy without needing to achieve anything.
Journal or nap (or both)
Some clients like to journal or take a nap afterward—others do both! Follow what feels restorative.
Create a post-intensive ritual
A symbolic ritual can help mark the moment. Consider:
Stopping at your favorite coffee shop
Picking up something meaningful to commemorate your work (a crystal, a candle, a small piece of art)
Bonus Tip: Plan Ahead for Space
One of the best ways to support your post-intensive experience is to build in margin before you even arrive.
That might look like:
Taking the whole day off from work
Scheduling your session while kids are at camp or school
Turning off notifications for a few hours
Arranging for quiet time at home
The Takeaway
The intensive is just one part of your healing. What happens afterward—the space you give yourself to integrate, rest, and gently reflect—is just as important.
You don’t have to do anything big or perfect. Just keep honoring yourself the way you did when you chose this work in the first place.
Ready to carve out space for deeper healing? EMDR intensives can help you move beyond insight into lasting change.
👉 Explore intensive EMDR options in Connecticut here